Install Notations as an app

Before you start

Installing uses your browser’s own “install” or “add to Home Screen” feature — there is nothing to download from an app store, and no separate native app. Your notes are not copied by installing; they sync from your account, so sign in once in the installed app and let the first sync finish.

The install option only appears on the real site over a secure connection. If you are looking at Notations in a private or incognito window, open it in a normal window first.

iPhone and iPad

1. Open Notations in Safari.
2. Tap the Share button — the square with an arrow pointing up.
3. Scroll down the list and tap Add to Home Screen.
4. Leave Open as Web App turned on so it opens in its own window rather than a Safari tab.
5. Edit the name if you like, then tap Add.

If you do not see Add to Home Screen, scroll to the bottom of the share list, tap Edit Actions, and add it.

Android

1. Open Notations in Chrome.
2. Tap the ⋮ menu at the top right.
3. Tap Install app, or Add to Home screen if that is what your version shows.
4. Confirm the name and tap Install or Add.

Chrome sometimes offers this by itself as a banner or a prompt at the bottom of the screen. Taking that offer does the same thing as the menu item.

Windows, macOS, and Linux — Chrome or Edge

1. Open Notations in Chrome or Edge.
2. Look for the install icon at the right-hand end of the address bar and click it.
3. If it is not there, use the menu instead: in Chrome, ⋮ → Cast, save, and share → Install page as app; in Edge, ⋯ → Apps → Install this site as an app.
4. Click Install.

Notations then behaves like any other installed application: its own window, its own icon in the dock, Start menu, or launcher, and its own entry when you switch between apps.

macOS — Safari

1. Open Notations in Safari on macOS Sonoma or later.
2. Choose File → Add to Dock from the menu bar.
3. Edit the name if you like, then click Add.

Older versions of macOS do not have this feature. Use Chrome or Edge on those, or keep Notations in a tab.

If you cannot find an install option

Firefox on the desktop does not install web apps at all — there is no menu item to look for. Use Chrome, Edge, or Safari to install, or continue using Notations in a Firefox tab, which works normally. Firefox on Android does offer an install option in its menu.

If the option has vanished in a browser that supports it, Notations is probably installed already: look for it in your dock, Start menu, or app launcher before installing it again. On iPhone and iPad, the Add to Home Screen step is only in Safari’s share menu, not in the address-bar menu.

After installing

The installed app opens straight to your notebook. Sign in and let the first sync finish before you rely on it away from a connection — installing does not by itself put your notes on the device. See the offline guide for how to prepare a device properly.

On the desktop, an installed copy in Chrome or Edge can also open Markdown and text files directly: choose Notations from your operating system’s “open with” menu and the file arrives in a new note, ready to save.

To remove it, treat it like any other app. Press and hold the icon on a phone and choose to delete or uninstall it; on the desktop, open the app and use its ⋮ menu to uninstall. Removing the installed app does not delete notes that have synced to your account, but it does clear that copy’s offline data — finish syncing first if you have unsaved work.