KeepsakeKeepsake

Getting Started with Keepsake

Welcome to Keepsake — make yourself at home. Keepsake does one thing: it helps you empty your head and free your creativity. You capture a thought in three seconds, you organize it later, linked to the people and projects it belongs to, and you share what deserves to be read. In a few minutes, you'll have everything set up. Let's get you started. Curious about our philosophy? Discover our approach.

Create your account

Getting into Keepsake is quick. No lengthy forms, no credit card required.
1

Enter your email

Head to keepsake.place and type in your email address. That's all we need.

2

You're in

One click and your account is created: you're taken straight into the app, already signed in, with a 30-day free trial. No confirmation email to wait for, no setup wizard, no onboarding survey — just Keepsake, ready to use.

3

Next time: Magic Link

When you come back, just enter your email again. We'll send you a Magic Link — one click and you're logged in. No password needed.

4

Prefer a password?

If you prefer traditional login, go to Settings → Security and set a password. Once defined, you can log in with your email and password instead of the Magic Link.

Tip

You can also install Keepsake on your phone as a native app. Just open the app in your mobile browser and tap "Add to Home Screen."

Capture your first idea

The first thing you'll see is the capture bar — "Empty your head: an idea, a task, someone to call back…". It's always visible: at the top of the screen on a computer, at the bottom above the tabs on a phone (where it simply reads "Empty your head…"). This is your go-to place for capturing anything that crosses your mind.
1

Type your thought

Click the capture bar and write whatever comes to mind — an idea, a reminder, a random thought. Don't worry about where it goes.

2

Press Enter

Your note is saved instantly. It waits in your Inbox, where you'll decide later what it becomes — a note, a task, a journal entry, a post.

Tip

QuickNotes work even when you're offline. Your notes are saved locally and synced automatically when your connection comes back.

Add your first contact

Keepsake is built around the people who matter to you. Adding a contact creates a profile that connects everything — notes, tasks, exchanges — to that person.
1

Go to Contacts

Tap Contacts in the sidebar (or the Contacts tab on mobile).

2

Create a new contact

Click New contact (or the New button, then New contact) and fill in the name in the panel that opens. You can add a phone number, email, birthday, and any other details you'd like to remember.

3

Log an exchange

On the contact's profile, click Log an exchange — a phone call, a coffee, a message. This builds the history of your relationship over time.

Tip

You can import all your existing contacts at once from a vCard file (.vcf). Open the User Menu (your name, bottom left on desktop — or top right on mobile) and select "Import a vCard". See our Import & Export guide for detailed instructions.

Create your first task

Tasks in Keepsake are simple and flexible. Create them from anywhere — including directly from a note.
1

From the capture bar

In the capture bar, type your task and add T+0 for today, T+1 for tomorrow, or T+7 for next week. For example: "Call dentist T+1" creates a task due tomorrow. Learn more about QuickNotes.

2

From the Today view

Open the Today's tasks block of the Today view and click Add task. From anywhere, the New button (N key) also offers New task (T).

Shortcut

T+0 = today, T+1 = tomorrow, T+7 = in a week

Tip

You can mention a contact in your task with @. Type "Call @Marie@ about the project T+1" and the task will automatically be linked to Marie's profile.

Organize your day

The Today view is your daily command center. It shows everything that matters today: your intention, your tasks (overdue ones come along automatically), your day timeline, your notes and journal of the day, birthdays and the name day.
1

Open the Today view

It's where Keepsake opens — your day is the starting point. (You can always come back by tapping "Today" in the navigation.)

2

Reorder by dragging

In the Today's tasks block, drag and drop tasks to change their order. Put the most important ones at the top.

3

Compose your day in time blocks

The Today view's timeline lets you plan the day as a sequence of blocks — writing, sport, your tasks — with hours computed automatically. See Organize your day in time blocks.

4

Navigate between days

Use the arrows to peek at tomorrow or look back at yesterday. Great for planning ahead.

Connect everything with pages

Pages let you group related content across contacts, notes, and tasks. Think of them as flexible projects that emerge from your content.
1

Link to a page anywhere

Type # to pick or create a page — it inserts #project name# — or [[ to insert [[Project name]]. Both lead to the same page, created automatically.

2

Open a page

Click any page link to see everything related to it — all contacts, notes, tasks, and entries in one place.

Tip

Pages auto-complete as you type. Start with # or [[ and your existing pages will appear for quick selection.

Publish your first note

Any note can become a published post on your Keepsake Page — a public address of your own, an RSS feed, and readers who subscribe by email. No copy-paste into another tool: the note itself is published. See Your Keepsake Page.
1

Open a note

Any note you've written. Publishing works from the note itself — there's nothing to export or re-format.

2

Open its menu and choose Publish

The note gets a public address at keepsake.place/@you, and appears in your RSS feed. You can unpublish at any time.

3

Let readers subscribe

Your Page carries a subscribe form. The list of subscribers belongs to you — export it whenever you want. See Build your audience.

Tip

No likes, no follower count, no algorithm. Just people who chose to read you.

What's next?

You've got the basics down. Here are some ways to go deeper with Keepsake: • Learn about Contact Profiles to build a complete picture of your relationships • Master QuickNotes to capture ideas faster • Discover Pages to organize everything into projects • Explore the Today view to structure your day • Learn to sort your notes in the Inbox

Related guides

Contact Profiles: Your Relational Memory

Your relational memory: every exchange logged by type, linked notes and tasks, @mentions and birthday reminders for the people who matter.

Capture Ideas Instantly with QuickNotes

Learn how to use QuickNotes to capture thoughts, ideas, and reminders in seconds. Works offline, syncs automatically, and connects to your contacts.

Organize Everything with Pages

Learn how to use pages in Keepsake to organize notes, tasks, and contacts into flexible projects. No upfront setup — projects emerge naturally from your content.

Tasks & Time Blocks: Plan Your Day Without Guilt

Learn how to manage tasks with Keepsake's unique time block system. Plan your day with sequential blocks instead of rigid schedules. Finish early? You're free. Need more time? Just shift.

Install Keepsake on Any Device

Install Keepsake as an app on iPhone, Android, Mac, or Windows. Step-by-step guide for every platform — no app store needed.

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Empty your head. Free your creativity.

Jot a thought down in three seconds, find it again when it matters, share what deserves to be read. Your ideas, your people and your projects — finally in one place.

One click — you're in. No credit card. 30 days free.