The desktop app
Install VB Notes on Mac, Windows or Linux, open your notes folder, and learn the keyboard shortcuts.
The desktop app opens the same notes folder as your phone, with the same editor, themes, tags and search by meaning. It is free, like the phone app.
Installing
Download it from the releases page.
- Mac: open the
.dmgand drag VB Notes to Applications. It runs on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs with macOS 13 or later, and it is signed and notarized by Apple. - Windows: run the
.exeinstaller, or use the.msi. Windows may warn that the installer comes from an unknown publisher; choose More info › Run anyway. - Linux: use the
.AppImage(make it executable first), or the.debor.rpmpackage.
Opening your notes
On first launch the app offers your iCloud Drive’s VBNotes folder when it finds one, which is where the phone keeps notes once you move them to iCloud Drive. You can choose any other folder instead. To change it later, open Settings › Notes folder; the app asks whether to copy your notes into the new folder or open it as it is.
Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Does |
|---|---|
| ⌘O | Find a note, or create one titled with what you typed |
| ⌘N | New note |
| ⌘F | Search the list |
| ⌘S | Save now (VB Notes saves as you type anyway) |
| ⌘, | Settings |
On Windows and Linux, use Ctrl instead of ⌘.
Search by meaning on the desktop
The first time it runs, the app downloads the search model (about 380 MB) and reads your notes in the background, newest first. Settings › Search shows how far it has got, and switches it off if you’d rather not.