The pbcopy command is a powerful utility for macOS and other Unix-like systems that allows you to easily pipe the standard output of any command directly into the system's clipboard (pasteboard). This is incredibly useful for developers who frequently need to copy text, code snippets, or command results for use in other applications or documents.

What is pbcopy?

pbcopy is a command-line tool that reads from standard input and writes to the macOS pasteboard. It's the counterpart to pbpaste, which reads from the pasteboard and writes to standard output. Together, they form a seamless way to move data between your terminal and other applications.

How to Use pbcopy

Using pbcopy is straightforward. You typically pipe the output of another command into it using the pipe symbol (|).

Copying File Contents to Clipboard

To copy the entire content of a file into your clipboard, you can use input redirection:

pbcopy < your_file.txt

This command reads your_file.txt and places its contents into the clipboard.

Copying Command Results to Clipboard

A more common use case is to copy the output of a command. For example, to copy a list of PNG files in the current directory to your clipboard:

find . -type f -name "*.png" | pbcopy

This command finds all files ending with .png and pipes the list of filenames to pbcopy, making them available to paste elsewhere.

Key Benefits of pbcopy

• Efficiency: Quickly transfer terminal output without manual selection and copying.
• Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other command-line tools and scripts.
• Developer Workflow: Essential for tasks like copying API keys, configuration snippets, or log data.

Related Tools and Concepts

Understanding pbcopy is also beneficial when working with other clipboard utilities or scripting tasks. For instance, pbpaste can be used to insert clipboard content into your terminal.

For more advanced clipboard management on different operating systems, you might explore tools like xclip or xsel on Linux.

External Resources:

• pbcopy man page (Apple Developer)
• Stack Overflow: Copy command output to clipboard on Mac