Why vnotes

Speed & footprint

Fast startup, small install, and low CPU and RAM—the app is written in C++ with a small dependency surface (no Electron-sized stack). List and search stay responsive with loads of notes; you’re writing or pasting, not feeding a bloated shell.

Search-first

Find notes in a flash, open what you need, and move on. Search matches both titles and file contents—try `syntax`, `sync`, `Monokai`, or `curl`.

Markdown subset & code fences

The editor highlights a subset of Markdown—headings, lists, emphasis, links, and more—because speed comes first and we don’t compromise it with a full rich-text or preview stack. Wrap snippets in Markdown fenced code blocks (```language) for syntax highlighting in common languages. UI stays Monokai-inspired; files on disk remain plain .txt.

Safe terminal runner

Run a small allowlisted set of commands from a fenced bash block (like ping, curl, echo) with Cmd+Enter. Output gets appended back into the note inside a \`\`\`output fence—files stay plain text.

What you get

▸Monokai-inspired dark theme—chrome and editor colors in that spirit
▸Fast startup; low CPU and memory footprint—small, native app
▸List and search stay snappy with lots of notes
▸Subset of Markdown in the editor (GitHub-ish highlighting)—speed first; no embedded browser or heavy Markdown engine
▸Fenced code blocks with a language tag (```cpp, ```python, …) get syntax highlighting for supported languages—ideal for pasted snippets
▸Terminal commands safely: execute whitelisted ping/curl/echo from fenced bash blocks with Cmd+Enter, and append results back into the note in \`\`\`output fences
▸Standalone app—one window, built for software development workflows, no notes-suite bloat
▸Implemented in C++ with a minimal dependency set—native macOS + a compact UI layer, not a bundled browser
▸Search-first: jump to a note or create one without leaving the flow
▸Plain .txt on disk; paste code and keep formatting—nothing extra written into the file
▸Configurable notes folder—point it at a Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, OneDrive, or any synced directory; vnotes doesn’t ship its own cloud, it reads and writes .txt where you choose

Download

Grab the release when it’s linked below, then install vnotes on your Mac like any other app.

Install from a disk image (`.dmg`)

Open the downloaded .dmg. A window opens with the app.
Drag vnotes into your Applications folder (shortcut in the window).
Eject the disk image when you’re done. Launch vnotes from Applications or Spotlight.

If macOS won’t open the app

The first time you open an app that isn’t from the Mac App Store, Gatekeeper may block it or show a warning.

Try opening vnotes once (right-click the app → Open sometimes works when double-click does not).
If it still won’t run: open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to Security, and use Open Anyway for vnotes (wording may vary slightly by macOS version).

If you use a .zip instead, unzip it, then drag vnotes.app into Applications.

Download vnotes (DMG)