Addicted to making lists? Here are my top apps for Windows and MacOS

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• PopClip and SnipDo expand what copy/paste can do.
• Both apps allow you to append text directly to the app.
• PopClip is only available for MacOS and SnipDo for Windows.

How often do you find yourself copying text from a website, document, or email that you want to add to a list app? 

That happens quite a bit to me. Something I read might inspire an idea for a book, and I want to make sure I add it to a list before I forget it. That happens so often that I find it becomes a chore to copy the text, open the list app, find the list I want, and then paste the text.

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When you’re very busy, you need a more efficient solution for this simple task.

That’s why I went searching for apps to serve this purpose. I found two — one for MacOS and one for Windows,  and both are more efficient than using a standard clipboard. (I’m still on the hunt for an app that supports Linux), 

Let me introduce you to those apps.

PopClip for MacOS

PopClip is for MacOS, and it’s fantastic — but it’s not free. You can install it and enjoy a free trial, but after that trial expires, you’ll have to pony up for a license. The good news is that a lifetime license costs only $25.

PopClip is like a clipboard manager on steroids. Thanks to a robust extension library, you can integrate PopClip with the likes of Notes, Craft, Evernote, Logseq, Notion, Obsidian, OneNote, and many more. 

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I added the Notion extension to PopClip. (It’s as simple as heading to the extension library, clicking on the Notion entry, double-clicking the downloaded file, and walking through the simple setup process.) Make sure you select the correct Space and Page (they’re case sensitive); otherwise, PopClip won’t know where to store the copied text. Once you’ve done that, PopClip is integrated with Notion and can add text you’ve highlighted to whatever notes you’ve configured.

PopClip makes it incredibly easy to add selected text to a note in an app.

Screenshot byJack Wallen/ZDNET

To add text to Notion with PopClip, highlight the text you want and — from the pop-up — click the Notion icon. You don’t have to do anything else because PopClip handles it all for you.

My selected text has been added to a Notion note.

Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Other than the slightly tricky setup of your chosen extension (each extension has its own setup process), PopClip is one of the best solutions for this task.

SnipDo for Windows

SnipDo for Windows isn’t quite as flexible as PopClip, but it can help make your copy/paste life a bit easier. With PopClip, you select the text you want and then click the icon for which you want to append the text.

The problem with SnipDo is that it doesn’t have nearly the integrations that PopClip has, and when you do click an action icon, it opens the app (with the selected text automatically added), as opposed to PopClip, which simply appends the selected text to the desired app or service. 

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The most useful extensions in SnipDo are Calendar (to add events to your Calendar), Notepad (to create a new note in the Notepad app), Print (to print the selected text), Send Email (to create a new email with your selected text in the body), Sticky Notes (to create a new Sticky Note, requires the Sticky Note app), Todoist (to add new tasks to the Todoist app), and Trello (to add a new Trello card).

Note that most app integrations require a Pro account, which gives you unlimited extensions, dark/light themes, the ability to create your own custom extension, and backup/restore. The Pro license is $4.99/year. If you’re using an extension for an app, you will also have to log into that app through SnipDo (which you also have to do with PopClip).

After you’ve installed SnipDo, go to the Load Extensions page, locate the extension you want to add, and click Install.

While SnipDo doesn’t offer as many integrations as PopClip does, there are still plenty to be found.

Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Once the extension is installed, you’ll be able to log in or configure it when you first paste text into the app or service.

SnipDo is used in the same way as PopClip: Highlight the text you want to paste, then click the action button associated with the app or service you want to house the text.

You can access the SnipDo action menu as soon as you highlight text.

Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET

It’s that simple.

Both of these apps do a good job of simplifying your daily life. PopClip is, by far, the better option. However, since it only works on MacOS, if you’re a Windows user, you’ll have to go with the lesser app.