// docs · using snipstack
Quick search window
The global hotkey, the keys in the floating search window, auto-paste and the tray menu.
Quick search is a small floating window that opens over any app. Search, press Enter, and the snippet is on your clipboard; focus goes back to the app you were in.
Opening it
The global hotkey is Option+Space or Ctrl+Shift+Space (Option+Space on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+Space on Windows and Linux). Press it again to hide the window. Change it under Settings > General > Global quick-search hotkey; see Settings.
You can also open it from:
- Quick search in the tray or menu bar menu;
- the palette action Open quick search;
- the command line:
snipstack --quick. On Linux desktops where global shortcuts are not available, bind this command in your desktop’s keyboard settings.
The window stays on top of other windows. On macOS it also shows on every Space and over full-screen apps. It hides when it loses focus; closing it only hides it.
Keys
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Up / Down, or Control+N or Ctrl+N / Control+P or Ctrl+P | Move through the results |
| Enter | Copy and close |
| Cmd+Enter or Ctrl+Enter | Copy and paste into the previous app (when auto-paste is on; otherwise copy) |
| Option+Enter or Alt+Enter | Fill variables |
| Cmd+O or Ctrl+O | Open in Snipstack |
| Esc | Back / close |
Control+N or Ctrl+N and Control+P or Ctrl+P use the Control key on every system, macOS included.
With an empty search, the window lists up to 20 snippets, most recently used first, then ones you have never used.
Variables
Enter copies at once if the snippet has no variables, or if every variable has a remembered value or a default. Otherwise the fill pane opens:
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Tab | Next field |
| Enter | Copy |
| Cmd+Enter or Ctrl+Enter | Paste (when auto-paste is on) |
| Esc | Back to the results |
Auto-paste
By default, quick search only copies. Turn on Settings > General > Paste into the active app and Cmd+Enter or Ctrl+Enter copies, then pastes where you were typing. The clipboard is always written first, so if the paste fails you still have the text (“Copied. Paste failed.”).
| System | How it pastes | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| macOS | Sends Cmd+V through System Events | Accessibility access for Snipstack. The setting has an Open Accessibility settings button. |
| Windows | Sends Ctrl+V through PowerShell | Nothing to install. |
| Linux | Sends Ctrl+V with a helper tool | xdotool on X11, wtype on Wayland. Without one, the setting is disabled and says which to install. |
Tray and menu bar
Snipstack keeps an icon in the system tray (the menu bar on macOS) while Show in tray is on, which is the default. Closing the main window keeps Snipstack running there, so the hotkey stays ready. The menu has:
- the sync status;
- up to 8 recent snippets (or your favorites when there are no recent ones): click one to copy its first fragment, or to fill its variables first;
- Quick search, Open Snipstack, Sync now (when a database is connected) and Settings…;
- Support Snipstack (opens the developer’s support page in your browser) and Quit Snipstack.
On Windows, clicking the tray icon opens the main window. If the hotkey could not be registered, the menu item reads Quick search (hotkey unavailable) and opens the hotkey setting.