Writing

Extension-free bookmarking

DoubleMemory started as an experiment: could I capture text just by pressing ⌘C twice, on purpose? I'm sure I'm not alone in that instinctive double press, as if copying harder would make the text stick. It turned out it could. That's how the DoubleMemory command was born, and it's still the most unique thing about the app: it uses an action people already do by accident to save something that matters.

Most bookmark managers and read-it-later apps ask you to install a browser extension first. DoubleMemory works with the habits you already have instead.

Why not an extension

An extension only lives in one browser. It needs permission to read the pages you visit, it has to be built and kept up to date for every browser and every store, and it does nothing for the things you meet outside the browser: a line in a PDF, a link in a chat, an address in an email, a command in the terminal.

Copying works everywhere. Every app on your Mac already knows how to copy, so double ⌘C works in all of them, with nothing to install.

The messy reality of the clipboard

Since starting this experiment, I've run into plenty of messy realities. The clipboard is basically global shared state: every app can read it and every app can write to it. Some apps write to it twice on their own. The Arc address bar, for example, copies twice whenever you copy from it. Password managers, clipboard tools and scripts can all fill it without you pressing anything, and any of them can accidentally look like a double copy.

So double copy has grown some guardrails on the Mac:

  • An ignore list. Add the apps whose copies should never be saved, and DoubleMemory skips automatic saves while they are active.
  • A window you control. Choose how close together the two copies have to be, from 2 to 10 seconds (5 by default).
  • A minimum gap. Require the two copies to be at least some time apart, so an app that writes twice in an instant doesn't count.
  • An off switch. Turn double capture off from the menu bar whenever it gets in the way.

Even so, some false triggers are inevitable when every app shares one clipboard. That's why double ⌘C is only one of many ways to save.

Every other way in, on the Mac

  • Double ⇧. Tap Shift twice to save the current selection without copying it at all (this needs Accessibility permission).
  • ⌘⇧D. Save whatever is already on your clipboard. You can change the shortcut.
  • The Services menu. Select text or a link in any app, right-click, and choose Keep in DoubleMemory.
  • The share sheet. Share to DoubleMemory from any app that has a Share button.
  • Drag and drop. Drop a link or some text on the DoubleMemory window, its Dock icon or its menu bar icon.
  • Shortcuts and Siri. Save from your own shortcuts, or just ask Siri.
  • The URL scheme. Anything that can open doublememory://add can save, including Raycast and Alfred scripts.
  • PopClip. A Save to DoubleMemory button in the PopClip bar.
  • The dbm command line. You, your scripts and your AI agents can save from the terminal.

And on iPhone and iPad

There's no clipboard magic on iOS, so it has its own set of ways in:

  • The Action Button or Back Tap. My favorite. Point the Action Button, or Back Tap (a double tap on the back of the phone), at a DoubleMemory shortcut, and saving is one press. A small card drops in from the top of the screen to confirm, with an optional button to add tags right there.
  • The share sheet. By default, sharing to DoubleMemory saves instantly with no view at all. Turn on Show Share Capture Details in Settings and you get a saved preview instead: leave it and it closes on its own, or tap Tags & notes to keep it open and add tags or a note.
  • Quick add. The + in the bottom bar adds an item by typing, or saves your clipboard, your latest screenshot or a photo from your library.
  • Controls. Add Quick Capture to Control Center or the Lock Screen.
  • Siri. Say "Add to DoubleMemory".
  • Drag and drop on iPad. Drag a link or some text from any app straight into DoubleMemory.

Maybe one day, an extension

None of this rules out a browser extension. If enough people want one, we may add it someday. If you're one of the people who still prefers saving from the browser toolbar, let us know: email hi@doublememory.com or tell us in the Discord.

You can see every way to save, by platform, on the Features page.