THE SCRATCHPAD QUICK GUIDE
A little help
at the counter.
One continuous note. A few handy controls. Here’s your tour.
Open your note
Click Scratchpad’s icon in your Mac’s menu bar, or press ⌥ ⌘ Space (Option–Command–Space). You can change that shortcut in Settings. Scratchpad lives in the menu bar, so it doesn’t need a Dock icon.
Write, then carry on
Keep adding to the same plain-text note: thoughts, lists, reminders, whatever you need. There are no separate notes or notebooks. Changes save automatically on your Mac. Press Escape or click away when you’re done. If something prevents saving, Scratchpad will show a warning.
Keep it in sight
Click the pin to keep Scratchpad open while you work in another app. Click it again to return to the usual pop-open, tuck-away behaviour. Drag an edge of the note to resize it.
Make yourself comfortable
Open Settings using the gear. Choose Paper, Terminal, Amber, or System, and adjust the text size. All themes use a monospace font. You can also set Scratchpad to launch when you log in.
Copy or clear
Use Copy All to put the whole note on your clipboard. Clear empties the entire note. The more menu includes recovery options if you cleared something by accident or need a previous saved version.
If a shortcut doesn’t work
Another app may already use it. Open Scratchpad from its menu-bar icon, then choose a different shortcut in Settings.
If you see two Scratchpad icons
Two copies of the app may be running. Quit both, then open Scratchpad once from Applications. You don’t need Xcode to run an installed copy.
Scratchpad questions
Do I pay extra to unlock anything?
No. There are no in-app purchases. Themes, shortcuts, pinning, and recovery are all part of Scratchpad’s one-time price.
Where can I get Scratchpad?
Scratchpad is coming soon to the Mac App Store. Once it’s ready, you’ll find the download link right here.
One note, or a collection of notes?
One continuous plain-text note. Add a line, make a list, keep going. There are no separate documents or notebooks to manage. Clear empties the whole note when you want a fresh start.
What data does Scratchpad collect?
None. Scratchpad collects no personal data, runs no analytics, and does no tracking. Your note and recovery copies stay on your Mac. There’s no account or built-in cloud sync, and we cannot read your note.
Read Scratchpad’s privacy detailsDoes it work offline?
Yes. Writing, saving, pinning, and changing themes all work offline. Once installed, Scratchpad doesn’t need a connection to do its job.
Can I make it feel like an old terminal?
Absolutely. Choose Terminal for green-on-dark, or Amber for a little retro warmth. There’s also Paper and a System theme. The note always uses a clear monospace font.