Device guides · 2026
Share Clipboard Between Linux and Android
Linux has the best free answer of any desktop here: KDE Connect was built for it, and GNOME gets the same thing through GSConnect. They have limits that come from Android itself, though. Here is how each option behaves, which one suits a laptop you carry around, and the firewall detail that trips people up.
Where Pasteable stands: The Android app is on Google Play under the same plan. The iPhone app is in App Store review and not downloadable yet. Until then your iPhone uses the web app.
Your options
Four options, three of them free
What each one needs, and where each falls short. Our own card has a catch too.
KDE Connect
Free and local, on any desktop
- Price
- Free (open source)
- Runs on
- Linux · Windows · macOS · Android · iOS
Install it on both devices and pair them on the same network. On Android, tap “Send clipboard” in its notification; on iPhone, tap “push clipboard”.
The catch: Both devices must be on the same network (or paired over Bluetooth). No images on the shared clipboard, no history, and on iPhone it only goes phone → computer.
Pasteable vs KDE ConnectGSConnect
GNOME desktops
- Price
- Free (open source)
- Runs on
- Linux (GNOME Shell) + the KDE Connect phone app
A GNOME Shell extension that implements the KDE Connect protocol, so the KDE Connect app on your phone pairs with it for clipboard sharing, file sending, and notifications.
The catch: The same rules as KDE Connect: both devices on the same network, and a tap to send the clipboard on Android 10 and later.
scrcpy
Developers with a cable and USB debugging on
- Price
- Free (open source)
- Runs on
- Linux · Windows · macOS + Android
Mirrors and controls your Android screen from the computer over adb. While it runs, text you copy on the phone lands on the computer clipboard, and Ctrl+V in the mirror window pastes the computer clipboard into the phone.
The catch: Needs USB debugging (Developer options) and a cable or adb over the network, only works while the mirror window is open, and the clipboard is text only.
Pasteable
We make this oneAway from home, with a searchable history
- Price
- Free · Pro $6/mo or $60/yr · $80 founder lifetime
- Runs on
- Mac · Windows · Linux · Android · Web (iPhone app in App Store review)
Install Pasteable on your phone and sign in with the same account. What you capture there syncs to your Mac, Windows, or Linux history, end-to-end encrypted.
The catch: Free syncs your 25 most recent clips; Pro syncs up to 10,000. On Android you save a clip from the Pasteable keyboard, widget, or share sheet, because Android does not let apps read the clipboard in the background. No notification mirroring or texting.
With Pasteable
Android to Linux with Pasteable
- 1
Install on Linux
Download Pasteable for Linux (64-bit), sign in, and turn on sync.
- 2
Install on Android
Get Pasteable from Google Play and sign in with the same account.
- 3
Save the clip
Copy as usual, then save it with the Pasteable keyboard, the home-screen widget, or the share sheet. It syncs end-to-end encrypted.
- 4
Paste on Linux
Press Ctrl+Shift+V to open your history and paste the clip.
Linux to Android
- 1
Copy on Linux
Copy as usual. Pasteable keeps text, links, images, and files in your history and syncs your recent clips.
- 2
Grab it on Android
Copy on your computer as usual. The clip is waiting in the Pasteable app on your phone. The Pasteable keyboard shows your synced clips too, so you can paste it into any app.
v3.2.25
Pasteable for Android is on Google Play. The iPhone app is in App Store review right now. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you the moment it’s live, or use the web app on your iPhone today.
Good to know
Details for Android phone and Linux desktop
Open the KDE Connect ports
If the phone cannot see the desktop, your firewall is the usual cause. KDE Connect uses ports 1714–1764 over TCP and UDP. With ufw:
sudo ufw allow 1714:1764/udp sudo ufw allow 1714:1764/tcpfirewalld users
Add the kdeconnect service to the zone you are in, and avoid running it in the public zone:
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=home --add-service=kdeconnect sudo firewall-cmd --reloadOne tap on Android 14 and later
Add the “Send clipboard” tile to Quick Settings in the KDE Connect app so sending is one swipe and one tap.
FAQ
Common questions
Why does KDE Connect not send my Android clipboard automatically?+
Android 10 and later stop apps reading the clipboard in the background. KDE Connect puts a “Send clipboard” button in its notification, and a Quick Settings tile on Android 14 and later.
Does GSConnect work with the KDE Connect app on Android?+
Yes. GSConnect is a GNOME Shell extension that implements the KDE Connect protocol, so you install the regular KDE Connect app on the phone and pair it with GNOME.
Which option works when I am away from home?+
KDE Connect, GSConnect, and scrcpy need a local connection (or a VPN you set up). Pasteable syncs over the internet, so it works on mobile data or another Wi-Fi.
Can I copy images from Android to Linux?+
KDE Connect’s shared clipboard is text only; send images with its Share feature. scrcpy’s clipboard is text only too. Pasteable syncs images and files along with text.
Is it free?+
KDE Connect, GSConnect, and scrcpy are free and open source. Pasteable is free to start with 25 end-to-end encrypted synced clips and files up to 1 GB; Pro syncs up to 10,000 clips and files up to 5 GB for $6/month, $60/year, or a one-time Lifetime licence ($80 founder price for the first 100 buyers, then $100).
Keep reading
Related guides and comparisons
Your clipboard, on every device
Free on Mac, Windows, and Linux, with 25 end-to-end encrypted synced clips. Add the Android app and you are set.
v3.2.25
Pasteable for Android is on Google Play. The iPhone app is in App Store review right now. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you the moment it’s live, or use the web app on your iPhone today.
On your phone? Open the web app