# ColorCopy

> ColorCopy is a minimal macOS menu bar color picker. Click any pixel on your screen and the color lands on your clipboard in whichever format you want — HEX, CSS, Swift, SwiftUI, UIColor, NSColor, Objective-C, .NET, Java, Android. Includes a WCAG contrast checker with auto-fix. Fully sandboxed, 100% local, no accounts, no subscriptions.

## Key Facts

- Category: macOS developer utility / color picker
- Price: Free with optional one-time Pro upgrade (no subscription)
- Platform: macOS 26.2+
- Privacy: No data leaves the device. No analytics, no telemetry, no accounts.
- Color sampling: Apple's native NSColorSampler (requires Screen Recording permission, enforced at the OS level for all color pickers)
- Languages: English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, German, French, Spanish, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Italian, Russian
- Developer: A Beautiful Site, LLC
- Website: https://colorcopy.app

## How It Works

1. Press your global hotkey (or right-click the menu bar icon)
2. Click any pixel on your screen — any app, any website, any video, any PDF
3. The color is formatted and written to your clipboard; paste it anywhere

## Features

- Menu bar only — no dock icon, no windows to manage
- Configurable global hotkey for one-tap picking from anywhere
- 20+ color formats organized by platform
- Recent colors: last 8 picks stored locally, click to re-copy in the current format
- WCAG AA/AAA contrast checker with one-click auto-fix (Pro)
- Customizable output: # prefix, uppercase/lowercase, 2/3/4 decimal places for float formats
- Nine copy sounds (or silent)
- Launch at login
- 10 native localizations
- Fully sandboxed Mac App Store build

## Supported Color Formats

### Free tier (web formats)
- HEX (#7A5CF0)
- HEXA (#7A5CF0FF)
- CSS RGB / RGBA (rgb(122, 92, 240) / rgba(…, 1))
- CSS HSL / HSLA (hsl(250, 83%, 65%) / hsla(…, 1))

### Pro tier (developer formats)
- SwiftUI Color RGB / HSB
- Swift Color Literal (#colorLiteral)
- UIColor RGB / HSB
- NSColor RGB / HSB
- Objective-C UIColor / NSColor
- .NET Color.FromArgb (RGB / ARGB)
- Java new Color(…) (RGB / RGBA)
- Android Color.rgb / Color.argb

## Free vs Pro

- Free: Every web format (HEX/HEXA/CSS RGB/RGBA/HSL/HSLA), global hotkey, recent colors, copy sounds, hash prefix, uppercase toggle, launch at login. Forever.
- Pro: One-time purchase. Unlocks all developer formats (Swift, SwiftUI, UIColor, NSColor, Obj-C, .NET, Java, Android), the WCAG contrast checker with auto-fix, and decimal precision for float formats.

## Comparison with Alternatives

- vs macOS Digital Color Meter: Digital Color Meter is read-only and stuck in a tiny window; it doesn't output developer formats. ColorCopy copies to the clipboard in 20+ formats and remembers recent picks.
- vs browser DevTools eyedropper: Works across every app, not just the browser. Works in Slack, Figma, Preview, YouTube, native apps.
- vs Sip / ColorSnapper: Free tier covers web formats. Pro is one-time, no subscription. Sandboxed Mac App Store build. 10 native languages.
- vs Figma's color picker: Works everywhere, not just inside Figma.

## Privacy Summary

ColorCopy collects nothing. No analytics, telemetry, crash reporters, or tracking. The only network activity is Apple's StoreKit for optional in-app purchases. The picked pixel is read locally via Apple's NSColorSampler and written directly to the system clipboard. Recent colors are stored in UserDefaults on the user's Mac.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is ColorCopy really free?
Yes. The free tier covers every web format (HEX, HEXA, CSS RGB/RGBA, CSS HSL/HSLA) plus the hotkey, recent colors, sounds, and every customization setting. ColorCopy Pro (a one-time purchase) adds the developer formats and the WCAG contrast checker. No subscriptions.

### Does ColorCopy send my colors anywhere?
No. Nothing leaves the Mac. ColorCopy uses Apple's native NSColorSampler to pick pixels and writes the result directly to the clipboard.

### What formats does it support?
Twenty. Web: HEX, HEXA, CSS RGB, CSS RGBA, CSS HSL, CSS HSLA. Apple: NSColor RGB/HSB, UIColor RGB/HSB, SwiftUI Color RGB/HSB, Swift Color Literal. Objective-C: NSColor, UIColor. Cross-platform: .NET RGB/ARGB, Java RGB/RGBA, Android RGB/ARGB.

### How is this different from Digital Color Meter?
Digital Color Meter shows a color in its window and never copies it in a format developers use. ColorCopy copies to the clipboard in 20+ formats, remembers recent picks, and ships a WCAG contrast checker.

### Do I need to grant permissions?
Yes — Screen Recording permission, which macOS requires for any app that reads pixel colors from other apps. This is a system-level rule for all color pickers, not something ColorCopy chose. ColorCopy never records video or takes screenshots; it only reads the one pixel you click.

### What's the contrast checker?
A Pro feature. Pick a background and foreground color, see the WCAG contrast ratio with AA/AAA pass/fail for normal and large text. If a combination fails, one click adjusts the color to the exact ratio needed.

### Is there an iOS version?
No. iOS doesn't let apps read pixel colors from other apps, which is the entire premise of ColorCopy. macOS only.

## Links

- [Homepage](https://colorcopy.app)
- [Privacy Policy](https://colorcopy.app/privacy)
- [Terms of Use](https://colorcopy.app/terms)