01. Core Operations
GrindNotes is built around a quiet, distraction-free interface tailored for deep cognitive focus. Essential workflows are driven by intuitive shortcuts and minimal chrome.
Only notes move to Trash. “Delete Project Permanently” immediately removes the project and its notes and cannot be undone.
The note and project creation buttons are located to the right of the search input. For stronger indicators, go to Settings (⌘,) → Interface Visibility → High Visibility.
02. Sidebar Navigation & Power Shortcuts
Navigate, organize, and inspect your library without taking your hands off the keyboard.
| Action | Key / Gesture | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Expand / Collapse All | ⌥ + Click folder caret | Expand or collapse all project folders simultaneously |
| Project Context Menu | Right-click project | Export project as Markdown or manage project actions |
| Navigate Sidebar | ↑ / ↓ | Move selection up and down through the file tree |
| Folder Toggle | → (Expand) / ← (Collapse) | Open or close selected folders via keyboard |
| Multi-Select (Discrete) | ⌘ + Click | Select individual notes across different folders |
| Range Select | ⇧ + Click | Select a contiguous range of notes |
| Inline Rename | F2 | Instantly rename selected note or project |
| Reveal Asset in Finder | Right-click media item | Open the sandboxed media file directly in macOS Finder |
03. Writing, Media & Smart Paste
Rich content pasted from web pages or other apps is sanitized locally and converted to portable Markdown.
Smart Paste & Markdown Normalization
When pasting rich HTML from ChatGPT, web articles, or Word documents, GrindNotes purges tracking scripts and ugly inline CSS, converting the structure into semantic Markdown.
- ⌥⇧⌘V: Paste as plain unformatted text matched to editor styling
- ⇧⌘C: Copy the entire current note as raw clean Markdown
- ⌘E: Temporarily edit the selected block as raw Markdown syntax
Drag & Drop Media, Audio, Video & PDF
Drop supported images (PNG, JPG, WebP, and others), video (MP4, MOV), audio, or PDFs into the canvas from Finder. They are copied into the project's sandboxed asset storage.
Auto-Formatting Keystroke Triggers
| Input | Result |
|---|---|
# to ###### | Heading 1 through 6 |
- or * | Bullet list |
1. | Numbered list |
- [ ] | Todo checkbox |
> | Callout blockquote |
--- | Horizontal line (Frontmatter at note top) |
/ | Open Slash Command Menu |
05. Complete Keyboard Shortcut Matrix
You can also view this matrix anytime inside the app by pressing ⇧⌘/. The tables below mirror that in-app guide, and include a few additional menu accelerators such as New Window and Reveal in Finder.
General & File Operations
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New Note | ⌘ + N |
| New Window | ⇧ + ⌘ + N |
| Daily Note | ⌘ + D |
| Save (Instant Serialize) | ⌘ + S |
| Export Note as Markdown | ⇧ + ⌘ + S |
| Print (choose Save as PDF in the macOS print dialog) | ⌘ + P |
| Close Note | ⌘ + W |
| Open Settings | ⌘ + , |
| Toggle Sidebar | ⌘ + \ |
| Rename Selected Item | F2 |
| Reveal in Finder | ⌥ + ⌘ + R |
| Move to Trash | ⌘ + ⌫ |
| Empty Trash | ⇧ + ⌘ + ⌫ |
| Keyboard Shortcuts Guide | ⇧ + ⌘ + / |
Navigation, View & Search
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Quick Switcher | ⌘ + O |
| Go to Heading | ⇧ + ⌘ + O |
| Toggle Focus Mode | ⌃ + ⌘ + Z |
| Exit Focus Mode | Esc |
| Toggle Typewriter Mode | ⇧ + ⌘ + T |
| Find in Note | ⌘ + F |
| Find and Replace | ⌥ + ⌘ + F |
| Find Next / Previous | ⌘ + G / ⇧ + ⌘ + G |
| Find in Files | ⇧ + ⌘ + F |
| Zoom In / Out / Actual Size | ⇧⌘= / ⌘- / ⌘0 |
Editing & Block Manipulation
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Undo / Redo | ⌘Z / ⇧⌘Z |
| Paste and Match Style | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + V |
| Copy as Markdown | ⇧ + ⌘ + C |
| Edit Block as Markdown | ⌘ + E |
| Duplicate Block | ⇧ + ⌘ + D |
| Move Block Up / Down | ⌃⌘↑ / ⌃⌘↓ |
| Soft Line Break | ⇧ + Return |
Typography & Block Insertions
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Bold / Italic / Strikethrough | ⌘B / ⌘I / ⇧⌘X |
| Highlight / Insert Link | ⇧⌘H / ⌘K |
| Insert Image | ⌃ + ⌘ + K |
| Toggle Task Checkbox | ⌘ + / |
| Headings 1 through 6 | ⌘1 to ⌘6 |
| Make Upper Case / Lower Case / Capitalize | ⌃⇧U / ⌃⇧L / ⌃⇧C |
| Inline Code / Code Block | ⌃⌘C / ⌥⌘C |
| Inline Math / Math Block | ⌃⌘M / ⇧⌘M |
| Bullet / Numbered List / Todo | ⌃⌘L / ⌃⌘O / ⌃⌘T |
| Insert Current Time | ⌥ + ⇧ + ⌘ + D |
06. Settings & Interface Visibility
Open Settings (⌘,) to tailor your writing sanctuary.
