iPhone Getting started Updated September 20, 2026

Enable the Clipboard AI keyboard

The keyboard is how you paste your saved clips anywhere. Here is how to switch it on, and why Full Access matters.

The Clipboard AI keyboard is how you paste any saved clip inside any app. It takes a minute to switch on, and turning on Full Access is what lets it actually show your clips.

⌨️ The whole process

Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard > Clipboard AI, then open it again and turn on Allow Full Access.

Add the keyboard

Open the Settings app and go to General > Keyboard > Keyboards. Then follow these three steps.

The Keyboards list in iOS Settings with Add New Keyboard highlighted
1
Tap "Add New Keyboard"
At the bottom of your list of keyboards.
The Add New Keyboard picker with Clipboard AI under Third-Party Keyboards
2
Choose "Clipboard AI"
Under Third-Party Keyboards. It is now added to your list.
The Clipboard AI keyboard screen with Allow Full Access turned on
3
Tap "Clipboard AI", then turn on "Allow Full Access"
The switch turns green. That is what connects the keyboard to your clips.
🔑 Why Full Access is required

Without it, iOS blocks the keyboard from reading your saved clips, so the keyboard would open empty. Full Access is what connects the keyboard to your library. Clipboard AI uses it only to show your own clips.

The app checks for you

You do not have to guess whether it worked. The first-run guide in Clipboard AI watches for the keyboard being added and for Full Access being switched on, and says so the moment each one is done: "Added. Full Access still off" until you flip the second switch, then "Keyboard is ready". If you got sent to Settings and came back halfway, it picks up where you were, and the try-it step that follows only counts once you have pasted with the real keyboard.

⚙️ The same three steps live in iOS Settings too

Open the Settings app, scroll to Clipboard AI, and the top of its page has a short Set Up the Keyboard guide, for the times you go looking there instead of in the app.

Use the keyboard anywhere

Now open any app with a text field. Tap the field to bring up the keyboard, then press and hold the globe key (or tap it) and choose Clipboard AI. Your saved clips appear, ready to paste.

The Clipboard AI keyboard open in Messages, listing recent clips to paste
The Clipboard AI keyboard, open in Messages. Tap any clip to paste it.
💡 Next up

Learn the everyday flow in Paste a saved clip from the keyboard.

Keyboard not showing your clips?

If the keyboard opens empty, Full Access is almost always the reason. Go back to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Clipboard AI and make sure Allow Full Access is on. More fixes are in Troubleshooting.

Common questions

Why is my keyboard not showing my saved clips?

Almost always it is Allow Full Access. Without it, the keyboard cannot read your saved clips. Open Settings, General, Keyboard, Keyboards, tap Clipboard AI, and turn on Allow Full Access.

How do I add the Clipboard AI keyboard?

Go to Settings, General, Keyboard, Keyboards, Add New Keyboard, and choose Clipboard AI. Then tap it again and turn on Allow Full Access so it can paste your clips.

Is Allow Full Access safe?

Full Access lets the keyboard read your saved clips from the app so it can paste them. Clipboard AI keeps your clips on your device and only syncs them through your own private iCloud.
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