Bear App Cheatsheet

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Operating Systems Shortcuts / macOS

April 26, 2025 12:03

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Text Formatting

Basic Text Styles

Bold	⌘B or `text`
Italic	⌘I or `text`
Underline	⌘U
Strikethrough	⌥⌘U or `~~text~~`
Link	⌘K or `[Text](url)`
Inline Code	⌥⌘C or `code`

Headings

Heading 1	⌘1 or `# Heading`
Heading 2	⌘2 or `## Heading`
Heading 3	⌘3 or `### Heading`
Heading 4	⌘4 or `#### Heading`
Heading 5	⌘5 or `##### Heading`
Heading 6	⌘6 or `###### Heading`

Lists & Blockquotes

Bulleted List	⌥⌘U or `- list item` or `* list item`
Numbered List	⌥⌘O or `1. list item`
Task List	⇧⌘L or `- [ ] task item`
Toggle Task Status	⌘D
List Nesting	Tab (Indent) / ⇧Tab (Outdent)
Blockquote	⌥⌘Q or `> quote`
Multiline Blockquote	`> > quote`

Other Formatting Elements

Horizontal Rule	⌥⌘H or `---` or `***`
Code Block	⌥⌘K or ``` `code`
Highlight	`::highlighted text::`
Footnote	`Footnote[^1] [^1]: Footnote definition`
Insert Date	⌥⌘T
Insert Time	⌥⌘⇧T

Note Management & Navigation

Creating & Opening Notes

New Note	⌘N
New Note in New Window	⌥⌘N
Quick Open	⌘⇧O (Type note title to open)
New Scratchpad Note	⌃⌘N
Open Selected Note	⌘O
Close Window	⌘W
Close All Windows	⌥⌘W

Searching & Filtering

Find in Note	⌘F
Find Next	⌘G
Find Previous	⌘⇧G
Global Search	⌘⇧F (Search all notes)
Search with Tags	Type `#tag` in search bar
Exclude Tag from Search	Type `#-tag` in search bar
Combine Tags in Search	Type `#tag1 #tag2` (AND) Type `#tag1 #tag2` (OR - comma separated)
Search for ToDos	Type `@todo` in search bar

Tagging & Organization

Add Tag	Type `#tagname` anywhere in the note
Nested Tag	`#parent/child/grandchild`
Pin Note	Right-click note > Pin Note or drag to Pinned section
Show Tag Info	Right-click tag in sidebar > Show Info
Rename Tag	Right-click tag in sidebar > Rename Tag
Delete Tag	Right-click tag in sidebar > Delete Tag

Linking Notes

Internal Link by Title	`[[Note Title]]` Bear will suggest titles as you type.
Internal Link by Heading	`[[Note Title#Heading]]`
Create Link to Current Heading	Right-click heading > Copy Link to Heading
Create Link to Note	Right-click note > Copy Link to Note
Create New Note from Link	Type `[[New Note Title]]` then click the red link.
Show Backlinks	Click the link count at the top of the note or use the Info Panel (⌥⌘I).

Advanced & General Tips

Exporting Notes

Export Note	⇧⌘S
Export Options	Select format (Markdown, HTML, DOCX, PDF, JPG, RTF, TXT, TextBundle, ePub)
Export Multiple Notes	Select notes in the list > ⇧⌘S
Copy as Markdown	⌥⇧⌘C
Copy as HTML	⌥⇧⌘H
Copy as Rich Text	⌥⇧⌘R

Focusing & Editing Modes

Focus Mode	⇧⌘D (Hides sidebar and note list)
Typewriter Mode	View > Typewriter Mode (Keeps current line centered)
Hide Sidebar	⌥⌘S
Hide Note List	⌥⌘L
Toggle Dark Mode	⌥⌘N
Toggle Editor Width	⌥⌘E (Cycles through widths: narrow, medium, wide)
Show Word Count/Info	⌥⌘I (Opens the Info Panel)

Markdown Syntax Quick Reference

Bold: **text**

Italic: *text*

~~Strikethrough:~~ ~~text~~

Inline Code: `code`

Code Block:

```language
code

Blockquote: > quote

Link: [Text](url)

Image: ![Alt text](url)

Bulleted List: - item or * item

Numbered List: 1. item

Task List: - [ ] item

Horizontal Rule: ---

Useful Tips & Tricks

Info Panel: Use ⌥⌘I to see word count, creation date, backlinks, and add tags easily.

Quick Open: Hit ⌘⇧O to quickly find and open any note by typing part of its title.

Scratchpad: Use ⌃⌘N for a temporary note (not saved unless you add a tag).

Customizing Theme: Go to Bear > Preferences > Themes to change the look of the editor.

Pin Notes: Drag important notes to the ‘Pinned’ section in the sidebar for quick access.

Handoff: If you use Bear on multiple Apple devices, Handoff lets you switch seamlessly between them.