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PinMark Sticky User Guide

Choose a topic and jump straight to the workflow you need.

🚀 Quick Start

  • Create notes: ⌘N for text, ⌘⌥I for images.
  • Text theme switch: Use ⌘⌥1 to 6 to quickly color-code text notes.
  • Offer codes: Open Settings > About or the upgrade window, then click Redeem Offer Code.
  • Always on top: Press ⌘⌥F to float a note above your other windows.
  • Hide / delete: Press ⌘W to hide the current note, or ⌘⌫ to delete it.
  • Text note collapse: Press ⌘⌥M to collapse or expand text notes. Image notes do not collapse.
  • Edge Docking: Drag text notes to the left, right, or top edges to automatically hide them.
    • Reveal: Hover your mouse near the edge to slide the note out instantly.
    • Stay out: PinMark remembers docked states across app restarts.
  • App entry point: Choose Dock only, Menu bar only, or Dock and menu bar in Settings > General > App icon. Changes take effect immediately and are stored only on this Mac.
  • Window memory: Every note's position, size, and rotation are automatically saved.
Four PinMark notes on a Mac desktop for daily life: reading notes with an embedded photo and quote, a Saturday schedule, a checklist, and a recipe.
Notes live right on the desktop — drag one to a screen edge and it tucks away until you hover back.

📸 Screenshot Notes

  • Entry points: Choose File > New Screenshot Note, or assign a custom shortcut in Settings > Hotkeys.
  • Permission: On first use, macOS may ask for Screen Recording permission so PinMark can capture the selected area.
  • Fine-tune after release: Drag to select a region, release the mouse, then continue adjusting before confirming.
  • Output paths: Choose Image for a free screenshot image note, or choose Text to run OCR with PinMark Pro.

📝 Markdown & Rich Text

  • Live rendering: Type standard Markdown syntax (headers, bold, lists) and see the results instantly.
  • Slash menu: Type / to insert tables, task lists, code blocks, or templates.
  • Format menu: The menu bar Format menu and the text-note right-click menu expose shortcuts for editing, copying, Markdown copy, pinning, color, collapse, hide, and delete actions.
  • Floating format menu: Select text to quickly apply bold, italic, strike, inline code, links, quotes, tasks, or clear formatting.
  • Link editor: Click inside a link to view, edit, open, or remove it without switching to Markdown source.
  • Mermaid diagrams: Insert a mermaid code block to preview flowcharts and sequence diagrams directly in the note. Rendering is local and works offline.
  • LaTeX math: PinMark supports KaTeX-compatible LaTeX math syntax. Type $x^2$ and the inline formula renders as soon as you close the $; on an empty line, type $$ then a space to start a block formula. The / menu also has Math > Inline Math / Block Math. KaTeX renders locally, so formulas work offline.
  • Formula editor: Double-click a formula — or select it and press Enter — to open an editor with live preview. ⇧Enter, ⌘Enter, or a click outside saves it; Esc cancels.
  • Multi-line equations: A plain line break does not wrap inside a formula. Use the aligned environment instead — \begin{aligned} a &= b \ c &= d \end{aligned} — which the block formula editor also shows as a hint.
  • Accepted syntax: $…$ and \(…\) for inline math, $$…$$ (single line or fenced) and \[…\] for block math. PinMark keeps the formula content in a safe supported delimiter form when saving. Write \$ for a literal dollar sign to avoid interpreting prices as formulas while typing.
  • Formulas in exports: Markdown export keeps the LaTeX source, HTML export writes MathML, and Share as Image renders the formula into the picture. In Word (.docx), supported formulas become native editable equations; unsupported syntax falls back to readable LaTeX source.
  • Show Markdown Marks: Enable it in Settings > Appearance to reveal heading, quote, and callout marks while editing. It is off by default.
  • Paper & color PRO: The right-click Paper menu keeps None free, while paper texture, grid, ruled, and dotted styles are Pro personalization options. The built-in color popover is part of the Pro custom color workflow.
  • Typography Density: Switch between Compact, Standard, and Relaxed in Settings > Appearance.
  • Interactive Checklists: Type - [ ] to create todos. Click the box or use hotkeys to mark as done.
  • Rich media: Drag and drop or paste images directly into text notes for a seamless workflow.
  • Free quota: The free tier holds up to 50 text notes (trash excluded); upgrade to Pro for unlimited.

