Support
Is it really free?
Yes. There are no in-app purchases, no subscription and no ads. One download covers Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
What do I need to run it?
macOS 14 Sonoma or later, iOS or iPadOS 18 or later, or watchOS 10 or later. The watch app needs a paired iPhone with the app installed.
How do I sync between devices?
Choose a sync option the first time you open the app, or later in Settings. Every device must be signed in to the same iCloud account. On a new device, choose “I already use it on my Mac” and it joins the pad you already have.
I forgot my passphrase.
Choose “Use recovery code” on the locked screen and type the 25-character code you saved when you turned the lock on. Case, spaces and hyphens do not matter. If you have lost both the passphrase and the recovery code, the pad cannot be opened by anyone, including us.
Where did my scratch go?
Deleted scratches go to Recently Deleted, in the ⋯ menu on iPhone and at the foot of the sidebar on Mac and iPad. Restore puts a scratch back where it was. Scratches are removed for good after 30 days.
Why do I see two copies of a scratch?
If the same scratch was edited on two devices before they synced, the app keeps both rather than overwriting one. One of them is marked as a conflicting copy. Keep what you want and delete the rest.
The watch says “Open Scratchpad on your iPhone”.
The watch gets its list from your iPhone. Open the app on the iPhone once and the watch will fill in. If the pad is locked, the watch shows Locked until you unlock it on the iPhone.
How do I get text out of the app?
Share, copy or print from any scratch. On a Mac you can also drag a scratch into another app. Everything leaves as plain Markdown.
How do I stop syncing and remove my data from iCloud?
Open Settings and choose Remove from iCloud. This deletes the encrypted copy and the key stored in iCloud. Your scratches stay on the device you do it from.
Does the app collect any data?
No. See the privacy policy for exactly what iCloud can and cannot see when sync is on.