---
title: Quick Capture
description: Capture into your Inbox or today's Daily note from a floating window or the clipboard
---

Quick Capture is a small, always-on-top window that you can summon while working in Octarine or another app. It requires an active Pro or trial license on desktop.

Captures can create an [Inbox](/workflows/inbox) item, append to the most recent Inbox item, or append to today's Daily note. For the iPhone capture sheet, see [Inbox & Quick Capture on iOS](/iOS/inbox).

## Opening Quick Capture

Octarine must be running with at least one available workspace. Open Quick Capture from:

- **File → Quick Capture…** in Octarine
- The Octarine icon in the macOS menu bar or Windows/Linux system tray
- The global shortcut, even while another app is focused

| Platform | Global shortcut |
| --- | --- |
| macOS | `Control + Option + Space` |
| Windows and Linux | `Ctrl + Alt + Space` |

Press `Esc` or use the close button to dismiss the window. After a successful capture, Octarine closes Quick Capture and returns focus to the app you were using on macOS.

## Capture the Clipboard Without Opening a Window

You can save copied text or an image without opening Quick Capture or bringing Octarine forward. This requires an active Pro or trial license, and Octarine must already be running.

1. Open **Settings → Quick capture → Clipboard** in the workspace that should receive captures.
2. Enable **Allow Double Option to capture from clipboard** on macOS or **Allow Double Control to capture from clipboard** on Windows and Linux.
3. Choose whether **Save to** creates a new Inbox entry or appends to today's Daily note.
4. Copy text or an image, then double-tap the platform modifier.

Octarine saves the clipboard to the current workspace and shows a system notification when the capture succeeds or fails. On Linux, this shortcut requires an X11 session and is unavailable under Wayland.

## Choose a Workspace and Destination

Use the workspace menu in the top-left corner to choose where the capture will be saved. This is useful when you have more than one workspace open.

Use the destination menu in the center to switch between **Inbox** and today's Daily note. You can also press `Cmd + Shift + J` on macOS or `Ctrl + Shift + J` on Windows and Linux. Octarine remembers the last destination separately for each workspace.

### Capture to Inbox

Inbox mode supports:

- An optional title and a rich-text body. A capture can contain either one or both.
- Priority from **Urgent** through **Low**, or no priority. Press `Cmd/Ctrl + P` to open the priority menu, then use `0` through `4` or the arrow keys.
- Up to five tags selected from the workspace tag index or created from the picker. Press `Cmd/Ctrl + T` to open it.
- Pasted rich text, links, and supported embedded media.

Choose **Capture** or press `Cmd/Ctrl + Enter` to create a new Inbox item.

When a previous Inbox capture is available, the footer also shows **Append to INB-N**. Choose it or press `Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Enter` to add the new body to that capture instead of creating another file. If you entered a title, Octarine adds it as a heading above the appended content.

### Append to Today's Daily Note

Daily mode appends the body to `Daily/YYYY-MM-DD.md`, creating today's note if needed. Turn **Settings → Quick capture → Timestamp before daily captures** on or off to control whether Octarine inserts the capture time before each appended block.

## Menu Bar and System Tray

The Octarine tray menu provides access without first opening the main window. It includes:

- **Quick Capture…**
- Up to five active Inbox items, with additional items under **More…**
- **Open Inbox**
- **Settings…**
- **Quit Octarine**

Selecting an active capture opens that item in the main Octarine window. The list follows the current Inbox order and includes up to 30 active captures.

On macOS and Linux, closing the main window hides it while Octarine continues running in the menu bar or tray. Choose **Quit Octarine** when you want to stop the app. On Windows, closing the main window quits Octarine and removes the tray icon.

#### Quick Answers

### What is the Quick Capture shortcut?

To open the Quick Capture window, use `Control + Option + Space` on macOS or `Ctrl + Alt + Space` on Windows and Linux. You can also enable clipboard capture in Settings, then double-tap `Option` on macOS or `Control` on Windows and Linux.

### Can I choose a different workspace in Quick Capture?

Yes. Use the workspace menu in the top-left corner before saving.

### Can I add to my last capture instead of creating another one?

Yes. In Inbox mode, choose **Append to INB-N** or press `Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Enter`.

### Does Quick Capture require Pro?

Yes. Quick Capture requires an active Pro or trial license on desktop.