File notes, straight into the folder they belong in

NoteDrop is a macOS menu bar app that writes PDF or Markdown file notes into the folder you're working in — named, dated and numbered to convention. Built for a small legal practice; shared in case it's useful in yours.

Requires macOS 13.0 (Ventura) or later

New File Note
SMITH John – Estate of
013456
File Note
Spoke with client regarding timeline. Advised on next steps and confirmed key details... |

What it does

1
Right-click a project folder Or press ⌃⌥⌘N, or use the menu bar icon
2
Write the note Reference, client and date are read from the folder name
3
Save A dated, numbered PDF or Markdown file lands in the folder, named to convention

Three ways to start a note

Menu bar, keyboard shortcut, or right-click in Finder. All open the same panel.

Menu Bar

Click the NoteDrop icon in your menu bar. Always one click away.

Keyboard Shortcut
esc
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
F6
`
1
2
3
4
5
6
tab
Q
W
E
R
T
caps
A
S
D
F
G
shift
Z
X
C
V
B
fn
N

Press N from anywhere. Instant capture.

Finder Context Menu
013456 SMITH John – Estate of
📁 Correspondence
📁 Documents
📁 Assets
New Folder
Get Info
Quick Actions
New File Note
Rotate Left
Create PDF
Copy
Share...

Right-click any folder → Quick Actions → New File Note.

Pro tip: Map Caps Lock to Hyper Key with Hyperkey, Raycast, or BetterTouchTool for one-key access.

Industry profiles

Labels and folder parsing follow the profile you pick — Legal, Medical, Real Estate, Accounting, or Generic.

Your Firm Name
Matter No. 013456
Client SMITH John
Matter Type Estate of
FILE NOTE
Legal

Labels follow the profile

Select your industry profile during setup. NoteDrop automatically uses the right terminology for your PDF headers and folder parsing.

Industry-specific labels
Flexible folder parsing
Change anytime in Settings
Auto-cycling through profiles

Folder detection

NoteDrop reads the folder structure you already have.

📁 Projects
📂 013456 SMITH John – Estate of
📁 Correspondence ← saves here
📁 Documents
📁 Assets

How a folder is read

  • Any folder in the project resolves to the right save location
  • Save subfolder (e.g. Correspondence) configurable per industry
  • Reference, client and type parsed from the folder name
  • Detection method — numeric prefix, any parseable name, or manual

Output formats

Save as PDF, Markdown, or both.

Your Firm Name
Reference 013456
Name SMITH John
Type Estate of
Date 17 January 2026 at 2:34 pm
Author J. Smith
FILE NOTE
Spoke with client regarding timeline.

Key points discussed:
• Confirmed details are correct
• Advised on next steps
• Scheduled follow-up for next week

Action: Prepare documents for review.

Output formats

  • PDF — printable file notes with a letterhead-style header
  • Markdown — plain text with YAML frontmatter
  • Both — save PDF and Markdown simultaneously

Features

  • Voice dictation — one-click access to macOS dictation
  • Text formatting — bold, italic and lists render in the PDF
  • Multi-page PDFs — long notes flow across pages
  • Custom labels — adapts to your industry
  • Auto-naming — consistent file naming

Custom note types

Built-in types plus add your own. Hide types you don't use.

Privacy

No internal storage

Notes are saved directly to your folders. NoteDrop keeps nothing.

No tracking

Notes never leave your Mac. No cloud sync, no analytics, no telemetry — the only network use is the update check.

Signed & notarized

Signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple. Updates arrive through the app.

Your folders are the record

Notes are ordinary files in your existing folder structure. Remove NoteDrop and everything stays where it is.

Download

Free to use. Built for one practice — if it helps yours, that's grand.

Notarized by Apple. Updates arrive through the app.

Optional — leave an email if you'd like a note when something significant ships. Nothing else, ever.