# Apple Reminders Source: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/apple-reminders Use Monarch to create, view, and complete Reminders without changing context or breaking your flow. Great for users who don't normally use Reminders Monarch allows you to create Reminders that sync with Apple Reminders directly in Monarch, giving you access to all of your tasks in one second. There are both easy and advanced ways to create Reminders in Monarch. This guide will show you both. NOTE: If you cannot create a Reminder via Quick Reminder, you probably need to enable permissions for Reminders. To do so, simply run the **View Reminders** command ## Create a Reminder ### Create Reminder command Use the **Create Reminder** command to bring up a form that allows you to create a new reminder. Reminder form ### Quick Reminder More advanced users of Monarch can create a reminder directly from the main search by typing the letter "r" followed by a space. From here, you can type out your reminder using the following format. ```text theme={null} r(space) (some task to comlete) (at some time in the future) (!, !!, or !!!) ``` Here's what this should look like: Quick reminder Pressing **Enter** on the above command will save the Quick Reminder with this structure: ```text theme={null} Reminder name: Call Michael back Due date: 2 hours from current time Priorty: Medium List: Work ``` This is the fastest way to create a reminder. ## Changing lists with Quick Reminder The list that Monarch will save the reminder to is shown directly in Quick Reminder command item. To change the list that the reminder will be saved to, press the Option key (⌥) on the right-hand side of the keyboard. ## See all Reminders ### Mark Reminder as complete To mark a reminder as complete, go to View Reminders and press enter on the reminder you want to mark as complete. To mark a complete reminder as incomplete, press enter on a completed reminder. ### Delete Reminders To delete a Reminder, you must be viewing your list of reminders (via the **View Reminders** command) and press CTRL+Backspace on the reminder you want to delete. # Bugs & Issues in Monarch Source: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/bugs-and-issues-in-monarch Read Monarch's policy on user privacy as it relates to bugs and get help with issues. ## On Bugs and Privacy Monarch takes a strong stance on user privacy so it does not contain any kind of software that does tracking, telemetry, analytics or automated bug reporting. While this stance may make it more difficult to track down tricky bugs, I hold that it is well worth it because you can be confident that when you are using Monarch you have absolute ownership and absolute privacy. ## Get help with user interface bugs If you are having issues with something in the user interface, such as Superlinks not working properly or a keypress not registering, please let me know rmdashrfv(at)hey(dot)com. It is better if you send along screenshots showing your issue, but the best thing is to send a video of you replicating the issue in real time, along with a short paragraph of what's happening. ## Where to post bugs & How to get help If you are having any issues with bugs or need help with Monarch in general, it's really easy to get help! You can post an issue in either the [subreddit](https://reddit.com/r/monarchapp) or the [Bugs channel on Discord](https://discord.gg/KnrEgHwc). If you decide to post a bug report, it makes it much easier for everyone involved if you include screenshots or a video and include detailed information (outlined in the pinned template at the top of the bugs channel on Discord). I'll add it here to make it easier: ```markdown theme={null} **Title (\*)** Short summary of the issue (e.g., "App crashes when resizing window") **Description (\*)** What happened? Brief explanation of the bug. **Steps to Reproduce (\*)** 1. Launch Monarch 2. Do X 3. Observe Y **Expected Behavior (\*)** What should have happened? **Actual Behavior (\*)** What happened instead? **Screenshots / Video (Preferred)** Attach images or videos if available. **System Info (\*)** - OS version: - Monarch version: - Hardware (e.g., MacBook Air M1, MacBook Pro Intel, external keyboard) ``` ## I don't know where my question goes No problem. Just post it in the [Help channel on Discord](https://discord.gg/ZgBgHjD8). ## What you should *not* do Monarch is designed to be as self-contained as possible. If you are new to troubleshooting computer issues, or don't feel confident in your troubleshooting skills, that's perfectly fine. Here's some things that will not help, and if you do them it will likely make it more difficult for myself or others in the Monarch community to help you. **Avoid doing these things**: * Do not completely remove your installation of Monarch. * Do not update your version of macOS, especially if a previous version of Monarch was already working. * Do not reinstall your operating system. * Do not edit your system configuration files. ## What to do if Monarch crashes NOTE: If you don't want to manually navigate to the **crash** folder, you can use the **Monarch Crash Reports** command to instantly open it. In the event Monarch crashes, it generates a crash report located in `/Users//Application Support/com.monarch.macos/crash`. The crash log should look something like `2026-02-13_17-53-28.log`. Send that file to the developer either via email at rmdashrfv(at)hey(dot)com, or DM it to thievingfour on the Monarch Discord server. I'll get back to you as soon as I'm able to and as soon as I have something to say. Sometimes I may simply fix the issue depending on its scope. The file is named to make it easy to identify precisely when a crash occurred to help provide additional context. ## Easily access Crash Reports To make it easier to access crash reports and share them with the developer, Monarch comes with a built-in command, **Monarch Crash Reports**, which can be run at any time from the main search bar. You can also type "mcr" to access it even more quickly. ## Troubleshooting The most common cause of issues in Monarch (something like 99.9% of issues) is actually VPNs or internet access blockers such as LittleSnitch, Lulu, etc. If your issues are anything like the following: 1. I can't activate my Monarch license. 2. I can't start a free trial. 3. My license doesn't seem to stay activated. 4. When I try to check for updates nothing happens. 5. I can't update to the latest version of Monarch. 6. I'm trying to use the Monarch Downloader, but nothing happens. Then it is because you have something running that blocks or restricts internet traffic. This is preventing Monarch from functioning as expected. It is **highly recommended** that you permanently whitelist all traffic to and from Monarch. Allowing traffic temporarily will work, but this has repeatedly resulted in scenarios where users say "Okay it's working now" and then return later that day saying "It stopped working again". Most Monarch issues are due to either: internet traffic restrictions or due to denying Monarch permissions and then attempting to use a feature that requires those permissions. # Clipboard History Source: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/clipboard-history Monarch features one of the most powerful clipboard history managers available for Mac. Learn how to leverage it to its full potential here. ![clipboard history](https://imgur.com/3BCmMVn.png) Monarch's Clipboard History allows you to keep track of everything you copy without having to worry about losing important or frequently used data such as text, images, files or links. Monarch keeps everything you copy in a searchable and editable