Start

Key Features Overview

Universal Launcher

favorites01 With Start you manage and launch all kinds of things – among them:

Applications: Launch your favorite programs in an instant.
Websites and other URLs: Open the sites you visit most. Or trigger specific actions through URL schemes. You can use your default browser or pick a different one for individual entries – handy when you want to test a page in a particular browser (see here).
Folders: Keep your files organized and open important folders directly.
Shortcuts from the Shortcuts app: Run the shortcuts you have built straight from Start.

Quick Access through Hotkeys

You can assign an individual hotkey to every entry in Start (see here). That lets you:

Launch applications with a key combination and move between tasks without clicking through menus.
Open websites directly with a single keystroke.
Reach frequently used folders straight away. Your everyday documents are then only a keystroke away.

Active Corners

Besides hotkeys, Start also supports Active Corners (see here). As soon as you move the mouse pointer into a corner of the screen, Start performs an action.

This lets you open Start’s main window or launch an entry assigned to that corner.

There are only four screen corners. That is why you can combine each of them with the Command, Option, or Control key – which gives you far more triggers to choose from.

Intelligent Organization with Tags

tags01 Start comes with a flexible tagging system. It keeps your entries tidy (see here):

You assign any tags you like to your entries and organize them to suit the way you work.
You group related entries to keep everything you need for a project together.

Tags do more than just sort:

You can assign hotkeys to tags as well (see here).
Launch all entries of a tag at once – with a single key combination. Ideal when a task always needs the same programs and documents: one keystroke, and your workspace is ready.

Access to Active Applications

Start shows you which applications are currently running. Whether you are working on a project or preparing a presentation: one click is enough. You see everything you have open at a glance and switch between programs seamlessly.

Access to Recent Files

recentFiles01

Start keeps track of your recently edited files in the background. That way you reach your current documents right away, without searching for them. It saves time and keeps you in the flow.

Access to Recently Used Applications

You can also quickly access your most recently used applications. Frequently used tools are open again in no time – whether you switch between several projects or just need one specific program.

Monitor Recently Updated or Added Applications

updatedApplications01 Start shows you at a glance which applications were most recently updated or added.

Disclaimer Regarding Third-Party Applications
This user manual references various third-party applications for illustrative purposes only. All applications, software products, trademarks, service marks, and URL schemes mentioned herein remain the exclusive property of their respective owners and copyright holders.
We expressly disclaim any ownership, affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement of these third-party applications. No rights to any intellectual property are claimed or implied through their inclusion in this documentation.
The referenced applications serve purely educational and demonstrative purposes to illustrate:

Different implementation methodologies
Common integration patterns
Typical use case scenarios

Important Notes:

The inclusion of any application does not constitute a recommendation, endorsement, or guarantee of its functionality, security, or suitability
Users should independently verify the legitimacy and safety of any third-party applications before use
Application availability, features, and URL schemes may change without notice
We assume no responsibility for the content, privacy practices, or terms of service of referenced applications

All trademarks and registered trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners and are used here solely for identification purposes in accordance with fair use principles.

First Steps

You launch Start – and at first you see … nothing. That is intentional: the app runs in the background and is accessible only through a small icon in the menu bar. A click on that icon opens the main window. Start then shows you every application it has found. Use the search field above the list to narrow down your choice. You launch an application with a click or with the Return key.

From macOS 26 onward, menu bar items can be hidden in System Settings. Can’t find the Start icon in your menu bar? Then open System Settings and check whether it has been hidden. The same applies to apps that manage menu bar items. If you use one of these, make sure the Start icon is visible in that app’s settings.

mainscreen

Open Start via the Icon in the Menu Bar
Start runs in the background and stays invisible except for the small icon in the menu bar. A click on it brings up the main window. Alternatively, set a keyboard shortcut for this in the settings.

Search Field
The search field finds any entry in no time. Have you added comments to your entries – a description of an application, for example? Start searches those too, if you like.

Menu
The menu takes you quickly to the different areas of Start, for example the settings.

Categories
Start manages entries of different types. Start detects applications automatically via Spotlight. You add links to files, folders, and URLs yourself. In this section you see all entries of a certain type at a glance.
In the settings you choose which categories appear here.

Tags
In Start you assign entries to one or more tags. The type does not matter: application, file, folder, or URL – you can tag anything.

Pin Window
This button pins or unpins the window. A pinned window stays visible, even when Start loses focus – when you select a file in the Finder, for example.

DropStack
You can read more about the DropStack here.

New Tag
A click on this button creates a new tag.

How Start searches:
Up to version 8.x, Start simply looked for the entire text string. Typing “affin” therefore found “Affinity Publisher”, “Affinity Photo”, and so on. Typing “affin pub”, however, returned nothing – after all, no name contained that exact string.
Since version 9, Start looks for each space-separated term individually. “affin pub” now means: find every entry that contains both “affin” and “pub”. The search is case-insensitive, and the order of the terms does not matter. That takes you straight to “Affinity Publisher”.
Bonus tip:
The search field can also search your tags. Do you have a tag called “Project Customer A” and want to see its contents quickly? Then simply type “pro cu” – or however you like to abbreviate it 😉.
You enable tag search in the settings. There you also decide what a click on a tag in the search results does: show the assigned entries, or launch them all right away.

What is an Entry?

Throughout this manual, the term entry stands for anything Start manages and launches – regardless of its type. An entry can be:

an application
a file
a folder
a URL or a URL scheme
a shortcut from the Shortcuts app

No matter its type, every entry shares the same basic capabilities. You can

assign tags to it,
assign a hotkey or an Active Corner to it,
mark it as a favorite,
add a comment, or
mark it with a color.

We will look at each entry type in detail later in this manual (see here).

Menus

menu01

menu02

Start has two nearly identical menus. They give you access to all key features at any time. There are two ways to open them: right-click the icon in the menu bar, or click the menu icon at the top right of the main window.

About Start: Displays the About dialog with information such as the current version number.
Settings: Opens the Settings dialog, where you can configure Start’s behavior and appearance (see here).
Assign default App-Categories as Tags: This menu command reads the app categories from Spotlight and assigns them as tags to your apps. This is useful when you want to create many tags at once. You also choose whether the default categories apply only to apps without tags, or to all of them.

Add

Add URL

Opens a dialog to enter a URL and add it to Start (see here).

Add File or Folder

Opens a dialog to add a file or folder to Start.

Alternatively, you can simply drag files and folders onto Start’s main window.

Data

Manage Entries: Opens a dialog showing every entry Start currently manages (see here).
Refresh Data: Refreshes the data managed in Start (restarts the Spotlight queries, etc.).

