File Shortcuts

Turn any file or folder on your computer into a clickable shortcut inside a note, like a bookmark for your files.

Adding a File Shortcut

Drag a file or folder from your file manager and drop it into a note. A clickable shortcut appears with an icon that matches the file type.

BetterStickies picks the right icon automatically: documents, spreadsheets, images, music, videos, code files, archives, discs, fonts, and more. Icons are drawn in the same blue as the filename beside them, dimmed, so they read as part of the shortcut without competing with its name, and they grow and shrink with the note's text size.

The icon is a picture, not a character: it isn't part of the shortcut's name, so it never turns up in exports, search results, or reminder titles.

Shortcuts made before this update keep their old emoji icons and keep working exactly as before. To give one the new look, drag the file in again.

Opening a File

Click the shortcut to open the file in its default app. For example, a PDF shortcut opens in your PDF reader, and a folder shortcut opens in your file manager.

Moving a Shortcut Within a Note

Drag a shortcut to a different spot in the same note to move it there. The shortcut is repositioned, not copied, and it's a single step, so Ctrl+Z puts it back. Dropping it where it already is does nothing.

If you drop it onto another shortcut, it lands neatly beside that one rather than in the middle of its name.

Dragging Files Out

You can also drag a file shortcut out of a note and drop it into your file manager or desktop. This copies the original file to wherever you drop it. The original stays where it was.

Dragging a shortcut into a different note copies it there, leaving the first note's shortcut in place.

Right-Click Options

Right-click a file shortcut to:

Show in File Manager: opens the folder containing the file and highlights it
Rename: change the display text without changing the file (the icon stays put; you can right-click the icon itself and get the same result)
Copy File Path (or Copy Folder Path): copy the path to your clipboard
Remove: turn the shortcut back into plain text, icon and all (the actual file is not affected)

Tips

You can drop multiple files at once: each gets its own shortcut
Shortcuts work with files anywhere on your computer, including external drives
If you move or delete the original file, the shortcut will still be there but won't be able to open it
Dropping a file the app can't reach (common on Flatpak and Snap, where access to folders is restricted) still creates the shortcut, and you'll get one warning explaining how to grant access
Dropping an image file that can't be read (a damaged photo, or an unusual format) creates a shortcut to it instead of silently doing nothing