history. To access Clipboard History, open Monarch and press `TAB` to Mode Change. ## Use cases This is a feature that anyone can use, but there are some very specific scenarios in which clipboard history is *especially* helpful: **Students** Researching a topic for a paper or exam, you can collect links, excerpts, screenshots and files that you can easily search through later while actually writing your paper. **Developers** Keeping snippets of code: Your favorite CSS classes, code output from ChatGPT, and frequently used functions all renamed so that you can find them much faster and reuse them any time you need. **Designers** Storing screenshots of landing pages, and web components that catch your eye, then renaming them and pasting them into a Figma project later. **Anyone** Storing useful links that coworkers share on Slack, links to relevant things in Google Drive, Monday.com, or Google Sheets data can be stored in your clipboard history to be more easily searchable than ever before. ## Using Clipboard History ![clipboard history](https://imgur.com/hIMPWkL.png) ### Up/down arrow keys You can use the up and down arrow keys to move through items one at a time through your clipboard history. You can also use `Ctrl + J` to move down and `Ctrl + K` to move up. If you prefer to navigate through Clipboard History using the `Tab` key you can do that by disabling Mode Change in [Settings](/settings). ### Autopaste with `ENTER` While viewing an item in your history, you can press `ENTER` at any time to automatically paste the content into the active app you summoned Monarch over. ### Recopy with `⌘ + C` Sometimes you want to copy something, but not paste it into the currently active app. In this case, you can simply press `⌘ + C` and recopy the item as you normally would. ### Search Filter List with `⌘ + L` Use this to see all of the available filters you have for your clipboard history, which allow you to easily find whatever you are looking for and the source you copied it from. See \*\*Filtering Clipboard Items \*\*below for more details. ### Editing clipboard text entries Text entries can be edited at any time. Simply hover over the item and the Edit button will appear. Click the Edit button, and the content will appear in a text box. Edit the text and hit the Save button to update the item. ### Delete clipboard items with `CTRL + Backspace` If you want to delete an item from the clipboard history, hold `CTRL` and press `Backspace`. Be careful as this is permanent and there is currently no way to recover deleted items. ### Searching clipboard history Searching your clipboard history is as easy as typing what you are looking for into the search bar. ![clipboard history](https://imgur.com/35MIZg2.png) ### Filtering clipboard items You can filter clipboard items by clicking the top right dropdown menu and selecting the type of content you want to filter for. Monarch has filters for: * Application (Google Chrome, Obsidian, etc) * Website (Dribbble.com, Linear.app, ChatGPT.com)\* * Text * Links / URLs * Images ### Pausing clipboard history If for any reason you want or need to temporarily prevent copied items from being stored in your clipboard history you can press the "Pause Clipboard" (⌥`+SHIFT+P`). To resume recording items to your clipboard history, press the "Resume Clipboard" button. You can also simply turn off Clipboard History in the settings. ### Renaming clipboard items Renaming clipboard items allows you to easily recall clipboard items later using names that are meaningful to you. To rename a clipboard item, press `⌘ + R` and enter a name. ## Clipboard History Length Find this in under Monarch Settings > Clipboard. This feature allows you to keep clipboard history from getting too large. A lot of apps allow for some form of control over how large your history can get, but they always enforce set ranges that they think are good for you. Because Monarch belongs to everyone, I decided I believe in humanity enough to let them decide exactly how large or small their clipboard can be. So you set this to to any number you like! ## Ignore Applications There are some applications you never want to store copied data from. To block the application from ever storing data in Monarch's Clipboard, you can add it to your Ignore Applications list. ## Blocked Domains\* Completely unique to Monarch, not even present in dedicated clipboard apps. This is incredibly useful. I don't want to block Brave Browser, because that is my browser, but I do want to block the customer data that I copy from [stripe.com](http://stripe.com). But I also want to be able to copy data from other parts of the platform such as the landing page. With Monarch I can block only "[dashboard.stripe.com](http://dashboard.stripe.com)" and enjoy the rest of Stripe and Brave! ## Whitelist Mode If you find yourself ignoring tons of applications or blocking tons of websites, you will have an easier time using Monarch's whitelist mode than trying to manage a long list of apps or domains. You can toggle Whitelist mode individually for both apps and domains! ## Clearing Clipboard History To clear your clipboard history open Monarch and run the \*\*Clear Clipboard History \*\*command from root search. ## Security Monarch's clipboard history is fully encrypted and cannot be read by other apps. ## \*Supported Browsers Here are the supported browsers that are compatible with Monarch's advanced functionality, including Clipboard History, Superlinks and more. * Arc * Brave Browser * Google Chrome * Google Chrome Canary * Helium * Microsoft Edge * Orion * Safari * Vivaldi # Filetools Source: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/filetools The fastest "Open With" experience on your Mac. ## What is Filetools? Filetools is the fastest way to search and open files and folders on your Mac using exactly the apps you need. It's a replacement for the "Open With" user experience. Traditionally, *Open With* requires you to find the file in Finder, then right-click it, hope that the app you need is in that list. When using Open With for images, it can look something like this: SCR 20260324 Kjdt If the app you're looking for is \_not \_in this list, then you have no choice but to scroll to the bottom, select "Other...", then manually locate the app that you're looking for from inside a Finder window. Filetools was created to streamline this experience! In Monarch, you already have more flexibility over file search than in any other launcher: Move file search behind a prefix, navigate your entire file system through the UI, search files in root search, filter out any files or folders with [Monarch Ignore](/monarch-ignore), filter out non-file data using `⌘ + /` and activate Instant Send on any item. As of v0.9.10, Monarch takes this power even further with Filetools! ## Setting up Filetools Go to Monarch Settings > Filetools and click the "Add Filetools" button in the top right to create a new set of Filetools. Filetools are like Quick Actions that you specify for each individual type of file. Specify a file extension such as `json` or `md` (with no dot). Folders are special in that they do not have an extension (usually). To specify filetools for a folder, simply enter `folder`. And then click the `+` button in the **Applications** column to specify which apps you'd like to use to open that kind of file. Each app will appear on the right-hand side of Monarch whenever you search for a file of that type. If you press Enter right away after searching the file, Monarch opens the file in the first app. So the order you set your apps in matters. You can click and drag the apps to reorder them as you need to. Another way to think about