Quick Capture does more than just add a task title. Once you know the full syntax, you can tag projects, set priorities and add due dates without ever opening the planning view.

Basic usage

Press Option Space, type the task title, press Enter. If you have not set this up yet, start with the Quick Capture article first. This is all most people need most of the time — the sections below cover the extended syntax.

Adding a project tag

Type a hash symbol followed by the project name to assign the task to a project at capture time. For example: Send revised proposal #ClientWork. If the project name matches an existing project, Aftertone assigns it automatically. If it does not match anything, Aftertone creates a new project with that name.

Setting priority at capture

Add an exclamation mark followed by a number to set priority. One exclamation mark sets High priority, two sets Medium, three sets Low. For example: Call James about contract !! assigns Medium priority. You can combine this with a project tag in the same capture.

Setting a due date at capture

Type the at symbol followed by a date to set a due date. Aftertone understands natural language dates. For example: Submit report @friday or @march31 both work. The date is converted to the correct calendar date automatically.

Capturing multiple tasks at once

Press Shift Enter instead of Enter after each task title to add another task without closing the capture window. You can add as many tasks as you need this way. Press Enter on the last one to submit them all at once. This is useful at the end of a meeting when you have several actions to capture quickly.

If Quick Capture stops working

The shortcut requires accessibility permissions. Go to System Settings, Privacy and Security, Accessibility and make sure Aftertone is listed and enabled. If it is already listed, try toggling it off and on again. If the problem continues, quit and relaunch Aftertone.

👉 Try it now — Try a capture with a project tag: press Option Space and type a task title followed by #YourProjectName. See it land in the right project in your inbox.