The app step by step · Chapter 26

Quick capture

Sometimes you just want to write something down before it's gone, without thinking about which note it belongs in. That's what Quick capture is for. You type a few words, and nexlore puts them into the space's inbox. You can sort them out later.

Opening the window

Quick capture

• Light bulb: The button with the light bulb at the top of the header opens the window in one click.
• Keyboard: Alt + Shift + N opens it from anywhere, as long as you're not typing in a field or in the editor. From inside the editor, you'll find “Quick capture” in the command palette with Ctrl + P.
• Plus: Right-clicking “+” in the header opens Quick capture too, instead of a new note. On a phone you hold “+” down for a moment.

Keep it, and on to the next thought

Write whatever comes to mind and click Keep or press Ctrl + Enter. nexlore briefly confirms which inbox it went into, and Open takes you there. The window stays open and empty, so you can send the next thought right after it. Cancel, which turns into Done once you've kept something, or Escape closes it.

What's in the inbox

The inbox is an ordinary note at the very top of the space, Inbox.md or Eingang.md. If one of them is already there, nexlore uses it. Otherwise it creates one, named in the language you're using nexlore in. Every entry is a list item with the date and time, and the newest is always at the top, right below the heading.

# Inbox

- [ ] Buy milk (18:40)
- 2026-10-02 18:32 Idea for the talk: start with the picture of the garden
- 2026-10-01 21:05 https://example.com/focaccia-recipe

If you start with [ ], as in [ ] Buy milk, it becomes a real task with the time behind it. It then shows up like any other task in the overview under Tasks, and you can give it a due date later.

Which space it goes to

If a note is open, your thought lands in the inbox of its space. With no note open, it goes into your main space, which you choose under Settings, General (more on that under Daily notes). If a single entry should go somewhere else, pick another space you may write in under Space in the window.

Sharing from your phone

If you've installed nexlore as an app on your phone, you can send it things from other apps. Share a web page from your browser, for example, pick nexlore, and Quick capture opens with the title and the address already in the field. Add a few words if you like and keep it. Whether nexlore appears in the share menu depends on whether your phone supports sharing to installed web apps.

The installed app also brings a shortcut along. Press and hold its icon on the home screen and you'll find “Quick capture” there, which takes you straight to the window.