this setup is **"the first app on the left is now the default app this file will open in"**. SCR 20260324 Ksjj ## Categories for Filetools You may not want to add separate filetools for each individual image type, especially if you'll be using the same tools for every image, regardless of the extension. In this case, Monarch allows you to specify a type of file instead of the extension type, to give you control over everything at once. Instead of creating separate filetools for `png`, `gif`, `webp`, `jpeg` and `jpg` and others, you can simply create one set and use `IMAGE`. This will then look at the type of the file and display your filetools for the appropriate type of file, regardless of its extension. The same applies for `VIDEO` to encapsulate all video file types at once. ### Available Filetools categories * `IMAGE` to capture all images, including gifs. * `VIDEO` to capture all video files. * `AUDIO` to capture all sound files. * `ARCHIVE` to capture all files like zip, tar.gz, etc. * `FONT` to capture all font type files. * `folder` to capture all of your folders. ## Type Override If you have all of your images under `IMAGE`, you can also still add a specific image type like `gif` to use your GIFs (pronounced "gif") and it will override the `IMAGE` filetools you have setup. This gives you maximum control! ## Using Filetools To use Filetools, all you have to do is search for the appropriate file in Monarch. Once you find the file, the first app is already highlighted. If you want to use any of the other apps, then you can either click the app, or you can cycle through them with the right-hand Option key (⌥), cycling left by holding shift as you press it. SCR 20260324 Ktrn # Monarch User Manual Source: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/index Monarch is an extension of the macOS operating system that allows you to perform a variety of tasks without switching apps or workspaces. Quick and easy guide for installing and setting up Monarch Learn how to use Monarch as your engine of productivity Get a tour of Monarch's Settings to customize Monarch to your needs # Instant Send Source: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/instant-send Instant Send lets you take actions on highlighted text, files, folders, and URLs using Monarch. ![Instant Send](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rmdashrfv/imgur/master/272_1x_shots_so.png) ## How to use Instant Send To use Instant Send, first you need to highlight some text, a file, folder, or a URL. Then invoke Instant Send via the shortcut that you set in your `Monarch Settings > Shortcuts`. The default shortcut is `⌘ + I` but you can bind this to anything you want. You can also activate Instant Send on any app or file by searching for it in Monarch and pressing your Instant Send shortcut. ## Performing actions The actions that appear when you invoke Instant Send depend on what you have selected. Here's what you can do: ## Files and Folders * **Open with** presents you with a list of your applications that you can open this file or folder with. Great for opening things in non-default applications. * **Move to** allows you to select a location to move this file or folder to. * **Copy to** allows you to select a location to copy this file or folder to. * **Move to Trash** will send the selected file(s) or folder(s) to the Trash. * **Permanently delete** will completely destroy the file(s) or folder(s). This action is irreversible. If you aren't sure you want to permanently delete something, move it to the Trash instead. * **Copy file path** will copy the path of the file to your clipboard. ## Highlighted text There are many different text transformation actions that you can take, such as camel casing or kebab casing the highlighted text. Simply highlight the text you want to apply the transformation to then press your instant send shortcut. ## URL actions Highlight a URL and use Instant Send to perform the following useful actions with it: * **Create Superlink** will open the form to create a new [Superlink](https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/superlinks) for Monarch using the highlighted URL as the starting point. * **Copy clean URL** will remove excess text and symbols from the currently highlighted URL and copy it to the clipboard. ## Common Use Case A common use case for Instant Send is to search for some file you need directly in Monarch, and then move or copy it to some other location without having to dig through Finder windows. All you need is to know the name of the destination folder. Let's say you want to move an image you just downloaded into your Acme Project folder. 1. Open Monarch and search for "downloaded\_image.jpeg" 2. Press Instant Send (⌘ + I by default) 3. Select the \*\*Move to \*\*action 4. Search for "Acme Project" 5. Press Enter Once you get the hang of it, it feels too slow to move and copy files any other way! # Keyboard Shortcuts in Monarch Source: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/keyboard-shortcuts Monarch features one of the most powerful and easy-to-use keyboard shortcuts systems available. ## Shortcuts Settings The Shortcuts settings screen presents a list of all Monarch search items that you can attach a keyboard shorcut to. Currently this list consists of Monarch Modes, Custom Commands and the applications you have installed on your system. **Creating a new shortcut** To create a new shortcut, or overwrite an existing shortcut, click the "Record..." button next to the item. Monarch will then begin recording a shortcut. Press `ESC` to cancel recording or click anywhere on screen. **Delete an existing shortcut** If you have a keyboard shortcut you want to clear and unregister, simply press the X button on the right side of the item you want to clear the shortcut for. ## Keyboard Shortcut types in Monarch Monarch features multiple types of keyboard shortcuts and for full flexibility you can use different shortcut types for different things. To change the shortcut type, click the dropdown in the Type column for the desired item, then click the desired shortcut type. When you change the shortcut type, it changes *how* Monarch records that shortcut as they all function differently. This section covers each shortcut type in depth. ### Combo (Default) This is the standard shortcut style everyone is used to. It's your regular modifier(s) + a letter/number/symbol. Things like `⌘ + J` and `⌘ + Shift + X`. Most people already know how to create these kinds of shortcuts and that is why they are the default. Combo style shortcuts are very simple to set up, but they have the highest chance of conflicting with the other apps you're already using. ### Akimbo Akimbo style allows you to create shortcuts by pressing the two of the same modifier keys on both sides of the keyboard at the same time. This is a very handy kind of shortcut because they are so easy to remember and they will never conflict with any other app. **Akimbo examples** 1. Set `Left ⌘ + Right ⌘` to Monarch Notes to easily capture your thoughts at any time. 2. Set `Left Shift + Right Shift` to Instant Send to quickly move your files around your computer. ### Chord Chord style shortcuts are often referred to as "leader key" shortcuts. This is the most flexible type of shortcut as they allows you create shortcuts in steps. While it's not necessary to organize your Chords, it goes a long way if you do and many find that they can't use a computer without it after trying it! Chord shortcuts are two-step shortcuts look like this: `⌘ + J -> K` This means first press `⌘ + J`, then press the K key by itself to trigger the shortcut. Because of this two-part sequence, you can