Capture Ideas Instantly with QuickNotes
QuickNotes is designed around one principle: zero friction between your thought and its capture. The note bar appears instantly — even before the rest of the app loads — so you never lose an idea because the interface was too slow. A QuickNote isn't only text: the photo button captures what you see just as fast — see adding photos to your notes. Learn more about the philosophy behind QuickNotes on our feature page.
Capture a note
Open the bar
On a computer, click in the bar — you'll recognize it by the small pencil icon. It stays available on every screen, even when a form is open. On a phone, tap it: a large writing panel opens above the keyboard, under the title New idea.
Write your thought
A single word or a full paragraph, it all works. The send button turns blue as soon as there's something to send.
Check the preview under the bar
While you type, a line under the bar tells you what will be created: → Note in your Inbox by default. As soon as you add T+1, an @person or a #page, it gets more precise: → Task for tomorrow, Saturday, October 10 · linked to Julie Martin · page Book. You know where your idea is going before you send it.
Use the clickable shortcuts
Under the bar, three shortcuts: @ person opens the list of your people and companies, # page the list of your pages, and T+1 task tomorrow turns your note into a task for tomorrow. One click adds the shortcut to your text. All shortcuts shows the full list — see All the capture bar shortcuts.
Send
Press Enter (or tap the send button). A confirmation appears at the bottom of the screen and says what was created, and where: Note added to your Inbox · page Book, or Task created for tomorrow, Saturday, October 10 · linked to Julie Martin. Its button takes you there: View note opens the Inbox and highlights the note; View task opens the task.
Tip
Don't overthink it. QuickNotes are meant to be raw, fast, unpolished. Capture first, organize later. No connection? The note is kept on your device and sent as soon as the connection comes back — see Works offline, always.
All the capture bar shortcuts
T+0 · T+1 · T+7
A task for today, tomorrow or in 7 days (any number of days works). Details in Turn notes into tasks with T+.
T+ASAP
A task ASAP: no date, it stays in front of you until it's done.
T+?
A Someday task: no date, for things you might do one day.
@name
Links a person or a company. The list appears as soon as you type @; on a phone, your people are suggested from the very first letter, even right after opening the app.
#page# or [[page]]
Files the note in a page. Your pages are suggested as you type, from the first letter after #.
- [ ]
Starts a checklist.
Shift + Enter
Goes to a new line (Enter saves). On a computer only.
Shortcut
Enter = save · Shift + Enter = new line
Dictate with your keyboard's microphone
iPhone / iPad
Tap the QuickNote bar so your keyboard appears. Then tap the microphone icon at the bottom-right of the keyboard. Speak your note, and iOS will transcribe it into text. Tap the microphone icon again to stop, then press Enter to save your note.
Android
Tap the QuickNote bar to open the keyboard. Tap the microphone icon on your keyboard (usually at the top-right on Gboard). Speak your note, and Android will transcribe it. When you're done, tap the microphone again, then press Enter to save.
Mac
Click the QuickNote bar, then press the Fn key twice (or the Microphone key on newer keyboards) to start dictation. Speak your note, and macOS will transcribe it. Press Fn again to stop, then press Enter to save. You may need to enable Dictation in System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation first.
Windows
Click the QuickNote bar, then press Windows + H to open voice typing. Speak your note, and Windows will transcribe it. Click the microphone button or press Windows + H again to stop, then press Enter to save. Works with Windows 10 and later.
Tip
Your system's dictation works in every text field of Keepsake, not just the QuickNote bar: task titles, entries, page descriptions. Reread before sending — dictation loves to mishear names.
Capture a photo
On your phone
Tap the camera button while the bar is empty: take a photo or pick one (or several) from your library. The QuickNote is created instantly — Keepsake confirms with Photo captured — and waits in your Inbox.
On your computer
The same button opens your file picker and inserts the images into the bar, so you can add a line of context, a page or a mention before pressing Enter.
Tip
Add one line of context when you can — "Price for the new desk" — so the photo still makes sense in three months.
Works offline, always
Write your note as usual
Even if you're offline, the note bar works exactly the same way. No error messages, no spinners.
Notes sync automatically
When your connection comes back, all offline notes are synced automatically. You don't need to do anything.
Tip
Your text is preserved even if the page reloads. You'll never lose a note that you've started writing.
Link notes to contacts with @mentions
Type @ followed by a name
When you type @, a list of your contacts and companies appears. Select the person: Keepsake inserts @Name@. Someone new? Create the contact on the fly from the same list.
Tip
You can mention multiple contacts in the same note. For example: "Coffee with @Sarah@ and @Tom@ — discussed the product launch" will link the note to both profiles.