Import & Export

Import from Shortcuts: Imports shortcuts from the Shortcuts app into Start, or updates previously imported shortcuts.
Import Configuration: Imports a previously exported configuration file of Start.
Export Configuration: Exports the current configuration of Start to a file.
Manage Configuration Snapshots: Start automatically creates a snapshot of the configuration whenever you quit the application. Here you can view and manage these snapshots (see here).

Help

QuickStart-Guide: Opens the quick start guide.
User Guide: Opens the Start user manual.
Keyboard Shortcuts: Displays an overview of the keyboard shortcuts currently configured in Start.
Start Website: Opens the Start website in a browser.
What’s New: Displays a dialog with the version history of Start.

Quit

Quit Start: Quits Start.

Hotkeys

You can assign hotkeys in many places in Start. A hotkey shows and hides the main window, for example. Or it launches individual entries without opening the main window at all. And it starts every entry of a tag in one go. Let us walk through the options one by one.

The Hotkeys You Can Assign

Show and hide the main window:
A hotkey shows or hides the main window. This gives you access to Start without clicking through menus.
Launch individual entries:
A hotkey launches one particular entry directly. It opens applications or files with a single keystroke.
Launch all entries of a tag:
A hotkey starts every entry of a tag at the same time. This is useful when a task requires several applications or files to be open at once.

Global Hotkey & Category Hotkeys

In the Start settings you define a "Global Hotkey". It shows the main window and hides it again.

Hotkeys01

You can also give individual categories a hotkey. But what are categories in the first place? Start sorts every entry into them automatically – into applications, folders, files, recently used applications, and currently running applications, for example. You can hide any categories you do not need.

A category hotkey works like the global one, but goes a step further: the main window appears, and Start switches straight to the matching category. This gives you immediate access to a particular group of entries.

Hotkeys02

Give the "Active Applications" category a hotkey. You can then use Start to switch between running programs in an instant.

Hotkeys for Single Entries

You can give every entry a hotkey – whether it is an application, file, folder, or URL. It launches the entry even when the main window of Start is hidden. Right-click the entry to set one. In the window that opens, you define the hotkey.

Hotkeys03

Hotkeys for Tags

Particularly handy: tags get hotkeys too – two per tag, in fact, one for "View" and one for "Launch".

Right-click a tag to set them. In the window that appears, you assign a hotkey for each function.

Hotkeys04

View
This hotkey opens the main window and switches straight to the matching tag. You immediately see every entry that belongs to it.

Launch
This hotkey starts all entries of a tag at once. Does a task always need the same programs? Then assign them a shared tag and set a "Launch" hotkey. One keystroke – and your workspace is ready.

Choose "Keyboard Shortcuts" from the menu for a quick overview of all assigned hotkeys.

Active Corners

You can trigger entries not only with a hotkey, but also with the mouse: simply move the pointer into one of the four corners of the screen. This works even when the main window of Start is hidden. Active Corners offer a quick alternative to hotkeys – no keyboard required.

How Active Corners work

You assign each entry to one of the four screen corners: top-left, top-right, bottom-left, or bottom-right. Move the mouse pointer into that corner, and Start launches the entry – just as if you had clicked it in the main window.

There are only four corners. That is why you can combine each corner with one or more modifier keys: ⌘, ⌥, or ⌃. A single corner can therefore trigger several entries. Which one starts depends on the modifier keys you hold down.

Assigning an Active Corner

You assign Active Corners in two places:

Context menu of an entry
Right-click an entry in the main window and choose Active Corner (see here).

"Manage Entries" dialog
You can also assign Active Corners directly in the Manage Entries dialog. This is useful when you want to assign or review Active Corners for several entries in one place.

Context Menus

Entry

A right-click on an entry in the main window opens a small configuration window. There you assign a color with one click, change the comment or tags, set a hotkey, or mark the entry as a favorite. You can also perform various actions on the entry here.

Mark as Favorite
Favorites appear in the "Favorites" category.

Tags
Here you see all tags assigned to the entry. You add and remove them in the same place.

Comment
You can add a comment to any entry. The comment appears below the entry. In the settings you also decide whether the search takes the comment into account (see here).

Hotkey
Here you can assign a hotkey to launch the entry.

Active Corner
You can assign an Active Corner to any entry. Move the mouse pointer into that corner, and the entry launches (more on this here).

Actions
You can apply various actions to an entry. Which ones appear depends on the entry you selected. "Show in Finder" does not show up for URLs, for example – a URL is simply not a file.

Hide: Hides an entry detected by Spotlight. For manually added entries this button is disabled.
You bring hidden entries back through the "Manage Entries" dialog – more on this here.
Remove: Removes manually added entries from Start. For entries detected by Spotlight this button is disabled.
Show in Finder: Shows files and folders at their location in the Finder. For URLs this button is disabled.
Modify URL: Changes the URL of the current entry. For all other entry types this button is disabled.
Copy Path: Copies the path of the entry to the clipboard.
Refresh Icon: Refreshes the icon of the entry – the favicon in the case of a web URL.
DropStack: Puts the current entry on the DropStack.
Remove Tag: Removes the currently selected tag from the entry. This action only appears if you have selected a tag in the sidebar and are viewing its contents.
Open: Opens or launches the currently selected entry.

Color
You can assign a color to any entry or remove its assigned color.

Tag

The context menu of a tag holds various settings. From here you also launch all entries of a tag at once.

Actions
You can apply various actions to a tag:

Open All

Launches all entries of the tag. The behavior depends on the number of entries:

For 1 to 15 entries, Start launches them all without asking for confirmation.
For 16 to 30 entries, a warning dialog appears first.
For more than 30 entries, Start does not launch any of them. A dialog appears explaining that the action has been canceled.

Delete Tag

Removes the tag.

Change Icon
Here you give the tag a custom icon or a different color. A click on "Default Icon" resets both.

Hotkeys
You can give a tag two hotkeys:

View: Opens Start and switches straight to the matching tag – so you can immediately see its entries.
Launch: Launches all entries of the tag at once, just like the "Open All" action. The same limits apply.

Using the Keyboard

Below you will find an overview of the most important keyboard shortcuts for operating Start.

