Quick Capture on the Mac

With Quick Capture you create a task from anywhere on the Mac without opening Focus one. A global keyboard shortcut opens a small input window, no matter which app you are in.

Requirement: macOS 14.6 or later.

Turn it on

1. Open the Focus one settings on the Mac (⌘,).
2. In the Quick Capture section, turn on the switch “Quick capture (Pro, global shortcut)”. A small helper app then runs in the menu bar. It has no Dock icon and then starts automatically at login.
3. The first time, you have to allow it: System Settings → General → Login Items. Focus one shows a notice about this below the switch.

Pro. Without Pro, the window shows a notice that Quick Capture is a Pro feature and saves nothing.

Using it

• Default shortcut: ⌃⌥Space. In the Focus one settings it is shown next to Shortcut. With “Change…” you open the helper app’s settings and choose a different shortcut.
• The window has a title and a note. Optionally you choose list, area, project and date (Today, Tomorrow, In one week or a custom date).
• Return saves the task and closes the window.
• ⇧Return saves and keeps the window open for the next task.
• Esc cancels.
• The menu bar icon offers New Task, Settings… and Quit.

The task appears in Focus one shortly afterwards.

Don’t mix them up: Quick Capture is the global keyboard shortcut on the Mac. Quick Add is the window you open in the app with the plus. The Quick Navigator (⌘K) is the search.