TopNotes.app

Keep the file you need in front of you

Open a checklist, a plan or any text file right where it lives. TopNotes picks up changes made in other apps, and can keep the window on top while you work.

Download on the Mac App StoreFree, no in-app purchases
A TopNotes workspace window with a sidebar of files and a meeting agenda open in the editor

Your files, live

Edit any text file where it lives

Open Markdown, JSON, YAML or code from any folder. When another app changes the file, you see the change as it happens.

Workspaces

Files from any folder, in one window

Add files from anywhere on your Mac to one sidebar, without moving or copying them. Switch between them and your unsaved edits stay put.

Always on top

Keep the file you work from in sight

Any window can stay above your other apps, on every desktop. Turn it on or off for each window with ⇧⌘T.

Nothing lost

Pick up where you left off

Quit with unsaved edits and they're still there next time, along with every window where you left it.

Markdown, styled as you type

TopNotes formats Markdown as you write and hides markers like ** and # until your cursor reaches them. The file stays plain Markdown, and files that aren't Markdown stay plain text.

  • Format from the keyboard

    The usual shortcuts work, plus ⌥⌘1 to ⌥⌘3 for headings. Each change is a single undo step.

  • Lists that keep going

    Return continues a list or checklist, Tab nests it, and numbered lists renumber themselves.

  • Tables, code and quotes

    GitHub-style tables, fenced code blocks, block quotes and horizontal rules, all available from the Format menu.

  • Links you can open

    Web addresses turn into links. ⌘-click one to open it.

  • One text size for the app

    Any size from 8 to 72 pt, with margins (Narrow, Normal or Wide) that scale with it.

  • Writing Tools in the editor

    Proofread, rewrite or summarize with the system's Writing Tools, without leaving the file.

Your files, open beside your work

Open the files you already use, and keep them in sight.

Download on the Mac App Store
Free, no in-app purchases. For macOS 26 or later.

Questions

Which version of macOS do I need?

TopNotes runs on macOS 26 or later.

What kinds of files does TopNotes open?

Any text file: Markdown, plain text, JSON, YAML, code, config files and logs. Markdown is formatted as you type, and everything else stays plain text. TopNotes also opens files in older encodings such as Latin-1, and saves them back in the same encoding as long as the text still fits.

Where are my files stored?

Where they already are. TopNotes opens each file in place, with no library to import it into, so any other app can open the same file.

What happens if another app edits a file?

TopNotes picks up the change, even one made while TopNotes was closed. If it clashes with edits you haven't saved, you choose which version to keep. Rename or move the file in Finder and TopNotes follows it.

Is TopNotes a native Mac app?

Yes. It's built with SwiftUI and AppKit, and the editor runs on TextKit 2 rather than a web view. The app is sandboxed, so it only reaches the files and folders you open or give it access to.