KeepsakeKeepsakebeta

Add Photos to Your Notes

Keepsake notes aren't only about text. You can add photos directly — from your camera, your file picker, your clipboard, or by drag and drop. Photos are compressed automatically, stored privately, and rendered in a clean, readable layout. Pair them with Markdown formatting to turn a note into a small photo post.

Capture from your camera

The fastest way to add a photo to Keepsake: tap the camera icon in the QuickNote bar. On mobile, your camera opens immediately. On desktop, the file picker opens so you can choose an existing image.
1

Tap the camera icon

The camera icon sits inside the QuickNote bar at the top of the Inbox. One tap is all it takes.

2

Take the photo

On iPhone / iPad / Android, your device camera opens in capture mode. Frame the shot, take the picture, and confirm. You can also pick an existing photo from your gallery.

3

The QuickNote is created automatically

Keepsake compresses the image (max 1200px wide, JPEG quality 80%) and creates a new QuickNote with the photo as its content. The note appears instantly in your Inbox — no extra step.

Tip

Use this on the go to photograph a whiteboard after a meeting, a page from a book you want to quote later, or anything you'd normally keep in a camera roll full of context-less images.

Add a photo via drag & drop

On desktop, drag any image file from your computer or browser into an editor and drop it. The image uploads and is inserted inline at the cursor position.
1

Open any editor

It works in the QuickNote bar, in the InlineEntryEditor, and on the full note detail page.

2

Drop the image

Drag an image from Finder, the desktop, or even another browser tab, and drop it into the editor. A short upload indicator appears, then the image is inserted inline.

3

Combine with text

Add a caption, a tag, or a Markdown heading before or after the image. A single note can contain multiple images interleaved with text.

Tip

You can drop multiple images at once — they'll be inserted in the order you dropped them.

Paste an image from the clipboard

Copied a screenshot or an image from another app? Just paste it into an editor with Cmd+V (Mac) or Ctrl+V (Windows / Linux). Keepsake detects the image in the clipboard and uploads it.
1

Copy the image

Use your OS screenshot tool (Cmd+Shift+4 on Mac, Snipping Tool on Windows), or copy any image from a browser, from Preview, Photos, etc.

2

Paste into the editor

Place your cursor in any Keepsake editor and press Cmd+V / Ctrl+V. The image uploads and is inserted inline at the cursor — same as drag & drop.

Shortcut

Cmd+V (Mac) or Ctrl+V (Windows / Linux) to paste an image

Tip

Perfect for capturing a quick screenshot of an error, a design, or a chart without leaving your keyboard. The round trip from screenshot to saved note takes two seconds.

Use the toolbar image button

The note editor has a toolbar with common formatting actions, including an image button. Click it to open the file picker — useful when the image lives on disk but you don't want to drag anything.
1

Find the image icon in the toolbar

In the full note editor (note detail page), look at the top toolbar. The image icon sits next to the other formatting tools.

2

Pick a file

Your OS file picker opens. Select one or several images. They upload and are inserted at the cursor position.

Tip

You can also open the same file picker by typing /image in the editor — see Slash Commands.

How photo notes render (single, grids, and zoom)

Keepsake auto-detects three kinds of posts for your Keepsake Page based on the content of a note: photo (starts with an image), quote (every line is a blockquote), and text (everything else). Each gets its own rendering — you don't choose a type manually, it comes from how you wrote the note.
1

One photo — native ratio, full width

A note with a single image renders the photo at its native aspect ratio, full width of the column. Nothing is cropped. The caption (any text after the image) appears below in italic.

2

Multiple photos in a row — auto grid

Paste two or more photos with nothing (or only whitespace) between them and they automatically form a grid. The layout adapts to the count and orientation: 2 side-by-side portraits (or stacked if both are landscape), 3 with a hero on top and two below, 4 in a 2×2, 5 with a square hero + 4 squares, 6 or more in a 3-column grid that fills the last row cleanly.

3

Photos separated by text — each inline

If you write text between two photos, the grid is broken intentionally. Each photo renders individually, inline with the text around it. Use this when you want to annotate or tell a story around each image — like a photo essay.

4

Click to zoom on the note page

On the full note page (keepsake.place/@you/note-slug), click any photo to open an elegant full-screen zoom view. Navigate between photos with the arrow buttons, the ←/→ keys, or by swiping on mobile. Press Esc or click outside the image to close.

Tip

To compose a tight photo series, paste your images in the order you want them to appear, with no text in between. To break the grid and comment on individual photos, insert a paragraph of text between them. Your note on the public Keepsake Page will render exactly as you composed it.

What happens when you delete a photo note

Photos attached to notes don't live forever beyond the note. When the note is deleted, its images are cleaned up automatically.
1

Delete the note

Delete a note like any other — menu > Delete. The note goes to the trash (30-day retention) and its images go with it.

2

Permanent cleanup after 30 days

Once the note is permanently removed from the trash (automatically after 30 days, or manually), the associated images are deleted from storage. No orphaned files are left behind.

3

Restoring a note restores its photos

If you restore a note from the trash before the 30 days are up, its images come back with it. Nothing is lost.

Formats, size, and compression

Keepsake accepts common image formats and processes them for you so notes stay fast and readable on any device.
1

Supported formats

JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIC (from iPhone), and GIF. HEIC images are converted to JPEG on upload for broader compatibility.

2

Automatic compression

Every image is resized to a maximum of 1200px on the longest side and saved as JPEG at quality 80%. This keeps uploads fast and notes light, with no perceptible loss for on-screen reading.

3

Storage

Images are stored privately in your personal folder on Keepsake's servers. They are only accessible via the note they're attached to — and, if you choose to make a note public, via your Keepsake Page.

4

Maximum file size

Images larger than 20 MB before compression are rejected with a clear message. In practice, 99% of photos from a phone or a screenshot tool are well under that limit.

Tip

If image quality matters for your use case (fine typography, artwork), keep the original elsewhere and use Keepsake for a working copy. The compression is tuned for readability, not archival fidelity.

Related guides

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.

Notes: Capture, Process, and Organize

Understand the full lifecycle of notes in Keepsake. From quick capture in the Inbox to archiving, transforming into tasks or entries, and finding them on contact profiles and tag pages.

Slash Commands — Format Notes Without Leaving the Keyboard

Type / in any Keepsake editor to open a command palette. Insert headings, lists, tasks, images, quotes, code blocks, or split and duplicate notes — all without touching the mouse.

Your Keepsake Page — Publish Notes Publicly

Share notes with the world from your Keepsake Page. Learn how to set up your username, add a bio and links, publish notes in one click, and manage what's public.

Format Your Notes with Markdown

Learn how to use Markdown in Keepsake to format your notes with bold, lists, checkboxes, headers, and more. Simple syntax guide for beginners.

Something missing? Suggest features

Ready to try Keepsake?

Start organizing your relationships, notes, and tasks today. Free for 7 days.

One click — you're in. No credit card. 7 days free.