Table 1. General Keyboard Shortcuts
`⌘`+`f`	Switch the focus to the search field
`⌘`+`,`	Show settings
`⌘`+`p`	Pin/unpin the main window
`←` or `→`	Switch between Tags/Categories and Entries
`tab`	Switch between Tags/Categories and Entries

Table 2. Keyboard Shortcuts for Entries
`⏎`	Launch the currently selected entry
`⌘`+`1`…`9`	Launch the corresponding entry from 1 to 9
`⇧`+`⏎`	Show the currently selected entry in the Finder
`␣`	Preview the currently selected entry with Quick Look
`⌥`	Show paths
`⌃`+`⌥`	Show assigned tags

Table 3. Keyboard Shortcuts for Tags
`⌃`+`⏎`	Launch all entries of the selected tag

Table 4. Keyboard Shortcuts for the Search Field
`⌘`+`f`	Switch the search scope
`esc`	Exit the search field

A quick note on the search scope: the search field covers either the entire data set or only the current view. Which one applies depends on what Start is showing. The icon in the search field tells you at a glance:

Start searches the entire data set. This is the default.

Start searches only the data currently displayed. This setting applies automatically in Recent Files and inside a folder.

Table 5. Keyboard Shortcuts while showing the contents of folders in Start
`←` or `⌘`+`↑`	Go up one level to the parent folder
`→` or `⌘`+`↓` or `⏎`	Navigate into the selected folder
`esc`	Exit the folder view
`⇧`+`⏎`	Show the currently selected entry in the Finder
`␣`	Preview the currently selected entry with Quick Look
`⌥`	Show paths

The "Keyboard Shortcuts" Dialog

You can define your own keyboard shortcuts for many functions – to show the main window, for example, or to launch all entries of a tag. You do not have to memorize them: Start comes with its own overview.
Choose the menu entry "Keyboard Shortcuts". It shows both the predefined shortcuts and your custom shortcuts at a glance.

Drag & Drop

Start supports drag and drop in various places. The most common ways are shown below:

Drop a file or folder from the Finder onto an application entry: Start launches the application and passes the file or folder to it.
Drop a file or folder from the Finder onto a tag: Start adds the Finder object to that tag.
Drop an address from Safari onto a tag: Start adds the URL to that tag.
Drop an entry from the right side of the main window onto a tag: Start adds the entry to that tag.
Drop one or more files or folders from the Finder onto the icon in the menu bar: The main window of Start appears. The next application you launch receives the dropped items.

Start also supports "spring-loading". Drag a file from the Finder onto a tag, for example, and wait there briefly – without releasing the mouse button. Start then switches to that tag and shows its contents. Now drop the file onto an application in that tag.

DropStack

Use the DropStack to collect files and folders so you can process them together later. Think of it as a basket: you drop in whatever belongs together and hand it all to one program at the end.

How to use the DropStack

Step 1: Add Files and Folders
Drag the files or folders you want from the Finder straight into the DropStack area of the main window. There is no limit to how many you collect.

Step 2: Launch an Application with the DropStack
Once your files and folders are in the DropStack, simply select an application in Start. Start opens the collected items with that program automatically.

Practical Examples

Compress files:
Collect files in the DropStack, then launch your compression tool. It opens and processes all items automatically.
Batch image editing:
Put images in the DropStack, then launch an image editor. It opens every image at once.
Convert documents:
Gather documents in the DropStack and launch a converter. It converts them to another format in one batch.

Pin the main window so it does not close when Start loses focus. This lets you add items to the DropStack while switching between applications.
To remove entries from the DropStack, right-click the stack.
Drag more entries onto the DropStack to add them to the existing items.

Entry Types

Start manages not only applications, but a whole range of other entry types as well.

You can also show these entry types as separate categories in the sidebar. Use the settings to choose which categories appear. You can read more about it here.

The following chapters look at each entry type in turn and cover what makes it special.

Applications

Start detects and organizes your installed applications automatically, so you launch them in an instant. You decide how they appear, give them hotkeys, and group them with tags.

How Applications are added

Start finds the applications on your Mac through the Spotlight index. By default it scans the usual program folders. You add further search paths under Settings → Search Scope (see here).

Opening Applications in Start

There are several ways to launch an application from Start:

Using the Search Field

Click the Start icon in the menu bar, or use your global hotkey to open Start.
Type the name of the application into the search field.
Press Return to launch it.

Using Tags

Give frequently used applications a shared tag (“Work” or “Development”, for example).
Click the tag to see the grouped applications.
(Optional) Assign a hotkey to the tag to launch all of them at once.

Using Hotkeys for Individual Apps

Right-click an application and enter a custom keyboard shortcut.
This shortcut now launches the application straight away – even when the main window of Start is closed.

Example:
Assign ⌘+⇧+B to Safari and your browser is always one keystroke away.

Managing Applications in Start

Once Start has detected an application, you can adjust the appearance and behavior of its entry:

Assign tags: Group applications into meaningful sets.
Set a hotkey: Launch applications with a single key combination.
Add a comment: Note down hints or a short description.
Use colors: Highlight important apps.

Hiding Applications

To hide an application: right-click it and select “Hide”.
To bring it back: open "Manage Entries", choose the category "Disabled Entries", and enable the entry again.

Grouping Applications with Tags

With tags you launch several applications with one command.

Example:

Create a “Work” tag and add applications like Outlook, Slack, and Notes.
Assign a hotkey to this tag (⌘+⌥+W, for example).
One press of the hotkey launches every application in the tag.

In Brief

✅ Start detects applications automatically through Spotlight.
✅ Find and launch apps in an instant – by search, tag, or hotkey.
✅ Customize application entries with tags, comments, and colors.
✅ Use hotkeys and tags to work faster.

Files

You add individual files to Start to reach them quickly. Applications are added automatically through Spotlight, while you add files yourself. After that you give them tags, hotkeys, and colors, and keep everything tidy.

Adding Files to Start

There are two ways to add a file to Start:

Using the “Add File or Folder” Option

Open Start and choose “Add File or Folder” from the menu.
Pick the file you want to add.
(Optional) Give it a tag or hotkey so you reach it even faster later.

Using Drag & Drop

Pin Start with the "Pin" button at the top left so the window stays open. Can’t find the button? Then take a look here.
Drag a file from the Finder into the Start window.
(Optional) Drag the file straight onto a tag to assign it right away.

Files are neither moved nor copied – Start only creates a reference to them.

Managing File Entries

Once you have added a file to Start, you can adjust the appearance and behavior of its entry:

Assign tags: Group files that belong together.
Set a hotkey: Open the file with your own shortcut.
Add a comment: Note down a short description.
Use colors: Color-code files by priority or type.

Revealing a File in the Finder
Right-click the file in Start and choose “Show in Finder” to reveal it at its location.

Removing a File from Start
Right-click and choose “Remove”. This does not delete the file from your system.

Using Files with Tags

You can assign tags to files and open them in groups, just as you can launch applications in groups. That is particularly handy for project work.

Example:
Working on a design project? Create a “Design” tag and add every reference file you need. A single hotkey then opens them all at once.

