> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://learn.cleftnotes.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# macOS

> Voice notes on Mac — full keyboard control, Spotlight, Apple Shortcuts, and folder sync to your vault

Cleft on Mac is built for the keyboard. Hit a shortcut, talk for a minute, and your thought lands in your folder, your vault, or Notion before you've switched apps.

<Note>
  **Global hotkey temporarily disabled.** System-wide shortcuts are being refined and will return in a future update. For now, launch Cleft from Spotlight (⌘ + Space, type "Cleft").
</Note>

<div
  style={{
backgroundColor: 'var(--gray-100)',
borderRadius: '16px',
padding: '2rem',
marginTop: '2rem',
marginBottom: '2rem'
}}
>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/cleft/MrxlWkM1BkTFRsng/images/screenshots/platforms/macos/macos-cleft-after-example.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=MrxlWkM1BkTFRsng&q=85&s=df8883bbd0114fadef3c15c13f2dfd11" alt="Cleft on macOS — finished note with AI-formatted summary, key decisions, and action items" style={{ width: "100%", maxWidth: "900px", height: "auto", margin: "0 auto", display: "block", borderRadius: "12px", boxShadow: "0 15px 35px rgba(0,0,0,0.15)" }} width="2000" height="1610" data-path="images/screenshots/platforms/macos/macos-cleft-after-example.png" />
</div>

## Start fast

Launch with Spotlight (⌘ + Space, "Cleft"), the Dock, or Launchpad.

<div
  style={{
backgroundColor: 'var(--blue-100)',
padding: '1.5rem',
borderRadius: '8px',
marginTop: '1rem'
}}
>
  <strong>The ten shortcuts you'll use every day:</strong>

  <ul style={{ marginTop: '0.5rem', marginBottom: '0', columns: '2' }}>
    <li><code>N</code> — New voice note</li>
    <li><code>⌘ + N</code> — New text note</li>
    <li><code>Shift + N</code> — Continue last note</li>
    <li><code>⌘ + ⏎</code> — Save note</li>
    <li><code>⌘ + R</code> — Refresh</li>
    <li><code>⌘ + F</code> — Find</li>
    <li><code>⌘ + /</code> — Toggle filter</li>
    <li><code>⌘ + ,</code> — Settings</li>
    <li><code>⌘ + .</code> — Writing Style</li>
    <li><code>⌘ + W</code> — Close window</li>
  </ul>
</div>

## Record a note

<Steps>
  <Step title="Hit N (or click +)">
    Press **N** with no note selected, click the **+** button, or pick **File → New Voice Note** from the menu bar.

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/cleft/s6jVhLM97ZTjrxlL/images/screenshots/platforms/macos/macos-cleft-create-note-voice.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=s6jVhLM97ZTjrxlL&q=85&s=4983d470595c9aaaf34770d3012eec02" alt="Cleft recording a voice note on MacBook with wireframe sphere visualization, timer at 0:07, and pause and stop controls" style={{ width: "100%", maxWidth: "600px", height: "auto", marginTop: "1rem", borderRadius: "8px" }} width="1200" height="782" data-path="images/screenshots/platforms/macos/macos-cleft-create-note-voice.png" />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Talk, then stop">
    Use **Space** to pause and resume, **Esc** to cancel. Hit Stop when you're done.

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/cleft/MrxlWkM1BkTFRsng/images/screenshots/platforms/macos/macos-cleft-stop-recording-note-voice.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=MrxlWkM1BkTFRsng&q=85&s=b7c4b0310834b5e3ee0db498b20f2dc2" alt="Cleft processing a voice note on macOS — 'Connecting the dots' with word count and time" style={{ width: "100%", maxWidth: "600px", height: "auto", marginTop: "1rem", borderRadius: "8px" }} width="2000" height="1304" data-path="images/screenshots/platforms/macos/macos-cleft-stop-recording-note-voice.png" />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Read the formatted note">
    Cleft gives you back a summary, key points, and any action items. Edit with **⌘ + E**, switch to the raw transcript with **⌘ + T**.

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/cleft/MrxlWkM1BkTFRsng/images/screenshots/platforms/macos/macos-cleft-after-example.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=MrxlWkM1BkTFRsng&q=85&s=df8883bbd0114fadef3c15c13f2dfd11" alt="Finished voice note on macOS with AI-formatted summary, key decisions, and next steps" style={{ width: "100%", maxWidth: "600px", height: "auto", marginTop: "1rem", borderRadius: "8px" }} width="2000" height="1610" data-path="images/screenshots/platforms/macos/macos-cleft-after-example.png" />
  </Step>
</Steps>

For mic technique and language settings, see [Recording Voice Notes](/user-guides/recording-voice-notes).

## What Mac is best at

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Local folder sync (Plus)" icon="folder" href="/user-guides/integrations/obsidian/overview">
    Auto-export every note as Markdown to a folder on your Mac. Works with Obsidian, Bear, Logseq, or any vault.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Apple Shortcuts" icon="bolt" href="/user-guides/integrations/apple-shortcuts/overview">
    Trigger Cleft from any Shortcut, Raycast command, or Alfred workflow.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Spotlight search" icon="magnifying-glass">
    Cleft notes show up in system Spotlight. Find a thought from anywhere on your Mac.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Keyboard everything" icon="keyboard" href="/user-guides/keyboard-shortcuts">
    Capture, edit, share, and send to Notion without touching the trackpad.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Mac moments worth stealing

### Between meetings, before you forget

Hop out of a Zoom call, hit ⌘ + Space → "Cleft" → **N**, talk for 30 seconds while it's fresh, ⌘ + ⏎ to save. The next meeting starts before the formatting finishes — and the note is waiting when you get back.

