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Installing on macOS

Two minutes, and macOS will refuse the app once on the way through. That is expected, it is not a virus warning, and the way past it is three clicks. Do not move the app to the Bin when it asks.

The short version: the first time you open it, macOS will refuse and say it cannot verify the app. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway, then open it again. That is the whole obstacle, and it happens once.

  1. Open the disk image and drag it to Applications

    Double-click the downloaded .dmg in Finder. A window opens with Soft Clipper on one side and a shortcut to your Applications folder on the other — drag one onto the other. Then close the window and eject Soft Clipper from the sidebar.

  2. Open it from Applications, not from the disk image

    Running it straight out of the mounted image works once and then behaves strangely, because macOS launches it from a temporary read-only copy. Copy it across first, every time.

  3. Double-click it, and expect to be refused

    macOS will say it cannot be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software — or, on some Macs, that it is "damaged" and should be moved to the Bin. Both mean the same thing and neither is a virus warning. Click Done or Cancel. Do not move it to the Bin.

  4. Now open System Settings → Privacy & Security

    Scroll down to Security. Because you just tried to open it, there is now a line about Soft Clipper with an Open Anyway button beside it. That button does not appear until you have been refused once, which is why this step comes third.

  5. Click Open Anyway, then Open

    Confirm with Touch ID or your password. macOS asks once more to be sure; choose Open. The app starts, and this Mac never asks again.

  6. Paste your licence key

    The key from your purchase email. One licence covers one computer, and activation needs the internet once — after that it runs offline.

  7. Add an AI key, or choose not to need one

    Settings takes a free Google Gemini key. You can avoid it for YouTube videos that already have captions — pick Ollama or LM Studio and nothing goes to Google. Anything else needs the key to turn speech into text.

Prefer no warnings at all?

Paste this into Terminal instead. macOS shows no security warning, because the warning comes from a flag your browser attaches to downloads and curl does not attach one. 

curl -L -o ~/Downloads/soft-clipper.dmg \
  https://dl.softclipper.pro/Soft-Clipper.dmg
hdiutil attach ~/Downloads/soft-clipper.dmg
cp -R "/Volumes/Soft Clipper/Soft Clipper.app" /Applications/
hdiutil detach "/Volumes/Soft Clipper"
open "/Applications/Soft Clipper.app"

Line one downloads the disk image, line two opens it, line three copies the app into Applications, line four closes the image again, line five starts it. Nothing here is piped into a shell — read each line before you run it, here and anywhere else. If a website ever tells you to paste a command you cannot read, do not.

Not sure? Use the normal download above. Both give you exactly the same app, and the warning is safe to click past — the install guide shows how, or message us and we will walk you through it.

Frequently asked questions

It says Soft Clipper is "damaged and can't be opened. You should move it to the Bin."
Do not move it to the Bin — the file is fine. macOS words it that way for apps that have not been notarised by Apple, a paperwork step we have not paid for yet. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to Security, and click Open Anyway next to Soft Clipper. That line only appears after you have tried to open the app, so try it first.
I looked in Privacy & Security and there is no Open Anyway button.
It appears only after macOS has refused the app, and it disappears again after about an hour. Double-click Soft Clipper, dismiss the warning, then go straight to System Settings and the line will be there.
Why does macOS say Apple "cannot check it for malicious software"?
Because the app is not signed with an Apple Developer certificate. macOS says this about any app that did not come from the App Store without one. It means Apple has not been told who published it — not that anything was found in it.
Is it safe?
The warning is about a missing signature, not a detection. If it matters to you, wait until we are signed and notarised — that is on the list, and it removes the warning entirely rather than asking you to click past it.
Will I have to do this every time?
No — once per Mac. macOS remembers the decision after you click Open Anyway, and from then on Soft Clipper opens with a normal double-click. App updates open normally too, because the approval applies to the app rather than to a particular version of it.
Which Macs does it run on?
Apple Silicon — M1 and newer — on macOS 12 or later. There is no Intel build, so it will not run on a pre-2020 Mac.
Where does it keep my clips and settings?
Clips go to the folder you choose in Settings. Your licence and any downloaded speech model live in ~/Library/Application Support/SoftClipper, so moving or reinstalling the app never costs you your activation.
How do I uninstall it?
Drag Soft Clipper from Applications to the Bin. Your clips stay where they are. To remove the activation as well, delete ~/Library/Application Support/SoftClipper — but release the licence in Settings first if you want to use it on another Mac.

Stuck at any step? WhatsApp +44 7462 086661 or email info@softclipper.pro — a screenshot of what macOS said is usually enough to sort it in one reply.

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