Keyboard Shortcuts

Glide through capture without your hands leaving the keyboard

Keyboard shortcuts are macOS-only. iPhone and iPad rely on touch and Siri; see Voice Commands below.

The pattern

• Just one key (N, C). Your most-used actions
• Command key combos (⌘N, ⌘E). Standard Mac conventions
• Shift variants (⇧N, ⌘⇧N). Variations on the base action
• Global shortcut (⌥⌘N). Start or stop recording even when Cleft is hidden
• Standard Mac shortcuts (⌘Z, ⌘B, ⌘I). Writing tools you already know

Global Recording

Action	Shortcut
Start or stop recording	⌥⌘N

Change or clear the global shortcut in Settings → Shortcuts.

Creating and Recording Notes

Action	Shortcut
New voice note	N
New text note	⌘N
Append voice to note	⇧N
Edit summary	⌘⇧N
Pause/resume recording	Space
Finish voice note	⏎
Finish text note	⌘⏎
Cancel note	Esc

View and Note Management

Action	Shortcut
Toggle read/edit mode	⌘E
Toggle summary/transcript	⌘T
Copy note	C
Add tags	⌘L
Open visible note 1-9	⌘1 to ⌘9

Sharing

Action	Shortcut
Share note	⌘⇧S
Share private link	⌘⇧P
Send to Notion	⌥P

“Share public link” lives in the Edit menu but doesn’t have a keyboard shortcut today.

Filtering

Action	Shortcut
Show/hide filter panel	⌘/
Previous filter	⌘⇧[
Next filter	⌘⇧]

Text Editing

Action	Shortcut
Undo	⌘Z
Redo	⌘⇧Z
Copy	⌘C
Paste	⌘V
Bold text	⌘B
Italicize	⌘I
Insert link	⌘K
Find in note	⌘F
Strikethrough	⌘⇧X
Heading 1	⌘⌥1
Heading 2	⌘⌥2
Heading 3	⌘⌥3
Numbered list	⌘⇧7
Bulleted list	⌘⇧8
Block quote	⌘⇧'
Inline code	⌘⇧C

Zoom (Accessibility)

Action	Shortcut
Zoom in	⌘+
Zoom out	⌘-
Actual size	⌘0

App Settings and Navigation

Action	Shortcut
Refresh notes	⌘R
Open Settings	⌘,
Open Writing Style	⌘.
Select multiple notes	⌘Click
Close window	⌘W
Hide Cleft	⌘H
Minimize Cleft	⌘M
Quit Cleft	⌘Q

Get Started with Shortcuts

• Start with the simplest: Try just N for a new voice note, then ⇧N to append to it. That’s the core workflow.
• Learn one at a time: Pick a new shortcut each day. Within a week, you’ll be flying.
• Build your flow: N to capture, C to copy, then paste into email or messages without your hands leaving the keyboard.
• The rest is just standard Mac: If you know ⌘B for bold or ⌘Z for undo, you already know half of Cleft’s shortcuts.

Siri & App Intents

Use your voice to control Cleft hands-free.

Voice Commands

Say this	What happens	Platforms
”Hey Siri, new Cleft note”	Start a new voice recording	All (incl. Watch)
“Hey Siri, start Cleft”	Start a new voice recording	All (incl. Watch)
“Hey Siri, stop Cleft”	Stop and save your recording	All (incl. Watch)
“Hey Siri, continue Cleft”	Add more to your last note	iPhone, iPad, Mac
”Hey Siri, get my last Cleft note”	Hear your most recent summary	iPhone, iPad, Mac
”Hey Siri, get my last Cleft transcript”	Hear your full transcript	iPhone, iPad, Mac

Apple Watch: Start and Stop commands work on watchOS. Continue, Get Last Note, and Get Transcript require iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Apple Shortcuts App

You can also use these intents in the Shortcuts app to build custom automations:

• Start Recording. Trigger a new voice note from any shortcut (all platforms)
• Stop Recording. Save the current recording (all platforms)
• Continue Last Note. Append audio to your most recent note (iOS/macOS)
• Get Last Note. Retrieve your latest summary (iOS/macOS)
• Get Last Transcript. Retrieve your latest full transcript (iOS/macOS)

Want to build a custom automation? Check out our Apple Shortcuts integration guide.

Found an Edge Case?

If a shortcut isn’t working as expected, let us know.