There's Hidden Information in Almost Everything You Copy-Paste
Copy one sample and paste it into two places to see why the results are different.
Published July 2, 2026; updated July 19, 2026
Copy the sample below, then paste it into both empty boxes.
After copying, paste into both boxes below.
Two paste representations, plus ContextPaste metadata
The two boxes can preview the plain-text and formatted versions. Clipboard Inspector can also reveal special metadata included with the sample.
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Plain textTerminal commandPaste into Terminal above
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Formatted contentNote with a table and linkPaste into the Notes-style editor above
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ContextPaste metadataSpecial data most apps ignoreOpen Clipboard Inspector to inspect it →
To inspect all three entries, copy the sample, open Clipboard Inspector, then paste.
You can try this in your apps too. Paste the same sample into Terminal on your Mac, then into Notes or Google Docs. You will get two different results.
Why the results are different
The plain-text and styled versions are called representations: different forms of the same copied item. The Terminal box accepts plain text. The Notes-style box accepts styled content, so it can preserve the document structure and links. Browsers identify that version as text/html. Each destination uses a representation it supports.
The sample also includes special ContextPaste metadata. A browser may expose it as a custom representation or keep it inside the formatted version. Clipboard Inspector shows it as a separate entry either way.
Why this matters
This mechanism preserves useful structure such as links and tables. It can also carry unwanted presentation or tracking data into the destination. In Terminal, an unseen newline can even change what runs.
Many Mac apps include a Paste and Match Style command. In browser-based editors, the shortcut is commonly Shift-Command-V (⇧⌘V). It removes copied formatting so the text uses the destination’s style. Depending on the app, it can also remove document structure you wanted to keep.
The Clipboard Inspector shows the representations that your browser exposes. A native Mac inspector can read additional pasteboard types that browsers restrict. ContextPaste is being designed to show those versions before paste and let you choose which one to use.