What is the TEXTCLIPPING file format?
.textclipping is a text file format native to macOS (formerly Mac OS X). .textclipping files are created automatically when a user drags highlighted text out of an application and drops it onto the Desktop or a Finder window. Such a file can therefore serve as a quick and convenient note-creation device or for saving fragments of text - for example, a passage copied from the web.
How are .textclipping filenames generated?
Because .textclipping files are created automatically by the system, their filenames are also generated automatically based on the first few characters of the selected text. The user can rename the file after it has been created.
What does a .textclipping file contain?
Internally, the file stores the text as a property list in its data fork - typically with the text encoded in three forms: UTF-8, UTF-16, and ASCII, each held under its own plist key (utf8, ut16, ascii). Older clippings from Classic Mac OS stored content in the resource fork using a Finder type code; modern macOS files may carry both for backward compatibility. Quick Look and TextEdit can display the contents directly. Related clipping types include .webloc (URL clippings) and .pictclipping (image clippings).
Typical uses of .textclipping files
Text in a .textclipping file can be freely dragged back into any document or application to paste the stored content - a reusable clipboard substitute. Common uses include inserting a saved phrase into an email, dropping a code snippet into an editor, or pasting a web address into a search box. Because the format is macOS-exclusive, these files appear as unreadable objects on Windows or Linux.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA .textclipping is a passive text snippet with no scripting or executable content, so it's safe to open. The only practical notes: it may quietly contain whatever text was dragged (mind sensitive info in old clippings), and it's macOS-only - on Windows/Linux you can't open it natively, so get the text by opening it on a Mac (Quick Look/TextEdit) and copying it out.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open TEXTCLIPPING files
macOS3 apps
Finder / Quick Look
Built-in Select the .textclipping and press Space for Quick Look, or double-click to open a window where you can select and copy the text.
Any app (drag-to-paste)
Built-in Drag the .textclipping directly into a Pages/Mail/TextEdit document to paste its text where the cursor is. Technical details
deep spec| Developer | Apple Inc. |
| Internal structure | Data-fork binary property list (`bplist00`) or XML plist; optionally accompanied by a legacy resource fork for backward compatibility |
| Text encodings stored | UTF-8, UTF-16, and ASCII - held in separate plist keys (`utf8`, `ut16`, `ascii`) |
| Typical file size | A few hundred bytes to a few kilobytes (sized for short text snippets) |
| MIME type | `text/plain` (also served as `application/octet-stream`) |
| Platform support | macOS only; Windows and Linux treat the file as an opaque binary |
| Creation mechanism | Drag-and-drop: user drags selected text from any app to the Desktop or a Finder window |
| Filename auto-generation | Filename derived from the first characters of the selected text; user may rename after creation |
| Reuse method | Drag the `.textclipping` file back into any application to paste the stored text |
| Finder type code (legacy) | `clpt` - used in Classic Mac OS resource-fork clippings |
| Quick Look support | Previews natively in macOS Quick Look; also opened by TextEdit |
| Sibling clipping formats | `.webloc` (URL), `.pictclipping` (image), `.mailloc` (mail message) |
| Format evolution | Transitioned from resource-fork storage (Classic Mac OS) to data-fork property list (Mac OS X / macOS); transitional files carry both |
| Released | Classic Mac OS clippings since Mac OS 7.5 (1994); the .textclipping extension form on Mac OS X / macOS |
| Latest version | Current macOS (Finder feature; no versioned spec) |
| Specification | en.wikipedia.org |
TEXTCLIPPING conversions
Community Q&A
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