Essential shortcuts and tips for faster note-taking

Speed up your workflow with keyboard shortcuts and cross-platform tips for Joplin.

Joplin has become my default note-taking app. I use it for everything—whether it’s short notes on what to pick up at the store or saving articles I intend to read later with the web clipper. I have an iPhone, a laptop, and a desktop, and depending where I find myself on any given day, there’s one application that helps me record everything I want to remember for later use. That’s Joplin.

Using Joplin shortcuts can significantly improve your efficiency, workflow, and note management experience. Here’s how to get the most out of Joplin across all your devices.

Read more: Why Joplin is my go-to note-taking app

Saving web content on iOS

If you’re using iOS, you can send weblinks directly to Joplin by selecting the “Share” button at the bottom of the web page you want to add to your notebook.

After selecting the Share button, choose which iOS application you want to send it to. Joplin is one of the options.

After selecting the “Joplin” app from the list of apps, a new note is saved to your Joplin application. For more help, consult the documentation on Joplin’s app page.

Essential keyboard shortcuts for desktop

Much of my day is spent using a laptop or desktop where I do the majority of my writing. When using Joplin in that setting, I’ve come to rely on handy keyboard shortcuts that streamline the note-taking and writing process.

Common Joplin shortcuts

Here are the most useful keyboard shortcuts depending on your operating system:

File and sync operations:

• Ctrl-N – Create new note
• Ctrl-S – Synchronize notes

Search and navigation:

• Ctrl-F – Find and replace
• F6 – Search in all notes

Editing shortcuts:

• Ctrl-A – Select all
• Ctrl-B – Bold (selection)
• Ctrl-C – Copy
• Ctrl-X – Cut
• Ctrl-V – Paste
• Ctrl-Shift-T – Insert date
• Ctrl-Q – Quit

Note: On macOS, replace Ctrl with Cmd for most shortcuts.

Getting more help and supporting Joplin

For additional Joplin help, be sure to check out their excellent documentation. The project also maintains a forum where you can learn and share tips with other users.

Joplin is an open source project, and your donations help support its ongoing development. Creating a high-quality application not only requires time and effort but also incurs costs—such as purchasing digital certificates for app signing, covering app store fees, hosting services, and the hardware needed to build and test across multiple platforms.

By mastering these shortcuts and workflows, you can make Joplin an even more powerful tool for capturing and organizing your thoughts across all your devices.

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This article is adapted from “Mastering Joplin: Tips for Faster Note-Taking“ by Don Watkins, and is republished with permission from the author.