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How to Activate the Little-Known Paper Tape Feature on Mac OS X's Calculator App

Calculator displaying the result of a mathematical operation with paper tape showing calculations.

Calculator applications are standard on almost every computer and mobile device now, but they can be a pain to use. If you're performing longer equations, it can be really annoying to not be able to see the trail that shows how you got there.

The calculator app included in Mac OS X has a little known feature called Paper Tape that fixes this problem by displaying the history of all of the calculations you made like an old-school tape calculator.

Vintage electronic cash register with printer.

Okay, it's actually better than that.

Activating it is simple. Just press Command T or go to Window -> Show Paper Tape.

Calculator displaying the number 786 with paper tape showing calculations.

The tape can keep track of more than one calculation at a time, and if you mess up, you can go back and correct it or pick up from any previous point. It may not get you through your Calc class, but it definitely makes basic functions a lot less annoying.

Photo by YourOfficeStop

Apple's iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 updates are packed with new features, and you can try them before almost everyone else. First, check our list of supported iPhone and iPad models, then follow our step-by-step guide to install the iOS/iPadOS 26 beta — no paid developer account required.