In Brief

✅ Reach important files without clicking through the Finder.
✅ Organize files with tags and colors, and open them with hotkeys.
✅ Drag files into Start and they are added.
✅ Open whole groups of files at once.

Folders

You add folders to Start to reach them quickly. Unlike applications, you add them yourself. After that you give them tags, hotkeys, and colors. You also decide how folders behave when you open them.

Adding Folders to Start

Using the “Add File or Folder” Option

Open Start and choose “Add File or Folder” from the menu.
Pick the folder you want to add.

Using Drag & Drop

Pin Start with the "Pin" button at the top left so the window stays open. Can’t find the button? Then take a look here.
Drag a folder from the Finder into the Start window.
(Optional) Drag the folder straight onto a tag to assign it right away.

Folders are neither moved nor copied – Start only creates a reference to them.

Opening Folders in Start

Start opens files in external programs and launches applications directly. You can browse folders directly inside Start: you step into them, see their contents, and open individual files from there.

In the settings, you choose how Start handles folders. You can read more about it here.

Displaying Folder Contents in Start

Have you set up Start to show folder contents in the app? Then it looks like this:

mainWindowFolderWithNumbers

One Level Back
This button takes you back one level. If you are already at the top level of the folder you added, Start closes the folder view.

Name and Current Level
Here you see which folder you are browsing and which subfolder level you are on.

Folder Contents
This is where the contents of the folder appear.

Start reads the contents of a folder from the file system each time you open it. The displayed items are not saved as entries in Start, so tags are not shown in this view. The context menu looks different too – but it does let you copy a path to the clipboard.

You can navigate the folder view with the keyboard as well. You can read more about the shortcuts here.

In Brief

✅ Reach frequently used folders without clicking through the Finder.
✅ Organize folders with tags and colors, and open them with hotkeys.
✅ Decide for yourself whether a folder opens in the Finder or in Start.

URL Schemes

With URL schemes you control applications through special links. A URL with a defined structure, such as app://parameter, triggers an action in an app and passes parameters to it. That is handy for automating routines, jumping straight into a certain part of an app, or making several tools work together.

How URL Schemes Work

A URL like this has two parts:

Scheme identifier — names the target application (mailto:, things:, or devonthink:, for example).
Action and parameters — define what should happen (mailto:support@example.com?subject=Help, for example).

The following URL creates a new email with the recipient and subject already filled in:

mailto:support@example.com?subject=Support%20Request

You find a short overview of various URL schemes here.

Using URL entries in Start

In Start you create your own URL entries and manage them. With them you open web pages, control applications, and automate whole routines.

Start manages your URL entries and runs them. What actually happens depends entirely on the target application. We therefore cannot support you in creating or using a particular URL entry. Please turn to the developers of that application.

Adding a new URL entry

urlSchemes02

Choose “Add URL” in the Start menu to open the URL dialog.
Enter the title – the name that appears in Start later.
Enter the URL and make sure it includes a valid scheme (https://, mailto:, or things://, for example).
(Optional) Add a comment describing what the URL does.
Click Save to store the URL entry.

You can also create URL entries by dragging a web address over from Safari.

How a URL entry is built
Every URL entry follows the same pattern. First comes the scheme – "https", for example – followed by a colon. After that comes the scheme-specific part, which looks different for every scheme and target application.

Changing existing URL entries
You edit an existing URL entry by double-clicking it in the "Manage Entries" dialog, or through the context menu in the main window.

Restrictions
Two things are worth knowing when you use URLs in Start:

A URL may not exceed 3,000 characters. Beyond that, Start truncates it – and it will most likely no longer work as intended.
Every URL entry needs a title. A comment is optional.

Add/Edit URL Dialog

Title
Enter the title for the URL here. The title appears with the entry in the main window of Start.

Comment
You can optionally add a comment or description to the URL entry.

URL
Enter a complete URL here, including its scheme (https://, for example).

Launch
This button opens the URL you have entered without closing the dialog.
Use it to test whether the URL works as expected, especially with more complex URLs.

Open with
Under macOS, every URL scheme belongs to one particular application – which is exactly why the scheme matters. Here you see which application would run the URL you entered: Safari for https entries, for example.

Length
In Start, a URL entry can have a maximum length of 3,000 characters. Here you can see the length of the current URL.

URL Templates
In the Start settings you define templates for URLs you use often. Use this button to select a template. The selected template replaces the current URL.

Placeholder
Start supports placeholders that are filled in the moment you launch the URL. This button inserts one at the current cursor position.

Let us take a closer look at the "Open with" section:

URLDialog HTTPS
HTTP and HTTPS schemes
HTTP and HTTPS schemes point to web pages, so macOS normally hands them to your default browser. In Start you can choose a different browser for one particular website. Start detects the available browsers itself and offers them in a dropdown menu.

URLDialog Custom
Other schemes
For all other URL schemes, this section shows the application macOS has registered for that scheme.

Placeholders in URL Schemes

Besides fixed URLs you can also work with placeholders. Start fills in the appropriate values when you launch the URL. That sounds more complicated than it is – let us go through the supported placeholders one by one.

Placeholders are case-sensitive!

userInput

Syntax: %%userInput:Question%%

When Start finds this placeholder in a URL, it displays a dialog where you enter the value you want. That value replaces the placeholder in the URL.

Example: Say you want to open Safari and start a Google search on a particular topic. Then use a URL like this one:

https://www.google.com/search?q=%%userInput:Search Google%%

Launch this URL in Start, and a dialog appears asking “Search Google”. Type something in, and Start replaces the whole placeholder %%userInput:Search Google%% with your text.

clipboard

Syntax: %%clipboard%%

When Start finds this placeholder in a URL, it inserts the current clipboard contents, using text only.

selectedFileObjects

Syntax: %%selectedFileObjects%%

This placeholder is for more specialized cases. As described elsewhere in this manual, you can hand the files and folders currently selected in the Finder over to Start and pick an application there to process them. With this placeholder you pass those items on through a URL instead. That helps, for example, when a URL launches a Keyboard Maestro macro that then works on the files and folders.

URL Scheme Examples

HTTPS

HTTP and HTTPS are the best-known URL schemes – almost everyone has come across them. With them you open web pages from Start in your default browser.

Example

https://start.innovative-bytes.net

HTTPS URLs can also be added to Start very easily using drag and drop. Just drag the address from Safari onto Start. This automatically creates the URL entry.