Interface Visibility
Fine-tune the visibility of navigation icons and auxiliary chrome without changing typography theme:
- Automatic: Quiet by default. Reveals the top-right page command surface (Copy as Markdown → Export) on hover or keyboard focus. Elevates when macOS “Increase Contrast” is enabled.
- Quiet: Ultra-subtle UI chrome for maximum mental immersion.
- High Visibility: Stronger action icons, export controls, sidebar toggles, and status indicators.
Visual Themes & Ruled Paper Textures
- Theme: System, Light, Paper, Notebook, or Dark. Paper and Notebook pages use cool pearl stationery (not warm cream).
- Paper Style: Plain, Ruled (fixed 28px grid), Squared, or Dotted.
- Typography & Layout: Zoom (50%–300%), line height, editor width (default Wide), and status bar counters (hidden by default).
macOS Native Accessibility
GrindNotes responds to macOS Increase Contrast, Reduce Transparency, and Reduce Motion. Major controls include VoiceOver labels and keyboard access.
07. Data Persistence, Backup & Migration
Your data belongs to you. No proprietary silos, no lock-in, and full portability.
Where is data stored?
Note text, project information, and metadata are stored in a local SQLite database within macOS App Sandbox storage. Images, audio, video, and PDF attachments are stored as files in the App's protected local container. The App does not send this data to external cloud servers.
Export Formats & Options
- Export Single Note: Press ⇧⌘S or use the top-right Export control on the page command surface.
- Export Project: Right-click any project → “Export Project as Markdown…”.
- Export Entire Library: File → “Export Library as Markdown…”.
- HTML (secondary): File → “Export as HTML…” is available; Markdown + relative assets remain the primary BYOC backup path.
※ All Markdown exports include referenced images and media assets in a relative folder.
Recommended Backup Strategy
Periodically choose "File → Export Library as Markdown…" and save it to an external SSD, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, or Git folder. The exported notes and referenced assets can be used as a point-in-time backup.
Using macOS Time Machine provides an additional layer of automated, full-system disaster recovery including the internal database container.
Importing Existing Markdown Folders
Choose “File → Import Markdown Folder as New Projects…” to ingest the selected folder structure as one or more new projects. Your existing notes are never overwritten or altered. Relative image links are ingested automatically.
App Uninstallation & Mac Migration
Before reinstalling or migrating to a new Mac, always export your entire library as Markdown. Manually deleting application containers may result in unrecoverable data loss.
08. Troubleshooting & Diagnostics
Quick solutions to common operational issues.
Action icons are hard to see
Open Settings (⌘,) and switch Interface Visibility to High Visibility for stronger visual feedback.
Note does not appear in search results
Use Quick Switcher (⌘O) or Global Search (⇧⌘F). Also check if the note was accidentally moved to the Trash bin.
Images fail to render
Drag and drop images directly into the editor so GrindNotes can ingest them into the sandbox. Verify external relative file paths if you manually edited Markdown.
Import folder did not locate notes
GrindNotes uses macOS native folder selection. Ensure the selected parent directory contains files with the .md extension.
Restore note from Trash
Click the Trash icon at bottom-left. Right-click a note to restore it immediately, or select one or more notes with their checkboxes and click “Restore”.
Still need assistance?
Our core engineers are here to help.
※ For privacy preservation, we never request sensitive note content or complete database dumps.