effectively create 26 new keyboard shortcuts with letters alone simply because they are "gated" behind `⌘ + J`. Where Chords become especially powerful is mnemonic grouping. This is where users create key chords groups based on the letters of what apps or functions they trigger. **Chord Examples** Let's say you have the Proton app suite installed on your Mac. You can use Monarch to access each of them quickly and easily, while also preventing conflicts with your many other apps. Here's how: 1. Set `⌘ + P -> M` for Proton Mail 2. Set `⌘ + P -> V` for Proton VPN 3. Set `⌘ + P -> P` for Proton Pass In other apps you would have to set `⌘ + M`, `⌘ + V`, and `⌘ + P` and lose the ability to use those shortcuts anywhere else. With Monarch, you actually have the choice to preserve 3 shortcuts across your system! ### Double-Tap Another simple keyboard shortcut style. Double-tap is a way to leverage modifier keys further. Set the shortcut type to Double-tap and then press the key twice in quick succession to save it. Simple yet effective! ## Ambidextrous Mode Ambidextrous shortcuts is a powerful feature of Monarch that allows you to leverage the full power of your keyboard. Generally, keyboard shortcuts are considered to be the same regardless of which side modifiers you use. ⌘ + C will copy text whether you use the left ⌘ or the right ⌘ key. **Ambidextrous examples** Using Combo: Set `⌘ + Space` to open Monarch and it will trigger whether you press the left ⌘ or the right ⌘. Disable Ambi and now only `Left ⌘ + Space` will open Monarch. Since other apps treat both ⌘ keys as identical, `Right ⌘ + Space` remains completely free for use in the rest of your system! Using Chord: Set `⌘ + P -> M` for Proton Mail and either `⌘ + P` press will initiate the chord. Disable Ambi and you can bind `Left ⌘ + P -> M` to Proton Mail and `Right ⌘ + P -> M` to a completely different app. This effectively doubles the number of Chord shortcuts available to you — all without taking anything away from your other apps. Bonus: In the above example, you would also get to use `⌘ + P` in other apps, so in this way you can even free up use of your Chord key starters! Using Double-tap: Set Double-tap ⌥ to launch Spotify and it will fire whether you tap the left or right ⌥ key. Disable Ambi and you can dedicate `Left ⌥⌥` to Spotify and `Right ⌥⌥` to something like Notion or Linear. **By default, all shortcuts in Monarch are ambidextrous**. You need to explicitly disable them by unchecking the "Ambi" checkbox. Upon doing so, you will see the modifier keys tilt. The direction they tilt toward corresponds to the hand you'd typically use for that key. This makes it easy to remember which side of the keyboard your shortcuts are for! ## Troubleshooting If you are experiencing issues with keyboard shortcuts, it is likely some hardware configuration or software modification being made to the OS that isn't yet accounted for (e.g. using an app like HardMod to make your Ctrl key your Command key or vice-versa). You can make a post in the help channel on Discord or make a post on the [Monarch subreddit](https://reddit.com/r/monarchapp) to get assistance. # Kill Process Source: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/kill-process Monarch allows you to manage and kill processes directly within the app so you don't have to switch contexts to monitor your Mac's resoureces. ## How to kill a process Killing a process in Monarch happens in the main search. Pull up Monarch with your keyboard shortcut, then type your "kill" prefix (default is the letter `k` followed by a space). This will enter the Kill Process view. Press Enter to kill the currently highlighted process immediately. ## The Kill Process view ![kill process](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rmdashrfv/imgur/master/kill.png) The Kill Process view in Monarch allows you to kill any process with a single keystroke, but also gives you an overview of your system performance at a glance. You can see: * Memory usage * CPU usage * Number of processes running * Every process's process ID (PID), located directly under the process name To find a specific process, search for it using its name. The process's ID is located directly under its name. You can see how much memory and CPU each process is currently using on the right-hand side. The context bar at the bottom transforms to display a system monitor. From left to right it's: Memory usage percentage, total CPU usage percentage, CPU temperature. # Monarch Licenses Source: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/licenses Detailed info about the different editions of Monarch. ## About Monarch Licenses All Monarch licenses are 1 key per device. There are 3 different license types. Every license type has access to all of the core features of Monarch. To see which edition of Monarch you purchased, please check your email to see which version you purchased. ## Freya Edition This is the standard edition of Monarch. **It is a perpetual license**, meaning that it gives you all updates for the major version that you purchased. So if you purchased Monarch during v2.0.0, then you will get all updates, new features, and bug fixes for any version that starts with v2.x.x. Once Monarch reaches v3.0.0, you can *optionally* upgrade your licenses individually for \$15 USD. Choosing not to upgrade will have no effect on your usage, and you can keep that version of Monarch forever. Freya Edition licenses are [perpetual software licenses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_access). From Wikipedia: > *In the licensing of software products, a perpetual license means that a software application is sold on a one-time basis and the licensee can then use a copy of the software forever. The license holder has indefinite access to a specific version of a software program by paying for it only once.* You can upgrade any perpetual license into a lifetime version of Monarch. This means that you can take any Freya license and convert it to a Prompto license. #### Monarch Freya Edition Benefits * All updates for the version purchased ## Prompto Edition This is the lifetime edition of Monarch. It will be made available at a future date for those that missed out on the lifetime benefits provided by Luna, and for people who want access to every feature and development that comes from Monarch now and forever. #### Monarch Prompto Edition Benefits * Lifetime updates forever * Priority support * Early access to new features ## Luna Edition This is the most powerful license, granted only to early adopters of Monarch. It is a lifetime license that gives you full access to every version of Monarch that releases, forever. The Luna edition allowed early users to take a bet on Monarch while riding out countless bug fixes and design changes. The Luna edition is no longer for sale as Monarch is now stable and no longer in beta. It is against the [terms of service](https://monarch.run/terms) to resell them. It is not possible to upgrade a Luna Edition license because this is the highest tier license. There is nothing above it. The Luna Edition comes with additional benefits as thanks to everyone for taking a bet on Monarch before it was stable. Here are some of the benefits: #### Monarch Luna Edition Benefits * Low-cost pricing * Lifetime updates forever * Private channel in the Monarch Discord (DM thievingfour on Discord for access) * Priority support * Early access to new features * Each license works on both macOS and Windows (1) * (Additional benefit TBA) (1) This benefit is contingent upon Monarch making it to Windows development. Monarch is an ambitious mission as it is, and Windows development is not scheduled to