MailTo

Create an email in the default email client with a recipient and subject line

mailto:support@innovative-bytes.net?subject=Support%20Question

Create an email in the default email client with To and CC recipients, a subject line, and a message body

mailto:someone@mail.com?subject=Download%20the%20Start%
20app&cc=someone_else@mail.com&body=I%20recommend%20the
%20Start%20app

Opening this URL creates a message in your default email client with the following details:

To: someone@mail.com
CC: someone_else@mail.com
Subject: Download the Start app
Body: I recommend the Start app

All fields are filled in, so you only need to review and send the message.

Table 6. Parameters
subject	Subject line (%20 represents a space in URL encoding).
cc (optional)	Additional recipient in CC.
body	Email body (again, spaces are encoded as %20).

DEVONthink

DEVONthink is a document and information manager for macOS, made by DEVONtechnologies, LLC.

Every database, group, and individual item in DEVONthink has its own URL. These DEVONthink-specific URLs always begin with x-devonthink-item:// followed by an alphanumeric identifier that uniquely identifies the respective element.

Opening a DEVONthink database
Finding the URL of a database is easy:

Right-click a database in DEVONthink and choose "Copy Database Link" from the context menu. The URL of the database is copied to the clipboard.

Now create a new URL entry in Start, paste the URL from the clipboard, and give the entry a suitable title:

Opening other DEVONthink items in Start
These URLs are just as easy to find: right-click an item in DEVONthink and choose "Copy Item Link" from the context menu. The URL is copied to the clipboard, and you add it to Start exactly as described above.

Craft

Craft by Craft Docs Limited supports several URL schemes as well.

Example URL schemes for Craft:

Open a specific page in Craft

craftdocs://open?spaceId=<spaceId>&blockId=<blockId>

Table 7. Parameters
blockId	You can obtain it by choosing "Copy Deeplink" in a document; the resulting link contains a blockId parameter.
spaceId	Usually your user ID (a random GUID).

To get the URL for a document, open it in Craft and use the menu command File Copy Deeplink.

Open the Daily Notes

Yesterday

craftdocs://openByQuery?query=yesterday&spaceId=<spaceId>

Today

craftdocs://openByQuery?query=today&spaceId=<spaceId>

Tomorrow

craftdocs://openByQuery?query=tomorrow&spaceId=<spaceId>

Table 8. Parameters
spaceId	Usually your user ID (a random GUID).

The spaceId is just as easy to find: open any document in the space you want and use File Copy Deeplink. The resulting URL contains the spaceId parameter.

More on this: https://support.craft.do/hc/en-us/articles/360020168838-Using-URL-Scheme

Drafts

Drafts is a quick-capture notes app and Markdown editor from Agile Tortoise, Inc.

Example URL schemes for Drafts:

Open Drafts in a workspace called “Blogging”

drafts5://x-callback-url/workspace?name=Blogging

Create a new draft tagged “post idea”

drafts5://x-callback-url/create?tag=post%20idea

More on this: https://docs.getdrafts.com/docs/automation/urlschemes.html

Things

Things is a personal task manager from Cultured Code GmbH & Co. KG.

Example URL schemes for Things:

Open Things and display the Quick Entry window

things:///add?show-quick-entry=true

More on this: https://support.culturedcode.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2803573

CleanShot X

CleanShot X is a screenshot app from Make The Web Oślizło & Magiera s.c.

Example URL schemes for CleanShot X:

Start a screen recording

cleanshot://record-screen

Open a file in Annotate

cleanshot://open-annotate?filepath=/Users/john/Desktop/my%20screenshot.png

Show or hide the desktop icons

cleanshot://toggle-desktop-icons

Open the capture history

cleanshot://open-history

More on this: https://cleanshot.com/docs-api

Shottr

Shottr is a screenshot app from Electric Endeavors LLC.

Example URL schemes for Shottr:

Take an area screenshot

shottr://grab/area

Take a window screenshot

shottr://grab/window

Load an image from the clipboard

shottr://load/clipboard

More on this: https://shottr.cc/kb/urlschemes

Shortcuts

Start also supports the shortcuts you have built in the Shortcuts app. It does not detect them on its own, though: you import and update them through the menu entry “Import from Shortcuts”. After that you can give them tags, colors, and comments, just like any other entry.

Imported shortcuts also use a URL scheme. The following URL launches a shortcut:

shortcuts://run-shortcut?name=Name of the Shortcut

Settings

General

Trigger to show the main window

Four triggers can bring up the main window: a global hotkey, a click on the menu bar icon, a click on the Dock icon, or moving the mouse pointer into a screen corner. For each trigger you also set where the main window appears.
In the screenshot above, the main window appears at the bottom left when you press the Command key twice, at the top right when you click the menu icon, and at the bottom left again when you click the Dock icon.

As a menu bar app, Start shows no Dock icon by default. You can either add Start to the Dock yourself, or switch the Dock icon on in the "Advanced" section of the settings.

Behavior

Launch Entries

Do you want to launch entries with a single click or a double click?

Default view

Here you set which view Start opens with.

Behavior for folders

Since version 7.5, Start has been able to display folder contents directly. Here you decide what happens when you open a folder with Return or a click.

Open in the Finder or an alternative file manager: Start opens the folder in the Finder – or in an alternative file manager, if you have set one up.
Show contents of folders in Start: Press Return or click to display the folder contents directly in Start.

This setting only applies when you open the folder directly in Start. If you open the folder using its hotkey or launch it with the other entries of a tag, it always opens in the Finder or your alternative file manager.

Opening folders with

Do you want to open folders with a different application? Then enter the path to that program here. If the path is invalid or empty, Start simply uses the Finder.

Display Hover-Effect on Entries

Start subtly highlights the entry under the mouse pointer.

Select Tags and Categories on hover

Normally you select entries in the sidebar with a click. Switch this option on, and hovering the mouse pointer over an entry briefly is enough.

Autostart / Launch at Login

With this option Start starts automatically as soon as you log in.

Search

Includes Comments

Here you decide what the search in the main window covers: only the title – the application name, for example – or existing comments as well.

Includes Tags

With this option the search in the main window also turns up matching tags. You also decide what a click on such a tag does.

Appearance

You can adapt the look of Start to the way you work. You decide how entries appear, how big the window is, how the sidebar looks, and how intense the colors are.

General

Appearance

Here you set the general look of Start. It can follow the macOS setting automatically, or always use a light or dark appearance.

Menu Icon

Here you choose which icon Start shows in the macOS menu bar.

Window

This section sets the size of the main window.

You cannot resize the main window freely – dragging it larger or smaller with the mouse is not possible. There is a practical reason: multi-monitor setups.
Such setups often combine screens with different resolutions and sizes. A fixed window height would be awkward there: what fits perfectly on one monitor looks too big or too small on the next.
That is why the window height is always given as a percentage. The window then looks right whatever the screen resolution.

Width

Here you set how wide the main window of Start is.

