Bear Keyboard Shortcuts
Bear's shortcuts reflect its core design philosophy: a fast, distraction-free Markdown writing experience for Mac and iOS users, with tags rather than nested folders organizing notes. Its formatting shortcuts use real Markdown syntax conventions that render live as you type, so several 'shortcuts' here are actually typed character sequences rather than modifier-key combinations, in addition to a standard set of Cmd-based bindings. Being Mac/iOS exclusive, every shortcut below uses Cmd as the primary modifier with no Windows or Linux equivalent to document. Writers who value a distraction-free environment above all else and developers who want a lightweight Markdown scratchpad without the overhead of a full knowledge-management system like Notion or Obsidian make up much of Bear's loyal following, and that focus on simplicity explains why so many of its 'shortcuts' are just standard Markdown syntax rather than app-specific key combinations — the goal is that anyone who already knows Markdown from GitHub or a static site generator can start using Bear productively within minutes rather than needing to learn a proprietary formatting system first. Strikethrough and fenced code blocks round out Bear's core Markdown vocabulary, both triggered through the same typed-syntax-renders-live pattern that defines the app's whole editing philosophy, and the inline selection toolbar exists specifically as a discoverability aid for anyone who hasn't yet memorized the full set of typed shortcuts.
Note Management
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create new note | — | Cmd+N | Creates a new blank note, placing the cursor on the first line where typed text automatically becomes the note's title. |
| Pin note to top of list | — | Cmd+Shift+P | Pins the currently open note to the top of its list view, keeping frequently accessed notes from getting buried as new ones are created. |
| Move note to Trash | — | Cmd+Backspace | Sends the open note to Bear's Trash rather than deleting it outright. Trashed notes stay searchable and restorable from the dedicated Trash tag in the sidebar for as long as they sit there, and because Bear syncs the whole notes database through iCloud, a note trashed on iPhone shows up as trashed on the Mac app on next sync too, rather than staying local to one device. |
| Export current note | — | Cmd+Shift+E (varies) or File > Export | Exports the current note to formats like PDF, Word, HTML, or plain Markdown, useful for sharing a note with someone who doesn't use Bear or for archiving content outside the app. |
| Convert selection to note metadata | — | Note editor toolbar > various inline options | Bear's inline toolbar, revealed on text selection, offers quick access to several formatting and note-metadata actions beyond the core keyboard shortcuts, useful for touch-trackpad users who prefer not to memorize every Markdown syntax combination. |
Formatting
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bold selected text | — | Cmd+B | Wraps selected text in double asterisks per Markdown convention, rendering as bold immediately in Bear's live preview-while-typing editor. |
| Insert heading (typed Markdown) | — | Type # followed by Space | Type one or more hash marks then a space right at a line's start and Bear immediately renders it as that heading level, live and in place, rather than leaving the raw hash characters sitting visible the way a plain-text Markdown file would. |
| Insert checklist item | — | Type - [ ] followed by Space | Typing a hyphen, space, and empty brackets followed by a space converts the line into a checkable to-do item, Bear's Markdown-based checklist syntax. |
| Add a tag to a note | — | Type #tagname anywhere in note body | Typing a hash symbol followed by a tag name anywhere within the note body automatically registers it as a tag, which Bear uses instead of folders as its primary organizational structure — a note can carry multiple tags and appear under each in the sidebar. |
| Italicize selected text | — | Cmd+I | Wraps selected text in single asterisks per Markdown convention, rendering as italic immediately in the live editor. |
| Insert link | — | Cmd+K | Inserts Markdown link syntax around the selected text or at the cursor, prompting for a URL to complete the link. |
| Insert code block | — | Type ``` on its own line | Typing three backticks on their own line starts a fenced code block with optional syntax highlighting by language, rendered in a monospace font distinct from the surrounding prose. |
| Strikethrough selected text | — | Cmd+Shift+Hyphen (or type ~~text~~) | Surrounds the selected text with double tildes and immediately shows it struck through right on the page, the same instant-preview behavior Bear applies to every other Markdown formatting shortcut rather than waiting for a separate preview mode. |
Navigation
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search all notes | — | Cmd+Shift+F | Opens global search across your entire note collection, searching both titles and full body content. |
| Toggle Focus mode | — | Cmd+Shift+F (varies) or Cmd+Return | Hides the sidebar and note list, leaving only the current note's editor visible for a distraction-free writing environment. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Bear use tags instead of folders?
Bear's design philosophy treats a single note as potentially relevant to multiple contexts simultaneously, which a strict folder hierarchy doesn't handle well since a note can only live in one folder at a time. Tags let a note appear under several different organizational categories at once, and nested tags (using a slash, like #work/projects) provide a folder-like hierarchy without forcing a single rigid location for each note.
Is there a Windows or Android version of Bear?
No — Bear has remained exclusive to Apple's ecosystem (Mac, iPhone, iPad) since launch, with no official Windows or Android client, which is a deliberate scope decision by its small development team rather than a technical limitation.
Do the Markdown shortcuts show raw symbols or render live?
Bear renders most Markdown syntax live as you type — typing ** around text immediately shows it as bold rather than leaving the literal asterisks visible, which is part of what differentiates Bear's editing feel from a plain text Markdown file you'd edit in something like Notepad++ or VS Code.
Can I nest tags to create a folder-like hierarchy in Bear?
Yes — typing a tag with a forward slash, like #work/projects, creates a nested tag structure shown hierarchically in the sidebar, giving you folder-like structure in the sidebar while a note can still sit under several different tag branches at the same time, something a rigid single-folder system wouldn't allow.
Does Bear support syncing notes across multiple Apple devices?
Yes, through iCloud sync, keeping notes consistent across a Mac, iPhone, and iPad tied to the same Apple ID, which is one of the more seamless native-feeling sync experiences among note apps precisely because it leans on Apple's own infrastructure rather than a separate proprietary sync service.
Why does typing Markdown syntax sometimes not trigger the expected formatting?
Bear's live Markdown rendering generally requires the syntax to be typed in a specific valid pattern (like a space immediately after a heading's hash symbols, or matched pairs of formatting characters around text), and an incomplete or malformed sequence — a stray asterisk without its closing pair, for instance — will simply display as literal text rather than triggering the intended formatting until the syntax is completed correctly.
Does Bear support code blocks with syntax highlighting for a specific programming language?
Yes — wrapping text in triple backticks creates a code block, and Bear supports specifying a language for syntax highlighting within that block, a detail that makes it a reasonably capable lightweight option for developers jotting down code snippets alongside regular prose notes.
Can I password-protect individual notes in Bear?
Yes — Bear supports locking individual notes with a passcode or Touch ID/Face ID on supported devices, which encrypts that specific note's content until unlocked, a useful option for sensitive personal notes mixed in among an otherwise open note collection without needing a separate dedicated secure-notes app.
Can I write and preview a code snippet with syntax highlighting inside a Bear note?
Yes, wrapping a section in triple backticks creates a fenced code block, and specifying a language name immediately after the opening backticks enables syntax highlighting for that language, rendered live in Bear's monospace code styling, which makes it a reasonably capable place to jot down and reference small code snippets alongside regular prose notes.