Features

Menu Bar + Global Hotkey

Notelet is always within reach: click the menu bar icon or use a system-wide hotkey to open it instantly.

• Menu bar first — keep your Dock clean (Dock icon is optional)
• Global hotkey (default: Cmd+Shift+N, customizable)
• Right-click menu for Settings, History, About, and Quit

Categories & Shelves

Organize notes by person or project. Each category contains multiple “shelves” — lightweight items you can switch between quickly.

• Categories for people/projects (add, delete, reorder)
• Shelves per category for multiple concurrent notes/items
• Fast switching with keyboard shortcuts (e.g. Cmd+1 … Cmd+9)
• Overflow menu when you have lots of shelves

Instant Typing, Live Saving

Open Notelet and start typing immediately. Your content is saved automatically as you work.

• Auto-focus on the editor when the window opens
• Auto-save with a 1-second debounce while typing
• Live backups per shelf so you can restore later

Done → Archive Workflow

Turn shelves into a simple workflow: acknowledge, then archive as done (with optional confirmation).

• Mark as done (pending state)
• Archive with confirmation (optional)
• Mark done on drag (optional): drag text to another app and auto-mark done

Shelf History Browser

Browse and restore shelves for the current category — both active and archived — with a fast split-view UI.

• Search across shelf content
• Restore any shelf back into the editor
• Delete shelves (moved to a 30-day trash)

Share, Copy & Drag

Move your text wherever it needs to go using macOS-native actions.

• Native share sheet (Mail, Messages, AirDrop, Notes.app, etc.)
• Copy to clipboard
• Drag text into any other app — from the toolbar, drag icon, or directly from shelf indicators
• Drag from shelf icons — drag any shelf number to drop its content into another app (even non-active shelves)
• Auto-close on copy/drag (optional)
• Mark done on drag (optional) — automatically mark a shelf as done when you drag its content

Typography

Choose a font that fits your workflow — from monospaced to the system font.

• Font family: SF Mono (default), Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, System Font
• Font size: 10–24pt (default: 17pt)
• Font weight: Ultra Light → Black (default: Light)

Colors

Customize window and editor colors independently, including automatic text contrast.

• Window background color picker
• Editor background color picker
• Automatic text color for best contrast (or set your own)

Window Layout

Make Notelet as compact or as spacious as you like.

• Window width (350–1000px)
• Auto-growing height with min/max line limits
• Per-side padding (top/bottom/left/right)
• Popup ↔ Maximized mode toggle
• Pin on top to keep it visible while you work

Toolbar & Context Menu

Show only the buttons and menu items you actually use.

• Toolbar buttons: Pin, Expand, Copy, Clear, History
• Context menu items: Copy, Clear, History, Pin, Maximize

Clipboard History (Optional)

Automatically capture everything you copy and save it to a dedicated category.

• Auto-capture clipboard content as new shelves
• Dedicated category for clipboard history
• Auto-archive old items after a configurable number of days
• Search & restore any past clipboard item

Note: Disabled by default. Enable in Settings → Clipboard.

Local-First Storage

Your data stays on your Mac. No accounts, no telemetry, no cloud sync.

• Base folder: ~/.notelet/
• Settings: settings.json
• Categories & shelves: shelfs.json
• Per-shelf backups: Shelfs/<category-uuid>/<shelf-uuid>.json
• Trash: Trash/<shelf-uuid>.json (kept for 30 days)
• Legacy note file: current-note.json (backwards compatibility)

Spelling & Language

Built-in spell checking as you type, with multiple languages.

• Toggle spell checking on/off
• Languages: English, Nederlands, Deutsch, Français, Español
• macOS spell checker integration

Requirements

• Platform: macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later
• Architecture: Apple Silicon only (M1, M2, M3, M4)
• Permissions: Accessibility (only needed if you enable the global hotkey)
• Offline: Works without an internet connection

Technology

• Built with: Swift, SwiftUI, AppKit
• Native macOS — no Electron, no web wrapper
• Optimized for performance and battery life