Height

Here you set how tall it is. The height is given as a percentage of the screen height.

Entries

These settings govern how an entry appears in Start.

Background color intensity

Give an entry a color, and it shows up as a bar on the left. The row itself is tinted as well. This setting decides how strong that tint is.

Height

This value sets how large the entries in the main window appear.

Show the corresponding path for the entries

Start can show the path or URL of an entry below its title. This option switches that display on or off.

Sidebar

This section covers the sidebar – the left pane of the main window. You can adjust the size of entries, the display of hotkeys, and which categories appear.

Size of sidebar entries

Here you set how large the sidebar entries should be.

Hotkeys

In Start you can give hotkeys to individual tags as well as to categories. So that you do not have to memorize them all, you can show or hide them in the sidebar here.

Start supports two separate hotkeys per tag – one to show its entries and one to launch them. You can give them different colors here. In the screenshot above, hotkeys that launch all entries of a tag appear in red. Hotkeys that show the contents of a tag keep the normal text color.

Search Scope

This list shows where Start uses Spotlight to look for applications. You can add your own folders to it at any time.

Sandbox Access

To meet Apple’s security requirements, Start runs in a sandbox. By default, the app therefore has access to only a limited set of files and folders. You need to grant access to other locations before the app can use them.

What is Sandbox Access?

The macOS sandbox prevents applications from accessing files outside certain system folders. That makes your Mac safer – and it means the following for Start:

Applications launch without any extra permission.
Access to files, folders, and external locations requires your explicit permission.
Start stores the permissions you grant as security tokens.

Can’t Start open a file or folder? The required access permission is most likely missing.

Managing Sandbox Access

You can view and manage all the permissions you have granted under Start → Settings → Sandbox Access.

Granting Access to a Folder or File

Open Start → Settings → Sandbox Access.
Click "+" and select the folder Start should be able to access.
Start can now open files from that location without asking again.

Viewing and Removing Permissions

The Sandbox Access settings list every permission you granted.
To remove one, select the entry and click "-".

Grant access to a parent folder such as ~/Documents, and the permission covers all its subfolders too.

When Do You Need Full Disk Access?

macOS applies additional protections to some folders, including Desktop, Documents, and Downloads. Full Disk Access helps Start reliably find recently opened or changed files in these folders.

Enabling Full Disk Access for Start

Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access.
Find Start in the list, or add it yourself with "+".
Switch Full Disk Access on.
Restart Start so the change takes effect.

Full Disk Access is optional. It helps Start reliably find recent files and files in protected locations.

In Brief

✅ Start follows Apple’s sandbox model, which keeps your files safer.
✅ You must grant access to certain folders yourself.
✅ With Full Disk Access, Start also picks up files in protected locations.
✅ You manage every permission under Settings → Sandbox Access.

Recent Files

"Recent Files" gives you quick access to the files you opened or changed most recently. Your current documents, spreadsheets, and project files are available directly in Start.

How Recent Files Work

Start finds these files through the Spotlight index and watches particular folders. Two dates matter:

Last opened – files you opened recently.
Last modified (optional) – files whose content changed recently.

Start looks at the last 15 days.

Start does not store your files – it only gives you a fast way to reach them.

Setting up Recent Files

A few settings are needed before the feature works.

In brief:

Open Start → Settings.
Go to Recent Files.
Choose the folders Start should watch (see "Search Scope" below).
(Optional) Define exclusions if you need them.
1. Exclude Folders – hides files in the specified folders.
2. Exclude Extensions – filters out file types such as .log or .tmp.
3. Exclude Text – hides files whose path or name contains the specified text, such as "Backup".
Go to Appearance and switch on the “Recent Files” category.
(Optional) Assign a hotkey for instant access.

Let us look at the remaining settings and a few tips in detail …

Search Scope: which folders Start watches

The search scopes are the most important settings. Here you define where Start looks for recently opened or changed files. Each folder you add automatically includes all its subfolders.

You can add any folder on your system – as long as Spotlight indexes it and you have access rights. In practice it pays to stick to the folders where your files actually live.

If you add the root directory, the search covers changed files throughout the file system. But that turns up an overwhelming number of hits, including files macOS opened or changed by itself. Processing that many results in the background takes longer: Start shows only the last 50 files, yet has to sift through everything.

macOS applies additional protections to some folders, including Desktop, Downloads, and Documents. In these folders, Start may miss changes – even when you have added the folders to the search paths. The fix: grant Start Full Disk Access in System Settings.

This affects Recent Files only, because Start watches those folders for changes. If you merely added the Downloads folder to jump into it quickly, no extra permission is needed.

Excluded Folders (optional)

A folder in the search scopes is searched together with all its subfolders. Enter any subfolders you want to exclude here.

Start excludes some system folders such as /Library or /System automatically. You recognize them by the small lock next to the folder path. These entries can be neither changed nor deleted.

Excluded Extensions (optional)

Enter file extensions here to exclude files with those extensions from the recent files list. Handy for keeping backup files and the like out of sight from the start.

Excluded Text (optional)

You will rarely need this one: it filters files by a piece of text. Does that text appear anywhere in the path or file name? Then the file is left out.

Example: /Backup/

Does /Backup/ appear anywhere in the path? Then Start ignores the file, and it never shows up in Recent Files.

Activate the Category

Once the setup is done, you switch the category on.

Assign a hotkey such as ⌥+⌘+R to open the Recent Files category with a single keystroke.

Advanced Settings

To find recent files, Start runs a Spotlight query. Two values are used: when you last opened the file, and when its content last changed.

By default Start goes by "last opened".

In the advanced settings you tailor the query to your needs. You can choose:

Last opened in the past 15 days
Last opened and content changed in the past 15 days
Content changed in the past 15 days

Missing Files? Here is What to Check

Search scope: Are the right folders listed?
Full Disk Access: macOS protects certain folders such as Desktop and Downloads.
Switch Full Disk Access on under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access.
Spotlight index: Make sure Spotlight is indexing the folders. If in doubt, rebuild the index.

Manage Entries

The "Manage Entries" dialog is the heart of the app. Here you see all the data Start currently manages. At first glance it looks a little overwhelming. At its core, though, it is just a table of your data – with plenty of search and filter options.

Back to the basics: where do the entries in Start come from? Mostly from the data macOS supplies through Spotlight. Spotlight also tells Start about changes – when programs are installed or removed, for example. In short: as long as Spotlight runs on your Mac, Start picks up every application in the defined search paths.

And what about entries that are not applications – links to folders, files, and URLs? In theory Spotlight could capture those too. In practice that would make the whole thing unmanageable: imagine Start listing every single file on your system. That is why Start collects only applications automatically. You add all other entries yourself – quickly and easily.

