ShowNotes
Install ShowNotes
- Download the DMG from shownotes.app. It works on macOS 13 Ventura or later, Apple Silicon and Intel.
- Open the DMG and drag ShowNotes to your Applications folder.
- Launch ShowNotes. Gatekeeper will ask you to confirm since it was downloaded from the web. Click Open — the app is signed and notarized by Apple.
Your 14-day free trial starts automatically. No account, no credit card, no email required.
First launch
On first launch, ShowNotes walks you through a short onboarding that explains how screen-share invisibility works and shows you the key shortcuts. After that, you land on a sample deck with a few cards to get you oriented.
The ShowNotes window floats above every other app. It stays on top of your live demo, your browser, your slides — whatever you're presenting. And it's completely invisible to screen share.
Your first card
Cards are the basic unit in ShowNotes. Each card holds one topic, one talking point, or one section of your presentation. You navigate between them with arrow keys.
- Click anywhere on the card to enter edit mode. You'll see a markdown editor with a formatting toolbar.
- Type your content using markdown.
# Heading,**bold**,- bullet, and`code`all work as expected. - Press Esc or ⌘Return to save and return to view mode. Your card renders as styled text.
Press ⌘N to create a new card. Use ← and → to flip between cards.
Window behaviour
ShowNotes is built as a floating panel. A few things to know:
- Always on top. The window floats above every app, including full-screen presentations. You don't need to switch windows to read your notes.
- Doesn't steal focus. Clicking the ShowNotes window won't pull focus from your active app. You stay in your demo while glancing at your notes.
- Global hotkey. Press ⌘⇧S to show or hide the window from anywhere, even when another app is in the foreground.
- Resize and reposition. Drag the window wherever you want. Resize by dragging any edge. ShowNotes remembers your position and size between launches.
Menu bar
ShowNotes adds a small icon to your menu bar. Click it to:
- Show or hide the notes window
- Switch between decks
- Quit the app