start anytime soon. In the event that Monarch makes it this far, this benefit will automatically kick in for Luna license holders. # Matchlinks Source: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/matchlinks A Matchlink is a variation of Superlinks that functions like a bookmark to a specific tab, making it effortless to stay organized. ## What is a Matchlink? A Matchlink is a variation of [Superlinks](/superlinks) that functions like a bookmark to a specific tab. Think of it as the combination of a browser bookmark and a Superlink. It's designed to be a very simple way to manage your browser without worrying about cluttering your workspace (or making it worse if it's too late). Just set a URL pattern, and whenever you run the Matchlink from root search, Monarch will switch to the tab matching that URL pattern, or open it if it's not found. Whether you have 3 tabs open or 300, Matchlinks is a perfect feature for the naturally disorganized! ## How to create a Matchlink Matchlinks and Superlinks are both created with the same form. Run **Create Superlink** from Monarch's main search bar. From there, you'll give it a name, skip the **Link** field, and then give it a **Match Link** value. In order to create a Matchlink you MUST leave the **Link** field blank and while supplying the **Match Link** field. A fallback link is not necessary in a Matchlink. ### The Match Link value This value should be something simple and straightforward. This value tells Monarch "find the tab that has *this* URL and always use this tab when I run this Superlink". There is no special syntax required here, no splat operators or anything to learn. A Match Link value should always be a valid URL on its own. ### Matchlink example use case Let's say you have different Google accounts and you want to manage a specific account's Google Drive, and want to be able to work on your Google Drive, from anywhere in that Google Drive while always being in that specific tab. Normally apps simply let you create some command that will then continuously open new tabs no matter how many times you run it, regardless of whether or not you're already using that site elsewhere in your browser. With Monarch, you can create a Matchlink for `https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1` and you can even give it a unique icon for visual distinction among commands (Monarch will attempt to retrieve the favicon if not). Call this Matchlink "Personal Drive". Now imagine you open **Personal Drive** from Monarch while working out of Obsidian or some other app. Monarch will summon your browser and open `https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1` if it is not already open another tab. If it *is* already open, Monarch will simply switch to that tab. But let's say you go to a folder within your drive, and now the URL in the tab becomes `https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/6LMplEgP`. Open Monarch and run **Personal Drive** again, and it will take you to the tab where you were working out of that folder, because its tab still matches the URL for the Personal Drive Matchlink. This effectively allows you to use tabs like small apps within your browser without worrying about tab clutter! ## \*Supported Browsers Here are the supported browsers that are compatible with Monarch's advanced functionality, including Clipboard History, Superlinks and more. * Arc * Brave Browser * Google Chrome * Google Chrome Canary * Helium * Microsoft Edge * Orion * Safari * Vivaldi # Monarch Downloader Source: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/monarch-downloader The fastest and most simple to use downloader in any app is in Monarch. Get your favorite videos, or extract the audio tracks only. Experience media downloads the way it always should have been. Monarch is not responsible for any copyright infringements. If you do not own a copyright to a video, do not download it. The Monarch Downloader acts as a powerful extension of your browser, allowing you to download the media you're currently using without requiring you to install any Chrome extension or use the mouse, or even copy & paste a URL! ## How to Download Videos To download a video, simply go to the video in question, summon Monarch and run the "Download Video" command. ## How to Extract Audio from Videos To extract audio from a video, simply go to the video or audio track in question, summon Monarch and run the "Download Audio" command. ## Where does my Downloaded Media Go? As of Monarch v0.9.20 all downloads go to your standard **Downloads** folder (located in your home folder). There will be the option to easily change this in the future after the Monarch Downloader completes its **experimental** phase. ## How to Cancel a Download To cancel a download in progress, click the "x" in the center of the download indicator any time before the download completes. Please note that some files may be partially downloaded and leftover when you cancel. ## Where do I copy and paste the URL? You don't. This is Monarch. Monarch is an app for simplifying things, not for doing them a certain way just because we've always done it that way. Thank you for understanding. ## Monarch-compatible Browsers These browsers are confirmed to work with the Monarch Downloader. I am working on bringing further compatibility for more popular browsers. * Brave Browser * Google Chrome * Google Chrome Canary * Helium * Microsoft Edge * Orion * Safari * Vivaldi ## Troubleshooting Monarch Downloader If you are having issues with downloading videos or audio using the Monarch Downloader, here are the most likely causes: 1. You have some kind of Internet blocking app like LittleSnitch, Lulu, etc. Or you have a VPN blocking access. 2. You have previously denied Monarch permission to interact with your browser. 3. You are not using a Monarch-compatible browser. # Monarch Ignore Source: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/monarch-ignore Powerful and performant filtering throughout your file system with ease. ## What is Monarch Ignore for? Monarch Ignore is a feature that gives you granular control over what files and folders appear in your search. It works by defining a set of patterns, and files or folders that match those patterns will be excluded from search. This is useful for people with more complex file systems like designers and engineers. Because Monarch indexes everything it can find, common directories like build outputs, caches, cloud storage mirrors, and media folders can quickly flood your search results with files you never need. Monarch Ignore fixes this problem without compromising control. ## Changing Monarch Ignore Settings To access your Monarch Ignore settings, open Monarch Settings, click File Search, and scroll to the bottom. **Be sure to click Save Changes after editing Monarch Ignore settings so that Monarch knows you're ready to apply the changes.** Re-indexing takes time. After saving changes, Monarch will re-index your files. If you have a very large file system, allow a moment for the new rules to take full effect. ## Monarch Ignore Basics Patterns follow ignore style syntax. Each line is one rule. You do not need to specify the full path to a file or folder. `down*.png` will match that pattern anywhere on your system, not just in a specific directory. * Environment variables such as `$HOME`, `$USER`, or `~` are not supported. Do not use them in your patterns — they will be interpreted as literal text and will not match anything. * A trailing `/` at the end of a pattern indicates a directory (not a file). * The `*` wildcard matches any sequence of characters within a single path segment (i.e., it does not cross directory boundaries). * The `**` wildcard matches across directory boundaries, allowing you to match nested paths at any depth. ## Pattern Reference On the left is what you would write in your Monarch Ignore. On the right is the effect it will have on your file search results. | Pattern | What this pattern does | | --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | designs | Filters out any file or folder named exactly “designs” anywhere on the system | | \*.txt | Filters out every file with the extension .txt, regardless of the file's name
(example: Journal.txt) | | final\*.psd | Filters out every file that starts with "final" and has the extension .psd
