Currently macOS only. Keyboard shortcuts are fully available on macOS as of v1.10.1. iOS and iPadOS support is coming in a future release. We’re focusing on keyboard accessibility first and expanding platform support soon.
Why We Redesigned Shortcuts in v1.10.1
We made keyboard shortcuts faster and easier to remember. Here’s the pattern:
- Just one key (N, C, L) = Your most-used actions
- Command key combos (⌘N, ⌘E) = Standard Mac conventions
- Shift variants (⇧N, ⌘⇧N) = Variations on the base action
- Standard Mac shortcuts (⌘Z, ⌘B, ⌘I, etc) = Writing tools
This makes Cleft feel like a natural Mac app. Your fingers do less work, you think more.
Creating and Recording Notes
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|
| New voice note | N |
| New text note | ⌘N |
| Append voice to note | ⇧N |
| Edit summary | ⌘⇧N |
| Pause/resume recording | Space |
| Finish voice note | ⏎ |
| Finish text note | ⌘⏎ |
| Cancel note | Esc |
View and Note Management
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|
| Toggle view + auto-save | ⌘E |
| Copy note | C |
| Add tags | L |
Text Editing
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|
| Undo | ⌘Z |
| Copy | ⌘C |
| Paste | ⌘V |
| Bold text | ⌘B |
| Italicize | ⌘I |
| Insert link | ⌘K |
| Find | ⌘F |
App Settings and Navigation
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|
| Save note | ⌘⏎ |
| Refresh notes | ⌘R |
| Open Settings | ⌘, |
| Open AI Preferences | ⌘. |
| Select multiple notes | ⌘Click |
| Close window | ⌘W |
| Hide Cleft | ⌘H |
| Minimize Cleft | ⌘M |
| Quit Cleft | ⌘Q |
Get Started with Shortcuts
- Start with the simplest: Try just
N for a new voice note, then ⇧N to append to it. That’s the core workflow.
- Learn one at a time: Pick a new shortcut each day. Within a week, you’ll be flying.
- Build your flow:
N to capture, C to copy, then paste into email or messages without your hands leaving the keyboard.
- The rest is just standard Mac: If you know
⌘B for bold or ⌘Z for undo, you already know half of Cleft’s shortcuts.
Coming to iPad and iPhone
We’re working on bringing these shortcuts to your iPad (when you use an external keyboard) and iPhone. Same shortcuts, same speed, across all your devices. We’re being careful to make them feel natural on touch devices. You’ll hear from us when they’re ready.
Found an Edge Case?
If a shortcut isn’t working as expected, let us know.