# How to take quick notes during a lecture on a Mac > Jot a name, a date or a question during a lecture with the NotchStar Quick Note. It saves as you type, holds one plain text note and is not a full notes app. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/take-quick-notes-during-a-lecture-on-a-mac/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. For a name, a date or a question you do not want to lose during a lecture, open the NotchStar Quick Note, type, and move on. It saves as you type, so there is no save step and nothing to switch to. It is a scratchpad for fragments, not a replacement for your main notes. ## Steps 1. Open the notch and choose **Quick Note**. 2. Click into the text area. The notch takes keyboard focus while you type, and gives it back when you leave the tab, so it does not grab your typing at other times. 3. Type the fragment. A short habit helps: start each line with a marker such as Q for a question or T for a term, so you can sort them later. 4. Move away. The note stays. Open the notch again later and the words are still there. 5. After the lecture, select the text, copy it and paste it into your notes app, then clear the note for next time. ## How to use it well Use it for the things that interrupt your thinking: a reference the lecturer gives, a deadline, an author name, a word to look up. Save the long form notes for the app you already use. If you are reading slides and want to remember a link, copy it. [Clipboard history](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/) keeps your last 50 copies, so you can come back to the link after the lecture without writing it down. If the lecture has a break and you want to time it, start a countdown in [Timers](https://www.notchstar.com/features/timers/). That is a separate tab, so the note is untouched. ## Limits you should know - **One note, plain text.** There are no folders, titles, formatting, images or attachments. - **No sync.** It lives in NotchStar's preferences on your Mac. Back it up yourself by pasting it somewhere else. - **No search inside the note** beyond what a normal text field gives you. - **Typing noise.** If you are in a recorded online lecture with your microphone on, keyboard sounds can be picked up, so mute first. - **Not for sensitive text** you would not want a person looking over your shoulder to see, since it is visible whenever the notch is open. ## If you want something more A scratchpad is quick because it is small. If you need linked notes, handwriting or sharing, use a full notes app and keep Quick Note for the fragments that would otherwise sit on a sticky note. The [Quick Notes page](https://www.notchstar.com/features/quick-notes/) lists the limits in one place. ## Quick answers. ### Can I keep a separate note for each class? No. Quick Note is one scratchpad. Copy the text into your notes app after class, or clear it for the next one. ### Does it sync to my iPhone? No. It is stored on your Mac only and is never uploaded. ## Keep reading. - [A scratchpad that is always one hover away](https://www.notchstar.com/features/quick-notes/): A plain text scratchpad in the notch that saves as you type. Jot down a number, a name or a to do without opening another app. - [Clipboard history that lives in your notch](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/): Searchable clipboard history in the Mac notch: text, links, images and files. Skips password manager copies. Click any item to copy it again. - [How to collect citations and quotes with clipboard history on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/copy-citations-with-clipboard-history-on-a-mac/): Copy several quotes, links and citations while researching, then paste them one by one from the NotchStar Clipboard tab. Holds 50 items, clears on quit. - [Timer, stopwatch and Pomodoro in the notch](https://www.notchstar.com/features/timers/): A timer, stopwatch and Pomodoro with session tracking, always one hover away in the Mac notch. It keeps counting while the notch is closed. ## More in Study and focus. - [How to study with a Pomodoro timer on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/study-with-a-pomodoro-timer-on-a-mac/): Run focused study blocks with the NotchStar Pomodoro: pick 25 and 5, 50 and 10 or 15 and 3, track four sessions, and know what the timer does not do. - [How to collect citations and quotes with clipboard history on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/copy-citations-with-clipboard-history-on-a-mac/): Copy several quotes, links and citations while researching, then paste them one by one from the NotchStar Clipboard tab. Holds 50 items, clears on quit. - [How to time an exam practice session on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/time-an-exam-practice-session-on-a-mac/): Set a NotchStar countdown for a practice exam, hear a sound at the end. Includes what the timer cannot do. - [How to track how long a task takes with a stopwatch on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/track-how-long-a-task-takes-with-a-stopwatch-on-a-mac/): Use the NotchStar stopwatch to see how long homework or a chore really takes. It counts up until you stop it. It does not save a history or log laps. - [How to see today's events and due reminders without opening Calendar on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/see-assignment-deadlines-without-opening-calendar-on-a-mac/): The NotchStar Calendar tab lists upcoming events and open reminders from your Mac accounts, and ticks reminders off. It looks to tomorrow only.