The following sections walk you through the dialog in detail. You will see: it is not half as complicated as it looks.

Sidebar: This button shows or hides the sidebar. Use the sidebar to change the tags, comments, colors, or visibility of all selected entries at once.
Search Field: The search field filters the display – much like in the main window. Click the magnifying glass to choose what to search: names, tags, paths, or comments. That way you can list every entry from a particular subfolder in no time.
Import, Export, and Save as CSV: Opens a menu for importing and exporting the configuration. You can also save it as a CSV text file here.
Adding URLs: This button opens a dialog in which you compose the URL you want to add. Alternatively, simply drag a URL from Safari onto the list.
Adding files and folders: Start detects and adds applications automatically – provided they are in the defined search paths and Spotlight is active. You add all other entries yourself: drag files and folders into the dialog, or use the corresponding button.

Displayed types: Besides applications, Start manages many other kinds of entries: files, folders, URLs, and shortcuts. In this section you narrow the display down to one particular type.

All Entries

Shows entries of every type

Disabled Entries

Shows the hidden entries. Do you want to make a hidden entry visible again? Find it here and enable it again.

Unavailable Entries

Shows entries that are currently unavailable (no longer found in the file system)

Favorites

Shows all favorites

Applications, Files, Folders, URLs, Shortcuts

Shows entries of a specific type

Tags: Tags play a central role in Start: you use them to structure your entries, much like folders in the file system. Unlike folders, though, you can give one entry several tags. It then appears under each of them.

This section shows all the tags currently in Start. Just as in the main window, a right-click opens a context menu and lets you customize a tag – its icon or its hotkeys, for example. Next to each tag you see how many entries belong to it. Two symbols also show which of the two hotkeys are assigned.

This section gives you access to all tag management options.

You can nest tags using drag and drop. Just drag one tag onto another – the dragged tag then becomes a "sub-tag" of the other, much like a subfolder.

Create a new Tag: A click on this button creates a new tag – exactly as in the main window.

Enabling, Disabling, and Deleting Entries

configuration enableDisableEntry

The main data source for Start is Spotlight. All applications come from there. Start does not let you delete these entries – the next synchronization would bring them straight back anyway. You can therefore only disable entries from Spotlight. They then no longer appear in the main window.

Manually added entries are a different matter: they are not added automatically, so you can remove them directly.

How do you tell whether an entry comes from Spotlight? If a checkbox sits in the first column next to the icon, it is a Spotlight entry. Use it to enable or disable the entry. If you see a small trash icon instead, it is a manually added entry – a click on it removes the entry.

Backup

Export and Import

ImportExportMenu

You can export your entire configuration and import it again later. Two menu entries handle this: "Export Configuration…" and "Import Configuration…".

An import replaces your existing configuration completely!

You can also use export and import to transfer your configuration to a second Mac and adjust it there.

Configuration Snapshots

SnapshotsMenu

Every time you quit Start, it creates a snapshot, or backup copy, of your current configuration. Up to 11 generations are kept – with each additional snapshot, Start overwrites the oldest one. The "Configuration Snapshots" dialog gives you an overview of all existing snapshots. There you can also create a new generation or restore your settings from a snapshot.

Commands for the Shortcuts App

Start supplies the Shortcuts app with a handful of commands. With them you build key Start functions right into your own workflows.

Show Start

This action brings up Start from your workflow.

Add to DropStack

This action puts files and folders from your workflow onto the DropStack of Start.

Clear DropStack

This action empties the DropStack from your workflow.

Launch Tag-Items

This action launches all entries of a tag in Start at once.

Show Tag-Items

This action opens the main window of Start and shows the contents of the tag you specify.

Add to Start

"Add to Start" is the command Start supplies to the Shortcuts app for creating entries. Use it to build workflows that add selected files and folders from the Finder or the web page open in Safari to Start.

Examples
The examples below show how to use the command. For the Shortcuts app itself, please refer to Apple’s documentation; an introduction to that app is beyond the scope of this manual.

Add File to Start

This workflow picks up the files and folders currently selected in the Finder and adds them to Start.

First, ask the Finder for the current selection: drag the command "Get Selected Files in Finder" into the workflow. Next comes "Add to Start". Initially, it reads "Add Item to Start". Right-click "Item" and choose "File" – the entry now reads "Add File to Start". Since only the path is needed, click "File" and choose "File Path".

Click "Show More" in "Add to Start", and you can also choose the tag to assign to the entries.

Add URL to Start

This workflow grabs the current web page in Safari and passes its URL to Start.

First, get the current page: drag the command "Get current web page from Safari" into the workflow. It now reads "Get Detail from Safari web page". Right-click "Safari web page" and choose "Web page". Only the URL is needed, so right-click "Detail" and choose "Page URL". Finally, add "Add to Start". Initially, it reads "Add Item to Start". Right-click "Item" and choose "Page URL" – the entry now reads "Add Page URL to Start".

Click "Show More" in "Add to Start", and you can also choose the tag to assign to the entries.

Using the Service Entry

Start registers itself as a system service. That lets you send selected files and folders straight from the Finder to Start.

Using the Entry in the Services Menu

serviceEntry 2

Select the files or folders you want to send in the Finder.
Right-click them and choose "Send selected files to Start" from the "Services" menu.
The main window of Start opens, and the DropStack now holds your selection.
Select an application entry to launch the application with those items.
Close the main window again, and Start removes the transferred items from the DropStack. You can then launch other applications as usual.

serviceEntry 1

Activating the Service Entry

To switch the service on in macOS, follow these steps:

Step 1:

Open the "Keyboard" section in System Settings.
Click "Keyboard Shortcuts".

Step 2:

Select the "Services" section.
Scroll down to "Files and Folders".
Find the entry "Send selected files to Start" and switch it on.

macOS loads system services when you log in. If you have just installed Start and the entry is missing from the Services menu, log out and then log back in.

You can assign a keyboard shortcut to any system service. Assign one to the Start service to send your selection directly with a single keystroke.

FAQ

How do I get hidden entries back?

Open the "Manage Entries" dialog and pick “Disabled Entries” as the displayed category. The list now shows every hidden entry. The checkbox next to the icon indicates whether an entry is enabled. Select the checkbox to make the entry visible again. You can read more about it here.

Why is Start missing some applications?

Start relies on Spotlight to detect applications. So first make sure Spotlight is switched on and indexes applications – which is the default under macOS.

In rare cases, the Spotlight database stops indexing some applications. In the past this happened now and then after a macOS update. Rebuilding the Spotlight index usually helps. The exact steps differ slightly from one macOS version to the next, so please look them up on Apple’s support pages.

