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Getting Started

Get up and running with Floatnote in under a minute.

Installation​

  1. Go to the Download page or GitHub Releases
  2. Download the DMG for your Mac:
    • Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4): Floatnote-x.x.x-arm64.dmg
    • Intel: Floatnote-x.x.x.dmg
  3. Open the DMG and drag Floatnote to your Applications folder
  4. Launch Floatnote from Applications

If the app doesn't open, you may need to remove the quarantine attribute:

xattr -cr Floatnote.app

Then try launching Floatnote again.

Install via npm​

npm install -g floatnote && floatnote

The npm package provides a CLI that automatically downloads and installs the latest release for your architecture.

First Launch​

When you first launch Floatnote:

  1. A transparent overlay window appears on your screen
  2. The app icon appears in your menu bar tray
  3. You may need to grant Accessibility permissions in System Preferences > Privacy & Security > Accessibility

The overlay is transparent by default -- you can see and interact with everything behind it while drawing on top.

Toggle Visibility​

Press Cmd+Shift+D to show or hide Floatnote at any time. This global shortcut works from any application.

Basic Usage​

Drawing​

  • Move your mouse/trackpad and draw directly on the canvas
  • The default tool is the pen (freehand drawing)
  • Change color and pen size from the toolbar

Adding Text​

  • Press T or double-click on the canvas to add a text overlay
  • Type your text and click elsewhere to place it
  • Drag text items to reposition them

Switching Notes​

Floatnote supports multiple notes (canvases):

  • Use Left/Right arrow keys to switch between notes
  • Each note has its own independent canvas with drawings, text, and shapes

Shapes​

  • Click the shape dropdown in the toolbar (press S)
  • Select a shape type: rectangle, circle, triangle, line, or arrow
  • Click and drag on the canvas to draw the shape

Undo/Redo​

  • Cmd+Z to undo
  • Cmd+Shift+Z to redo

Next Steps​