(example: final\_presentation.psd) | | \*\_final.psd | Filters out every file that ends with "\_final.psd"
(example: design\_final.psd) | | drafts/ | Filters out any *folder* that has the name "drafts" (trailing slash signals directory) | | folderA/\*\*/folderB/ | Filters out any folder named "folderB" that is nested inside of a folder named "folderA" | ## Example Monarch Ignore Below is a real-world example, followed by an explanation of what each rule does. It's the Monarch Ignore that I use myself! It won't be useful to you, but I share it to show the power that you have over your file search with Monarch. ```text theme={null} down.* down*.png Down*.png *.webp target src-* src icons Library/**/Downloads/ Library/Mobile Documents/**/ ``` ### Why I have these rules **down.\* down\*.png** and **Down\*.png**\ Matches any file named down with any extension — for example down.html, down.txt, or down.json. I have a surprising number of files like this, and they got in the way of accessing the Downloads folder. **\*.webp**\ Excludes all .webp image files from search results, regardless of their name or location. I'm just never looking for these kinds of files. **target**\ Matches any file or folder named exactly target anywhere on the system. In Rust programming, the target/ directory is where the compiler places all build artifacts and compiled outputs. These directories can contain hundreds of thousands of files and I never need to search for any of them. **src**, **src-\*** and **icons**\ Matches any file or folder named exactly src or that starts with src- or any folder named icons. The src directory is a near-universal convention in software projects, and since its contents tend to be indexed through project-level searches anyway, excluding the folder itself reduces noise in general file search while still letting me easily find projects by their root folder name. **Library/\*\*/Downloads/**\ Matches any folder named Downloads nested at any depth inside the Library directory. On macOS, cloud services and apps often create their own Downloads subdirectories inside Library — particularly within iCloud Drive. Without this rule, multiple redundant Downloads folders would appear in search results alongside my local Downloads folder that I open hundreds of times per day. Notice that this rule applies to the Library directory, not the \~/Downloads folder in my home directory, so my actual Downloads folder is unaffected! **Library/Mobile Documents/\*\*/**\ Filters everything in Library/Mobile Documents/ at any depth. On macOS, Mobile Documents is the on-disk location for iCloud Drive. When iCloud Drive is indexed, things can get cluttered very quickly — everything I've stored in iCloud over the years will appear in my search. Excluding this directory prevents those iCloud-mirrored files from appearing. ## I just want to filter out a specific kind of file Most people just have one or two kinds of files that they want to filter out. For example DEVONthink may add metadata files to your file system that the app will update regularly as you use it. This would clutter your search results pretty badly. Thankfully to filter out this metadata file entirely, all you would need to do is add `*.dtMeta` to your Monarch Ignore and save it! # Monarch Notes Source: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/monarch-notes Take notes anywhere without switching context using Monarch. All notes are stored locally and in Markdown, allowing you to use the notes you write in Monarch seamlessly with your favorite notes app. If you've ever found yourself listening to a podcast, watching a video, or working on a document when an idea strikes then this is the feature for you! ![notes](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:4800/format:webp/1*6P_bA3-ELPHv0WU5IdgLxA.png) ## How to use Monarch Notes You can use Monarch Notes by either cycling to the tool with the `TAB` key or by using the keyboard shortcut for Monarch Notes (default is cmd+.) First create a new note with cmd+N and then you can start writing. The new note will be saved in the location you specified in Monarch Settings (you can change this). You can save a note with a new name by pressing cmd+S. ## Markdown Mode By default, Monarch Notes are formatted using Github Flavored Markdown. You can easily write the markdown syntax to get the desired formatting. Markdown Mode comes equipped with a powerful Slash Menu that works similarly to other high-powered note-taking tools like Notion. Trigger the Slash Menu in Monarch Notes by typing the `/` character. ## Plaintext Mode Monarch features a plain text editor for those that want even more simplicity in their notetaking experience. Click the "T" button at the bottom-right of the Monarch Notes UI to activate plain text mode. Click it again to switch back to markdown mode. ## Open a note To open notes in Monarch, press cmd+O. You can press the arrow keys to choose a note to open and then `ENTER` to open that note. If a note does not exist, you can press `SHIFT+ENTER` to create it directly from the note switcher view. #### Unsupported types These data types are not fully supported in Monarch Notes (but will be in the future). * Images ## Exporting Notes Monarch Notes are written and stored in plain [markdown](https://www.markdownguide.org/cheat-sheet/) so there is no need for the ability to export your data. Your notes are always "exported" sitting in the folder you specify, ready to be used in Monarch or in any other tool you prefer. Pro tip: You can use Monarch Notes simultaneously with a larger, dedicated text editor such as Obsidian and because the notes are your own data, the notes will update in real time in the other app as you edit them in Monarch and vice-versa. ## Using Monarch Notes with Obsidian (or similar apps) You can use Monarch seamlessly with other markdown-based notes apps like Obsidian by simply setting your Note Capture location to be the same folder as your Obsidian vault. Now when you open the note switcher with cmd+O in Monarch, you'll see all the notes in your vault and can easily work on them directly within Monarch, while having them update in Obsidian in real time. ## Supported formats Monarch Notes is a markdown or plaintext editor. It does not support other text formats such as YAML, TOML, etc. Using tools and add-ons in other software that add special formatting to markdown (such as MDX) could result in unexpected data formatting. # Realms Source: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/realms Create different spaces on your Mac for different workflows or projects. Put your design tools and screenshots in a Design realm. Create an Editor realm of editing software + all your screen recordings. Bind realms to hotkeys or set them to automatically activate based on the app or tool being used. Please note that Realms is currently experimental and may receive significant changes over the course of the next several releases. Realms are distinct search areas in Monarch, created to separate different contexts and workflows. Each Realm has its own scope, items, theme, and memory of what you use. Set up Realms to make it easier to access certain files, commands, Superlinks and more whenever you are using certain apps or websites. You can also use Realms to simply organize your Monarch data. ## Quick Realm Example For example, you can make "screen" surface Screen Studio in Monarch normally, while having a Realm for photo editing that makes "screen" surface your Screenshots folder when using Canva or Affinity. Any Realm can be bound to any hotkey, so you can also use them to access data specific to certain projects like Cmd+Shift+J for accessing all Job Search related files (resumes, notes, bookmarks, etc). ## How to Create a Realm To create a Realm, go to Monarch Settings and select the Realms tab and click the Create Realm button in the top right corner. 