FAQ
Answers to the most common questions about Beetroot.
Version: 1.5.1 Last updated: 2026-03-16
General
Q: Is Beetroot free? A: Yes, completely free.
Q: Does Beetroot work on Windows 10? A: Yes. Windows 10 and Windows 11 are both supported. The Mica window effect is only available on Windows 11; Acrylic and Solid work on both.
Q: Does Beetroot work on macOS or Linux? A: No. Beetroot is a Windows-only application.
Q: How do I stop Beetroot from running? A: Right-click the system tray icon and select "Quit." To prevent it from starting with Windows, go to Settings > General and turn off Autostart.
Q: How do I report a bug? A: Go to Settings > About and click "Report issue" to open a GitHub issue. Include what you were doing, what you expected, and what happened instead.
Privacy and Security
Q: Does Beetroot send my clipboard data anywhere? A: No. All clipboard data stays on your computer. The only time data leaves your machine is when you explicitly use AI transforms -- and only the specific clip you are transforming is sent to the AI provider you choose. If you do not use AI transforms and disable auto-update, Beetroot makes zero network connections.
Q: Does Beetroot capture passwords? A: Beetroot detects when content is copied from known password managers and skips those clipboard entries. However, if you manually copy a password from a text file or website, it will be captured like any other text.
Q: Can I use Beetroot without an internet connection? A: Yes. Everything except AI transforms (cloud providers) and auto-updates works offline. OCR and all local features work without internet. If you use a local LLM (Ollama, LM Studio), AI transforms work offline too.
Q: Where are my API keys stored? A: API keys are stored locally on your computer in the application's settings. They are never transmitted anywhere except to their respective AI provider when you request a transform.
Data
Q: Where is my data stored?
A: By default, in %APPDATA%\com.beetroot.app. This includes a SQLite database file and an images folder. You can see and change the location in Settings > Data.
Q: Can I sync my clipboard history across computers? A: No, and this is intentional. Cloud sync services (OneDrive, Dropbox, etc.) can corrupt the SQLite database. Beetroot is designed to work on a single computer.
Q: Can I export my clipboard history? A: Not directly from the interface. Your data is stored in a standard SQLite database that you can access with any SQLite tool if needed.
Q: What happens when I reach the history limit? A: The oldest non-starred clips are automatically removed to make room. Starred clips are never removed by the history limit.
Q: How do I completely remove a clip? A: Press Alt+Delete or right-click > Delete. The clip is immediately removed. You will see a brief undo toast -- click "Undo" within a few seconds if you made a mistake.
Features
Q: Can I use multiple AI providers? A: You can configure keys for all providers, but only one is active at a time. Switch between them in Settings > AI. Your keys are saved for each provider.
Q: What keyboard layouts are supported? A: Beetroot detects your active keyboard layout in real-time and adapts hotkeys accordingly. QWERTY, AZERTY, QWERTZ, and layouts with AltGr dead keys are all supported. If the default Ctrl+` does not work on your layout, you can record any key combination in Settings > Shortcuts.
Q: How does search work? A: Beetroot uses a multi-phase search. It first tries exact substring matching, then word-start matching, then searches secondary fields (source app, window title), and finally falls back to fuzzy matching when fewer than 5 results are found. This means exact matches always appear first, and fuzzy results only show up when needed.
Q: Can I use regex in search?
A: Yes. Click the .* button in the search bar to switch to regex mode. Type any regular expression pattern. Regex search is case-insensitive by default.
Q: How does OCR work? A: Beetroot uses the Windows built-in OCR engine -- no internet required. Right-click an image clip and select "Extract text (OCR)." The recognized text is saved as a new clip.
Q: What is "Pin Window" mode? A: Pin mode keeps the Beetroot window visible on top of all other windows. When pinned, clicking a clip copies it to your clipboard instead of auto-pasting, because the target app might not be correct. A drag handle appears so you can move the window around.
Q: What is "Follow Cursor" mode? A: Follow Cursor makes the Beetroot window track your mouse position. This keeps the window near where you are working.
Q: What is the plain text paste hotkey? A: An optional global hotkey (you set it in Settings > Shortcuts) that pastes the current clipboard content as plain text, stripping all formatting. This works system-wide, even when Beetroot is hidden.
Troubleshooting
Q: The hotkey does not open Beetroot. A: Make sure Beetroot is running (check the system tray). Your hotkey might conflict with another application -- go to Settings > Shortcuts and try a different key combination. On AZERTY or QWERTZ keyboards, the backtick key may not be available; record a new hotkey.
Q: Clipboard monitoring seems paused. A: Look for a yellow "Clipboard monitoring paused" banner. Click the pause/play button in the footer bar or use the system tray right-click menu to resume.
Q: I see "Database corruption detected." A: Restart Beetroot. It automatically detects corruption and restores from the most recent valid backup. You will see a notification confirming the recovery. If no backup is available, a fresh database is created.
Q: Beetroot warns about cloud sync or USB drives. A: Storing the database on OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, a USB drive, or a network share can cause corruption because these modify files while Beetroot is using them. Always use a local drive.
Q: AI transforms are not working. A: Check Settings > AI. Make sure you have entered a valid API key for the selected provider and clicked Test. For local LLM, confirm your model server is running. See the AI Setup Guide for detailed instructions.
Q: The window appears on the wrong monitor. A: Beetroot opens on the monitor where your mouse cursor is. Move your cursor to the desired monitor before pressing the hotkey.
Q: App icons are not showing for some applications. A: Some applications (especially UWP/Store apps) store their icons in non-standard locations. This is cosmetic and does not affect functionality.
Last updated: 2026-03-16