If there is a feature in Bear for Mac that doesn’t have a keyboard shortcut, there is an easy way to add your own. There are various reasons for why we do and don’t add shortcuts for some features. Fortunately, you can create your own—not just for Bear, but virtually any Mac app.
A quick note
One of the big reasons we might choose to not add a keyboard shortcut boils down to collisions with other apps.
On the Mac, there is a broad variety of system-wide utilities and features that set their own shortcuts. Generally, those will override app-only shortcuts and cause all kinds of confusion. We might pick a shortcut that seems obvious for a feature, but some other app you have installed may already have claimed it.
While you can usually change these system-wide shortcuts, we think this is one of the reasons why Apple introduced the feature we’re about to show you.
Create your own (Bear) keyboard shortcuts
If there is a Bear feature you can find in the menu bar that doesn’t have a keyboard shortcut, here is how to assign a shortcut you choose:
- Find the feature in Bear’s menu and remember its name, including upper- and lower-case words
- Quit Bear
- Go to the Apple Menu > System Preferences > Keyboard pane
- Click the Shortcuts tab
- In the left column, Click the App Shortcuts section
- Click the ➕ button to create a new shortcut for Bear
- In the sheet that appears, choose Bear as the app
- For the Menu Name field, type the feature’s name as it is labeled in its menu in Bear
- Click Ok
- Launch Bear and try your rockin’ new shortcut
Final thoughts
As your fascinatingly clever mind might surmise, these instructions should work for nearly any feature found in any app you have installed.
Just be aware that some system-wide apps—especially ones that live in the menu bar—may have already claimed your intended shortcut. These can include things like password managers, bookmarking tools, capture utilities, and more.
In these cases, you will likely have to choose whether to change that app’s shortcut or the one you set for Bear.
We trust you to make the choice that works for you.
Photo by Sergi Kabrera on Unsplash