⚡ Templates & Automation

PinMark CLI guide · PinMark MCP setup

  • Built-in Library: Start fast with "Daily Startup", "Meeting Brief", and "Idea Card".
  • Save as Template: Save any current note layout as a reusable template.
  • Template Quota: Free includes 3 built-in + 2 custom; Pro includes unlimited built-in + 50 custom.
  • Quick Replacement: Replace current content or insert template into existing notes.

🖼️ Image Styles & Tools

A Mac desktop arranged as a botanical photo wall, with prints in Gallery, Pinned, Taped, and Frame styles.
Eight curated styles — Normal, Polaroid, Taped, Pinned, Frame, Gallery, Vintage, Black & White — turn the desktop into a photo wall.
  • 8 Curated Styles: Pick one from the right-click Style submenu: Normal, Polaroid, Taped, Pinned, Frame, Gallery, Vintage, and Black & White. Each is a finished look — no parameters to tweak.
  • Free / Pro Styles: Free includes Normal, Polaroid, and Taped; Pinned, Frame, Gallery, Vintage, and Black & White are PRO styles.
  • Polaroid Caption: Only Polaroid lets you double-click the bottom white border to write a caption; the text is kept when you switch styles.
  • Free Rotation: Press ⌘⌥← / → for 15° rotation, hold ⌥ while scrolling to rotate freely, or press R to reset. Arrow keys nudge; ⇧ + arrows step by 15°.
  • Ghost Mode PRO: Press ⌘G for a semi-transparent, click-through reference.
    • Temporary Interaction: Hold Fn to move or close a "ghost" note.
    • Exit all: Press Esc three times to exit all ghost modes.
  • Image actions: Press ⌘C to copy the image, ⌘S to save it, ⌘W to hide it, or ⌘⌫ to delete it.
  • OCR & Extraction PRO: Right-click an image or press ⌘⇧C to copy recognized text; use Convert to Text Note from the menu to turn OCR into an editable note.

📤 Elegant Sharing

  • Share as Image: The output keeps the note's own color, paper, and font, rendering the full content without cropping to a fixed ratio.
    • Brand & signature polish: Exported images now keep the logo and signature area clearer, more balanced, and easier to read.
    • Pro Customization PRO: Remove the logo, or add a custom signature (text or image, with your choice of font).
    • Three ways out: Copy as Image, Export as PNG, or Share… — the last opens the standard macOS share menu, and all three render from the same snapshot.
    • Quick Copy: Copy as Image writes the rendered note straight to the clipboard, with a toast confirming it's ready to paste.
  • Batch Export PRO: Export multiple notes to Markdown (.md) or Plain Text (.txt) in one click.
Four PinMark study notes on a Mac desktop showing Bayes’ rule in LaTeX, a probability table, and a study checklist.
Share as Image renders the whole note — its colors, paper, fonts, even formulas — into a single picture.

🗂️ Organization & Sync

A Mac desktop arranged as a seaside photo wall, mixing framed, pinned, taped, and Polaroid-style photos.
Arrange Notes tidies visible notes into a grid, photo wall, color groups, or cascade — and restores your previous layout anytime.
  • Arrange Notes: Use Window > Arrange Notes to organize visible notes as a grid, photo wall, color groups, or cascade layout, then restore the previous layout when needed.
  • Workspace Manager: Press ⌘⇧L to search, filter by type (text or images), and manage trashed notes.
  • iCloud Sync PRO: Your entire workspace—including notes and image assets—syncs across your Macs in real-time.

🧩 Platform Integration

  • Shortcuts & Siri: Call PinMark's three actions from the Shortcuts app — New Text Note, New Image Note, and New Note from Clipboard. Or just say "Hey Siri, create a PinMark note: buy milk."
  • Share Extension: From Safari, Photos, Notes, Finder, or any app with the system Share sheet, send text, links, or images to PinMark and the note appears on your desktop instantly (images default to Polaroid).
  • Spotlight Search: Press ⌘Space to find notes by title, body, or image name / caption, then click a result to open the note.
  • Command Line pinmark: Install it to ~/.local/bin with one click in Settings. It supports full note CRUD: create, append, update, delete, restore, pin, unpin, plus list, search, show, open, and ping. Use --from-file - for long Markdown, --no-activate for background automation, and JSON output for scripts.
  • AI / MCP: In Settings, copy the MCP config next to the command-line controls, then paste it into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or another MCP client. The @pinmark/mcp server runs locally via npx, talks through the pinmark CLI, and lets agents create, search, read, append, update, pin, trash, restore, and open notes without accessing PinMark's database directly.