Pair with [Custom Instructions](/user-guides/custom-instructions) so post-meeting brain-dumps come back as decisions + follow-ups rather than a wall of text.

### Turn a meeting into a shareable summary

Record the meeting (or a recap right after), edit the summary with **⌘ + Shift + N**, then:

* **⌘ + Shift + S** — Share via Mail, Messages, or any share-sheet app
* **⌘ + Shift + P** — Generate a [private link](/user-guides/shareable-links) for collaborators
* **Option + P** — Push straight into [Notion](/user-guides/integrations/notion/overview)
* **⌘ + L** — Add tags so it's findable next quarter

For repeatable meeting structure, see [Meeting Notes System](/user-guides/meeting-notes-system).

### Daily journal with append

One note per day, added to throughout. Use **Shift + N** to continue the last note instead of starting a new one — your morning intentions, midday wins, and evening reflection all stack into a single entry.

Full setup in [Daily Capture Routines](/user-guides/daily-capture-routines) and [Appending to Notes](/user-guides/appending-to-notes).

### Sync everything to your Markdown vault

Plus subscribers can point Cleft at a folder on disk. Anything you record on Mac, iPhone, or Apple Watch lands there as Markdown — formatted, tagged, and timestamped.

* **Set it up:** Settings → Integrations → Local Folder
* **Obsidian-specific:** [Obsidian integration](/user-guides/integrations/obsidian/overview)
* **Other vaults:** [Exporting Notes](/user-guides/exporting-notes)

### Automate the boring parts

Apple Shortcuts and App Intents expose Cleft's actions to the rest of macOS. Some starting points:

* **Raycast / Alfred:** Map a hotkey to "Start a Cleft voice note" so capture is one keystroke from anywhere.
* **Calendar trigger:** Auto-create a "Meeting prep" note 5 minutes before each calendar event.
* **End-of-day:** A Shortcut that copies today's notes into your daily review doc.

Recipes and templates: [Apple Shortcuts integration](/user-guides/integrations/apple-shortcuts/overview).

### Pull a thought back via Spotlight

Forgot which note had the quote you wanted? ⌘ + Space, type a phrase, and Cleft notes appear alongside Mail and Files. Click through and Cleft opens directly to that note.

## All keyboard shortcuts

### Recording and notes

* **N** — New voice note (no note selected)
* **⌘ + N** — New text note
* **Shift + N** — Continue last note
* **⌘ + Shift + N** — Edit summary
* **⌘ + E** — Toggle read/edit
* **⌘ + ⏎** — Save note
* **⌘ + T** — Toggle summary / transcript
* **C** — Copy note (no note selected)
* **⌘ + R** — Refresh
* **Space** — Pause / resume while recording
* **Esc** — Cancel recording

### Editing

* **⌘ + B** — Bold
* **⌘ + I** — Italic
* **⌘ + K** — Insert link

### Sharing and tags

* **⌘ + Shift + S** — Share note
* **⌘ + Shift + P** — Share private link
* **Option + P** — Send to Notion
* **⌘ + L** — Add tags

### Filters

* **⌘ + /** — Toggle filter
* **⌘ + Shift + \[** — Previous filter
* **⌘ + Shift + ]** — Next filter

### View

* **⌘ + +** — Zoom in
* **⌘ + −** — Zoom out
* **⌘ + 0** — Actual size

### Window

* **⌘ + M** — Minimize
* **⌘ + Control + F** — Full screen
* **⌘ + W** — Close window
* **⌘ + Q** — Quit Cleft

The full cross-platform list is on [Keyboard Shortcuts](/user-guides/keyboard-shortcuts).

## Window behaviour

Cleft uses one main window. Settings (⌘ + ,) and Writing Style (⌘ + .) open in their own windows so you can keep them visible while you work.

⌘ + W closes the window without quitting — Cleft stays in your Dock. Bring it back from the Dock, ⌘ + Tab, or **Window → Notes** in the menu bar.

## Audio

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Input devices">
    Pick your mic from the recording controls:

    * **Built-in microphone** — works out of the box
    * **External USB mic** — for studio-quality input
    * **AirPods and Bluetooth headsets** — paired devices switch in automatically

    AirPods switch in cleanly without re-pairing or restarting recording.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Permissions">
    macOS asks for microphone access the first time you record. If recording fails:

    * Open **System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone**
    * Make sure Cleft is allowed
    * Restart Cleft after granting access
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Appearance

Cleft follows your macOS appearance — Light, Dark, or Auto. Change it in **System Settings → Appearance**.

## Troubleshooting

<Warning>
  **Microphone not detected?** System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone → make sure Cleft is allowed, then restart Cleft.

  **Sync issues?** Check your connection, confirm you're signed in to the same Cleft account on every device, and press ⌘ + R to refresh.

  **Slow or unresponsive?** Quit and reopen Cleft (⌘ + Q, then relaunch). If it persists, [contact support](/user-guides/contact-support).
</Warning>

## Related guides

* [Recording Voice Notes](/user-guides/recording-voice-notes) — mic technique, languages, recording length
* [Custom Instructions](/user-guides/custom-instructions) — shape how Cleft formats your notes
* [Keyboard Shortcuts](/user-guides/keyboard-shortcuts) — every shortcut across every platform
* [Obsidian Integration](/user-guides/integrations/obsidian/overview) — Mac-only Markdown vault sync
* [Apple Shortcuts](/user-guides/integrations/apple-shortcuts/overview) — automate Cleft from anywhere on your Mac
* [iOS](/user-guides/ios) — the pocket sibling, where most capture happens
* [iPadOS](/user-guides/ipados) — what changes when you move to a tablet