1. Give the Realm a meaningful name. 2. Add at least one item to your new Realm. You can also add an icon to your realm and make it visually distinct by setting a custom theme just for this Realm, as well as . You can create Custom Themes in Monarch by going to **Monarch Settings > Appearance**. ### Adding items to a Realm Search through your global Monarch context to select items to add to your new Realm. Pro tip: Adding items is much faster if you use the "/" key to focus the search bar and press Enter to add the first item in the results list. ### Bulk adding items to a Realm If you already know you want all applications or all of your Superlinks in a Realm, you can easily do so by using the bulk add actions for Realms so you don't have to add them one by one. Even if you only want most of the items, just run the bulk add command, then remove the few that you don't want. ### Removing items from a Realm To remove an item from a Realm, click the "x" on the right hand side of the item you want to delete. This only deletes it from the Realm itself and has no bearing on the global Monarch context or the file system itself. ## How To Switch Realms * Use the **All Realms** command, then select a Realm from the list * Search for a Realm by name directly in root search * Bind a Realm to a hotkey via **Monarch Settings > Shortcuts** * Setup Realm context in settings Additionally, whenever a Realm is active, you will have access to the following commands: ### Global Search Run this command to exit the current realm and revert back to searching the global Monarch context. ### Exit Realm Run this command to immediately exit the current Realm and revert back to your default Realm. The Global Search command always puts you back in the global search context. The Exit Realm command will put you back into whatever is your default Realm, which may or may not be the global search context. ## Realm Context By default, you change Realms by searching for the Realm and selecting it with Enter. This is reasonable, but most of the time you know exactly what Realm you need and when. This is where binding hotkeys to specific Realms come into play. The most seamless way to switch Realms is to set your Realm to activate within specific contexts: Setting Realm Context means **making a Realm activate automatically based on the current app or website you're using**. This means you never actually have to think about switching Realms in the first place. Setting up Realm context is easy. Just enter the names of the applications and websites a Realm should apply to. For websites, you can get very specific by using the well-known splat operator. This means you can set up different Realms for things like different G-Suite users within the same browser. For example: A work Realm for `docs.google.com/document/u/1/*` and a personal Realm for `docs.google.com/document/u/0/*` and now Monarch will surface the relevant search results and commands based on what account you're writing Google Docs for in your browser automatically. ## Replacing Monarch Search Please note that currently Monarch may take longer to load the default Realm during startup. This will be fixed in an upcoming release. You can set any Realm as the default Realm and it will become the Realm that is active whenever you press your normal shortcut to summon Monarch (for many people this `⌘ + space`. This is useful for when you find yourself operating out of a specific Realm more often than not. The most common use case for this is replacing the default Monarch search. Many people want a very simple Spotlight replacement that contains just a few apps and some relevant files, perhaps a bookmark or two and that's it. With Realms, you can create a minimalist Spotlight replacement with ease by setting it as your default Realm. The default Realm is the Realm that Monarch reverts to whenever you run the Exit Realm command. # Search Mods Source: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/search-mods Search Mods allow you to seamlessly modify Monarch search with custom units, calculations, and phrases so you never have to sift through plugins and workflows. ## What are Search Mods? By default, Monarch features a powerful natural language calculator. It allows you to quickly perform useful calculations without needing access to the internet. * Simple math * Unit conversions * Convert currencies * Compare time between timezones * Get the weekday of a specific date * And much much more Monarch takes up as little screen space as possible (though you can expand the calculator by pressing TAB). This is the fastest way to calculate things on Mac. But there are many things that Monarch *doesn't* calculate. Different users care about different units of measurement. And many people type their phrases slightly different. This why Search Mods was created! Search Mods allow you to extend not just the functionality, but the seamless user experience of Monarch's calculator to suit your needs. ## Creating Search Mods Creating Search Mods in Monarch is easy. You'll want to have some familiarity with Regular Expressions, but you'll definitely be able to create your own with no technical knowledge using LLMs and the following prompt: ``` I am using Monarch for Mac and I would like to create my own Search Mod to do [task here]. I want to make it so that when I type into Monarch "[phrase example]" (add more examples or variations as necessary), it will run a terminal command to give me [expected output or calculation]. Here is the documentation for what Search Mods are and how they work: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/search-mods Please give me the regex and the command to accomplish this and ensure that the regex is as performant as possible. ``` ### Example Search Mods * weather in a city * conversion with fictional currency * sluggify a string and copy to clipboard * overriding Monarch calculator Here's an example of using a Search Mod to add Tip Calculator functionality to Monarch. 1. Open Monarch 2. Search for Monarch Settings or press `⌘ + ,` 3. Go to Search Mods 4. Click the "+ Add Search Mod" button For the Pattern, enter: ``` (?:(\d+)%?\s+)?tip\s+(\d+(?:\.