The Junk Yard won't open or stops capturing

If the Junk Yard's strip doesn't slide out at the screen edge, or what you copy stops appearing, one of a few switches is usually off: the Junk Yard itself, the edge strip, clipboard capture, or the Minimum performance setting, which deliberately stops the Junk Yard. You can always open it another way while you check.

Likely causes

The strip won't open at the screen edge

• The edge strip is off. In Settings → Junk Yard, under Edge curtain, Open a strip of scraps when the pointer hits the screen edge must be on.
• You're aiming at the wrong edge. Dock to sets which edge it lives on — Top or Right. Push the pointer right up against that edge.
• The Junk Yard is switched off. Enable Junk Yard on this Mac is at the top of the same pane.
• Performance is set to Minimum — core only. Minimum is a deliberate lockdown: it stops clipboard capture and the edge strip until you change it.

Copies stop arriving

• Capture is off. The Junk Yard window's header has a Capturing switch; when it reads Capture off, "nothing you copy is saved to the Junk Yard."
• Watch the clipboard is off in Settings → Junk Yard, so only what you save on purpose is kept.
• It was a password. "Passwords (from password managers) are never captured."
• You copied too many files at once. Copying more than the number set in Capture a multi-file copy of up to … files is skipped.
• Performance is set to Minimum, as above.

A busy Mac doesn't pause the Junk Yard: only the Minimum setting you chose yourself does.

%% caption: Checking the switches that control the Junk Yard
flowchart TD
  A[Junk Yard won't open or stopped capturing] --> B{Is Enable Junk Yard on this Mac on?}
  B -->|No| C[Turn it on]
  B -->|Yes| D{Is Performance set to Minimum?}
  D -->|Yes| E[Choose Automatic or another level]
  D -->|No| F{Strip or capture?}
  F -->|Strip| G[Turn on the Edge curtain switch and check Dock to]
  F -->|Capture| H[Turn on Capturing and Watch the clipboard]

How to fix it

1. Open the Junk Yard another way so you can see it: the Junk Yard tab in the main window, the Open the Junk Yard keyboard shortcut (set it in Settings → Junk Yard or Shortcuts), or the Junk Yard button in the Advanced view's popover.
2. Check Settings → Junk Yard. Turn on Enable Junk Yard on this Mac, Watch the clipboard, and Open a strip of scraps when the pointer hits the screen edge, and check Dock to.
3. Check the Capturing switch in the Junk Yard window's header.
4. Check Performance. Open Storage Profile… from the More menu; the performance menu at the top shows the current level. If it says Minimum, choose Automatic — adapts to your Mac or another level. See Performance modes.
5. Copy something and watch it appear. Copies made while capture was off aren't collected afterwards — copy them again.

If the strip opens and then closes straight away, make sure you're on the latest version — see Keeping Storage Studio up to date.

See also: The Junk Yard · Opening the Junk Yard from the screen edge · Clipboard capture, pins and how long items last · Junk Yard shortcuts · Something's not working: start here