Does Start need Full Disk Access?

Following Apple’s guidelines, Start runs in a sandbox. It therefore has limited access to your Mac, particularly to files and folders. Access is granted through so-called security tokens. Start cannot create these itself: they are created when you add entries manually. One token covers a folder and all its subfolders. You can review and manage the existing tokens in the settings.

On top of that, macOS lets you grant an app Full Disk Access. You set that up yourself in System Settings.

Start benefits from it too. Experience shows that for "Recent Files", tokens alone are not always enough to find every file (see here). Full Disk Access is optional and can help when entries are missing from "Recent Files".

Can Start be opened with a Dock icon?

Yes. Two options have been available since version 9.x:

Option 1: Manually add Start to the Dock

This takes two steps:

Drag Start to the place you want in the Dock. As a menu bar app, Start does not turn up there by itself – hence this step.
In the settings, choose where the main window should appear when you click the Dock icon.

With the setting highlighted above, clicking the Dock icon opens the main window at the bottom left of the screen.

Start cannot determine the position of its icon in the Dock. You therefore need to choose where the main window appears.

Option 2: Enable the Dock icon in the settings

Since version 9.x, Start has offered an option to show a Dock icon automatically at every launch. That turns it into a more or less “regular” application. You find the option in the “Advanced” section of the settings.
As a second step, set where the main window should appear when you click the Dock icon.

What are the advantages and drawbacks of each option?

Option 1:
⚠️ You can open and close the main window through the Dock icon – but you cannot quit Start from there.
✅ Menu bar apps do not provide their own menus: while Start is on screen, the active application’s menu remains visible.

Option 2:
✅ Switching it on is quicker than placing Start in the Dock by hand – and you can quit Start from there like any other app.
⚠️ On the other hand, the menu of the active application changes as soon as the main window appears. Since Start has no menu entries of its own, that menu then looks very bare.

Where does Start store its data?

The following is purely for transparency, so you know where Start keeps data on your Mac besides the application file itself.
Please do not manually modify any of the following files or directories – this may cause problems with Start!

Base folder
Start runs in a macOS sandbox, so the paths are a little convoluted. Let us start with the base folder that holds everything. It depends on which version you use:

Table 9. Base folder
Type	Path
App Store	~/Library/Containers/net.innovative-bytes.start
Setapp	~/Library/Containers/net.innovative-bytes.start-setapp

The following paths are relative to the respective base folder.

Table 10. Configuration
Path	File	Description
/Data/Library/Preferences	net.innovative-bytes.start.plist	This is the main configuration file of Start
/Data/Documents/Backup/	Multiple files	Files from configuration snapshots that Start creates automatically
/Data/Documents/Data/	AllData.json	Backup copy of the internal table of all available entries
/Data/Documents/Data/	TagData.json	Backup copy of the internal table of all available tags
/Data/Documents/Data/	SectionViewCollapsedState.json	Stores which sidebar sections are collapsed
/Data/Documents/	Bookmarks.dict	Security Scoped Bookmarks for accessing files outside the sandbox
/Data/Documents/Thumbnails/	thumbnails.json	Cache file for generated thumbnails

Legal

The trademarks and product names mentioned in this manual belong to their respective owners and are hereby acknowledged. The mention of products is solely for informational purposes and does not constitute advertising. Similarly, no guarantee is provided regarding the selection, performance, or suitability of these products.

Privacy & Security Information

Start is a commercial application that works right out of the box. Two things matter equally to us: what the app can do, and how it treats your data.

Privacy by Design

Your privacy comes first in Start. Your personal data stays under your control at all times:

Local storage only: Start keeps all your data on your own device
No data collection: We collect nothing, transmit nothing, and share nothing with third parties
No cloud services: The app needs no cloud back end and no user account – your information stays on your Mac

Security Features

Several layers of security protect your data:

Apple notarization: Apple has checked and notarized the app, so it carries no malware
macOS sandbox: Start runs inside Apple’s sandbox
Access on request: Start requests only the file and folder access permissions required by its core functions

System Integration

Start follows Apple’s best practices for system integration:

Adheres to macOS security guidelines
Requires explicit user permission for file and directory access
Operates within the secure macOS environment

Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability

We do our best to give you a secure and reliable application. Please note the following:

No Warranty: The software is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
Limitation of Liability: In no event shall the authors, copyright holders, or developers be liable for any claim, damages, or other liability, whether in an action of contract, tort, or otherwise, arising from, out of, or in connection with the software or the use or other dealings in the software.
User Responsibility:
- You are responsible for keeping suitable backups of your data
- You use the application at your own risk
- You are responsible for reviewing and complying with all applicable local laws and regulations
Technical Issues: We cannot guarantee that:
- The software will be error-free or uninterrupted
- Any errors in the software will be corrected
- The software will be compatible with future operating system updates
Data Security: While we implement reasonable security measures, we cannot guarantee absolute security of your data against unauthorized access or system failures.

By using Start, you acknowledge and agree to these terms and limitations. If you do not agree with these terms, please do not use the software.

Key Features Overview

Universal Launcher

Quick Access through Hotkeys

Active Corners

Intelligent Organization with Tags

Access to Active Applications

Access to Recent Files

Access to Recently Used Applications

Monitor Recently Updated or Added Applications

First Steps

What is an Entry?

Menus

Add

Data

Import & Export

Help

Quit

Tags

What are Tags?

Using Tags

Creating Tags

The "Add Tag" Button

Context Menu

Managing Entries

Renaming Tags

Customizing Tags

Deleting Tags

Hotkeys

The Hotkeys You Can Assign

Global Hotkey & Category Hotkeys

Hotkeys for Single Entries

Hotkeys for Tags

Active Corners

How Active Corners work

Assigning an Active Corner

Context Menus

Entry

Tag

Using the Keyboard

The "Keyboard Shortcuts" Dialog

Drag & Drop

DropStack

How to use the DropStack

Practical Examples

Entry Types

Applications

How Applications are added

Opening Applications in Start

Managing Applications in Start

Grouping Applications with Tags

In Brief

Files

Adding Files to Start

Managing File Entries

Using Files with Tags

In Brief

Folders

Adding Folders to Start

Opening Folders in Start

Displaying Folder Contents in Start

In Brief

URL Schemes

How URL Schemes Work

Using URL entries in Start

Adding a new URL entry

Add/Edit URL Dialog

Placeholders in URL Schemes

userInput

clipboard

selectedFileObjects

URL Scheme Examples

HTTPS

MailTo

DEVONthink

Craft

Drafts

Things

CleanShot X

Shottr

Shortcuts