\d+)?) ``` Now create a command, the function that runs against the Pattern above to give you a result: ``` echo "scale=2; $2 * $([ -n "$1" ] && echo "$1" || echo "15") / 100" | bc | xargs -I{} echo "{} ($([ -n "$1" ] && echo "$1" || echo "15")% tip)" ``` Done! Now you can open Monarch any time and type: Either "tip 25" and get "3.75 (15% tip)" as a result instantly, or put a custom percentage in front such as "33 tip 25" and get "8.25 (33% tip)". ### Overriding Monarch Calculator All Search Mods you create and install take precedent over the built-in Monarch calculator. This allows you to align Monarch to your exact preferences. For example if you prefer for MB to GB conversion to be 1024 instead of the commonly used 1000, you can change this by creating your own Search Mod called "MB to GB". ## Installing Search Mods Monarch lets you easily install Search Mods from trusted sources. Each Search Mod is a simple mod file of structured JSON. ## Why are Search Mods so powerful? Other launchers make you search for and install multiple third-party extensions, and then isolate each extension from the others, leaving you with a fragmented user experience. Users often try to navigate this design flaw by setting up keyboard shortcuts for each specific extension. Monarch respects keyboard shortcuts too much to inflict this UX on you. Compare these two workflows, the first in another launcher, the second in Monarch.Let's say you're someone who needs to calculate 3 different kinds of things: * Flight miles to points * Your APY & Yield * Your bed time In an extensions-driven workflow, after installing 3 separate calculator extensions, you would: 1. Open launcher 2. Search for "Flight Miles Calculator" 3. Calculate the flight miles in its own UI 4. Navigate back to root 5. Search for "Yield Calculator" 6. Calculate yield in the yield UI 7. Navigate back to root 8. Search for "Bed Time Calculator" 9. Calculate bed time in the bed time UI With Search Mods in Monarch, you can directly extend Monarch's root search functionality, creating the calculator that *you* want. The user experience now becomes: 1. Open Monarch 2. Type your flight miles 3. Then type your yield or APY 4. Then type your bed time This is a fundamentally different user experience! # Monarch Settings Source: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/settings Monarch Settings allow you to use Monarch in a style that is suitable for you and get more out of your workflow. Get a break down of the settings and their purpose here. ## General General settings are for Monarch's core functionality. Think things like the search experience and Monarch's general behavior. **Mode Change Enabled** By default, Monarch makes it easy to access its main features via Mode Change. Mode Change lets you use the `Tab` key to change Modes. The order in which the different Modes are cycled and which ones are enabled is controlled by the **Mode Change Order** setting. **Mode Change Order** This controls the order in which Mode Select with `Tab` will cycle through the main modes of Monarch. Launcher mode is always first. Drag and drop the icons to control the order in which the other modes will be used. You can disable a mode altogether by double-clicking the icon. Even if a mode is disabled you can still access it via keyboard shortcuts and commands. *Note: Monarch AI is not yet available and cannot be enabled.* **Escape Key Behavior** Choose what happens when you press the Escape key. **Kill Process** Monarch allows you to use a Kill Process function directly from the main search by typing a prefix that you define that will take you to this interface. From here you can quickly terminate any process as well as see your memory and CPU usage. [Learn more about Kill Process here](https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/kill-process) **Dictionary** Choose what happens when you press the Escape key. **Retype Delay** Specify an amount of time in milliseconds that the search bar will start a new query to overwrite your current query. This allows you to search multiple things without having to backspace any characters. This feature is for the LaunchBar users that have years of muscle memory built up. You have granular control over this down to the millisecond. Leave it at 0 to turn this feature off (it is off by default). **Open Position** This option changes whether Monarch always opens on the screen with the cursor (mouse) on it, or if it opens on the primary display regardless of where the mouse is. **Pop to Root** Controls the amount of time that Monarch will wait before returning to root search while the app is not in use. Set this to 0 to immediately return to root search the next time you open Monarch. **Calculator** Monarch features a powerful calculator that allows you to perform standard and natural language calculations. All while fully offline (except for currency conversion). Here are some of the things you can do: * Unit conversion (1 inch to cm) * Currency conversion (5 USD to EUR) * Check timezones (Time in Tokyo) * Simple math (5% of 130) You can disable the calculator entirely, and for those that find the calculator triggers too often, such as when you have file or app names that resemble math, you can specify a calculator prefix. You can also toggle showing results inline which allows you to use the calculator without having Monarch fully expand. This gives you more screen space. **Additional Search Sources** These options allow you to specify whether you want to see additional data in your Monarch search results. Currently this is for showing Apple Notes and Apple Contacts in search. More options are in development. ## File search Monarch allows you to search files similar to Spotlight, where all files show up in the root search **(Root search)**, or allows you to set a custom prefix to separate your files from the rest of your search results while still having access to your files **(Use file search with prefix)**. You can turn off file search altogether by setting this to **None**. [Learn more about File Search here](https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/file-search) ## Clipboard History Clipboard History Settings. [Learn about Clipboard History in Monarch](https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/modes/clipboard-history) ## Monarch Notes Monarch Notes Settings. [Learn about Monarch Notes](https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/modes/monarch-notes) ## Browsers ## Shortcuts Monarch features a powerful keyboard shortcuts to manage your apps and Custom Commands. Learn more about the different shortcut types you can create and what they can do here. ## Appearance You can create custom themes in Monarch to make Monarch suit your style. Click the Create button to open the Theme Editor and create a new theme. From here you can change the colors of text, the background color, the info displayed on the right side of search results, and the prompt that displays when the Monarch search bar is empty. You can set individual themes for both light mode and dark mode individually. **Dark Theme** Create and edit custom themes for Monarch. **Light Theme** Create and edit custom themes for Monarch. **Menu Bar** Control whether the Monarch icon is in the Menu Bar. It's useful to have in the Menu Bar, but for people who are seasoned keyboard warriors, it may be worth saving precious menu bar space. ## Permissions Enable permissions you may have accidentally disabled before. Each item tells you what the permissions are for. ## Search in Monarch This setting has two options: **Search the web using browser** will open web searches in your default web browser. **Search the web within Monarch** will open web searches in directly in Monarch's panel. At the top right will be a back button, forward button and reload button. You can exit Web mode at any time by pressing `⌘+ESC`. *Note: If you are playing media using the web browser in Monarch, then auto-revert will not occur until it stops playing.* # Superlinks - Superior Links Source: https://manual.monarchlauncher.com/superlinks Superlinks (aka Superior Links) in Monarch allow you to create direct connections to any app or website with optional parameters and flexible functionality. NOTE: Superlinks are currently not supported in the Firefox & Arc web browsers.