Maccy keyboard shortcut not working

1. Resolve a system shortcut conflict

If macOS already uses your chosen combination, Maccy’s hotkey will not fire (or you will see an “already used” warning).

1. Open System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts.
2. Check Services → Text and other categories for a binding that matches yours (for example, Show Character Viewer).
3. Disable the conflicting shortcut, then re-assign Maccy’s hotkey in Settings → Hotkeys.

2. Avoid printable-character shortcuts (secure input)

When you are in a password field, macOS “secure input” blocks shortcuts that would produce a printable character — for example ⌥ C outputs “ç”. If your hotkey stops working only in password fields, that is why. Switch to a non-printing combination such as ⌘ ⇧ C.

3. Confirm the hotkey is actually set

Open Maccy’s Settings → Hotkeys and make sure a shortcut is assigned (it can be cleared accidentally). Re-record it if the field is empty. The full reference is on the shortcuts page.

4. Check Accessibility (for paste, not summon)

If the window opens but pressing Return does not paste, the issue is Accessibility permission, not the hotkey — grant it in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

5. Use Karabiner for stubborn keys

If you must keep a combination macOS dislikes, route it through Karabiner-Elements to translate your physical keys into a neutral shortcut before macOS sees it.

Still stuck? See the full troubleshooting guide.

Why the Maccy keyboard shortcut stops working

The default shortcut is ⌘⇧C (Command + Shift + C). When it stops responding, one of these is usually the cause:

• Accessibility permission was reset — most common after macOS updates
• Another app claimed the same shortcut — conflicts are silent and hard to detect
• Maccy is not running — the shortcut only works when Maccy is active
• The shortcut was changed — someone may have modified it in Preferences

Fix 1: Re-grant Accessibility permission (fixes 80% of cases)

1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility
2. Find Maccy in the list
3. Toggle it off, then back on
4. Quit Maccy completely (right-click menu bar icon → Quit)
5. Relaunch Maccy from Applications
6. Test the shortcut

Fix 2: Check for shortcut conflicts

If another app uses ⌘⇧C, it will silently intercept the keypress before Maccy sees it. Common conflicts:

• Chrome/Arc/Brave: “Copy link to highlight” uses Cmd+Shift+C in some versions
• Screenshot tools: Cleanshot X, Skitch, Monosnap may capture this shortcut
• Custom keyboard layouts: Karabiner-Elements can intercept before apps receive it

How to find conflicts:

1. Open System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts
2. Check App Shortcuts for any entry using Cmd+Shift+C
3. Check individual apps (Chrome, etc.) for conflicting shortcut settings

Fix 3: Change Maccy’s shortcut to avoid conflicts

1. Open Maccy → Preferences → General
2. Click the current shortcut field
3. Press your desired new shortcut (e.g. ⌘⇧V or ⌥Space)
4. Close Preferences

Popular alternatives that rarely conflict: ⌘⇧V, ⌥V, ⌃⌥V.

Fix 4: Maccy not running

The shortcut only works when Maccy is active. Check:

1. Look for the Maccy clipboard icon in your menu bar
2. If missing, relaunch from Applications
3. Enable Launch at Login in Preferences so this doesn’t recur

Fix 5: Shortcut was reset to default

If you changed the shortcut before but it reverted, Maccy may have reset preferences. Check in Preferences → General and re-set your preferred shortcut. This can happen after a clean reinstall.