Turn notes into tasks with T+
T+ with a number of days
Write your text followed by T+ and a number of days (up to 999). For example: "Buy bread T+2" creates a task called "Buy bread" due in two days. T+0 = today, T+1 = tomorrow, T+3 = in three days, T+7 = in a week.
T+ASAP for urgent tasks
Add T+ASAP to create a task with no date that stays in today's tasks every day until it's done. Example: "Fix the bug T+ASAP".
T+? for someday tasks
Add T+? to create a task without a date, shown as Someday. It stays in your task list without cluttering your days. Example: "Learn Italian T+?".
The task is created automatically
Keepsake confirms with, for example, Task created for tomorrow, Saturday, October 10 — View task opens it. The task skips the Inbox entirely and lands in your task list — and in your Today view when its day comes.
Shortcut
T+0 = today, T+1 = tomorrow, T+7 = in a week, T+ASAP = until done, T+? = someday
Tip
Combine everything in one line: "Call @Marie@ about #Project X# T+1" creates a task for tomorrow, linked to Marie's profile and to the Project X page. Two things to know: T+ only works at capture time (a note already in the Inbox is turned into a task with the Task button), and words like "tomorrow" are not read as dates in the bar — to attach a note to a day, use /date in the note editor (see Link notes to dates).
Pin important notes
Pin a note
Click the pin icon on any note (on a computer it appears when you hover over the note; on a phone, open the ⋯ menu and choose Pin) to keep it at the top of your inbox. Pinned notes stay visible regardless of when they were created, and they don't count toward your inbox badge number.
Unpin when done
Click the pin icon on the pinned note (Unpin). The note moves back to its chronological position.
Tip
Great things to pin: your hotel room number, parking spot, a reservation code, ideas you want to keep top of mind right now, or anything you need quick access to for a few days. Deleted notes aren't gone forever — they go to the trash and are kept for 30 days.
Keep notes to declutter your Inbox
Keep a note
Click Keep as note on the note. The note leaves your Inbox, joins your Notes and no longer counts toward your Inbox total. See Sorting your Inbox.
Browse your Notes
Open Notes from the sidebar to see all the notes you've kept. Search, filter by page or contact — everything is there.
Restore anytime
Changed your mind? In Notes, hover over the note (or open it) and click the Inbox icon, Send the note back to the inbox. It returns to your Inbox, ready to be sorted again.
Tip
Keeping a note is perfect for meeting notes you've already processed, reference information you want to keep, or ideas you've already acted on. It's not deleting — it's tidying up.
The QuickNote lifecycle: capture, sort, keep
Capture: write a QuickNote
Use the QuickNote bar to capture anything that crosses your mind. It goes straight to your Inbox. At this stage, it's a temporary capture — a thought waiting to be processed.
Sort: process your Inbox
Go through your Inbox regularly. For each QuickNote, decide: keep it as a note, keep it to publish, turn it into a task, add it to your journal, publish it, merge it with another one, pin it, or delete it.
Keep: keep it as a Note
Click Keep as note. The QuickNote becomes a permanent Note. It leaves your Inbox and now appears on the contact profiles and pages it's linked to, and in the Notes section accessible from the sidebar.
Tip
Think of QuickNotes as your mental inbox — raw, unfiltered, temporary. Notes are the keepers: the thoughts you've decided are worth preserving. This distinction keeps your Inbox light and your Notes meaningful.
Format with Markdown
Bullet lists
Start a line with - or * to create a bullet point. Press Enter and the next bullet is added automatically.
Checkboxes
Type - [ ] to create a checkbox. Great for quick shopping lists or simple to-do items inside a note.
Links
Select text and press Cmd+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows) to turn it into a clickable link.
Horizontal rules
Type --- on its own line to add a visual separator between sections of a note.
Shortcut
Cmd+K to create a link
Related guides
The Inbox: Sort Your Quick Notes
Jot now, sort later. Keep each QuickNote as a note, turn it into a task or add it to your journal, merge fragments, pin what matters and reach Inbox Zero.
Capture a Task in Seconds — and Turn Any Note into an Action
Learn how to capture a task instantly with QuickNotes, find it in your Inbox, and convert it into a scheduled task in a couple of clicks. Includes the T+ shortcut for ultra-fast task creation.
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.
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.
Add Photos to Your Notes
Capture, paste, or drop photos into your Keepsake notes. Learn how to use the camera, drag & drop, clipboard paste, and the toolbar to enrich your notes with images.
Notes & Dates — Link a Note to a Day
Attach a note to one or more days and find it again at the right moment. Type /date in plain language, add a date pill, or create a note straight from a day view. Inspired by daily notes, built for the way you plan.
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