Troubleshooting

The shade will not open when I scroll

The scroll gesture only fires inside the trigger zone near the top of the screen, and in the configured direction.

• Move the pointer closer to the top edge
• Increase trigger zone depth in Preferences → Appearance
• Check scroll direction — it defaults to matching your input device, so switching between a trackpad and a mouse can surprise you
• Failing that, click the pull tab or press ⌃⌥⌘↓

The global hotkey does nothing

Almost always another app has claimed it first. Global hotkeys are first-come-first-served in macOS, and the loser gets no error.

Assign a different combination in Preferences → Shortcuts.

I cannot find the app after launching it

There is no window and no Dock entry by design. Look for the umbrella in the menu bar, with the amber pull tab below it. The tab shrinks to a dot when the pointer is elsewhere. → First run

Changes made in another editor are not showing

• Confirm the file is inside a folder listed in Preferences → Vault
• If the note is open with unsaved changes of yours, the conflict setting decides what happens. Silent keeps your version without telling you — switch to Notify. → Conflicts

A note has disappeared

Notes are files, so start in Finder:

• Search for the filename with Spotlight — it may have been moved
• Check the folder is still listed in Preferences → Vault; removing a file tree hides its notes without deleting them
• With revision history on, a deleted note’s history survives and the content can be recovered

A plugin says it is locked

Plugins are one of the three premium features. Your trial has probably ended. → Licensing

My theme changed on its own

Thirteen of the sixteen themes are premium. When a trial ends, a premium theme falls back to a free one. → Themes

Sign-in hangs or never returns

• Let the connect page finish loading before switching away
• The hand-off uses a shadynotes:// link — allow your browser to open it
• The link is single-use; if it failed, start again from Preferences → Premium
• → Signing in

An update will not install

Updates are refused unless both Apple notarisation and an EdDSA signature check pass. A failure usually means an interrupted download — try again.

If you installed with Homebrew, use brew upgrade --cask shadynotes instead. → Updates

The text is hard to read over what is behind it

The shade is translucent. Reduce transparency, or add an editor background tint, in Preferences → Appearance.

Still stuck

Ask in Discord. Your macOS version and the app version from Preferences → Premium help.