Menu Bar Quick Entry

Day One for Mac

The Menu Bar Quick Entry in macOS is designed to be a convenient way to quickly jot down thoughts without having to open the whole app, particularly when used in tandem with periodic reminders during the day.

How to set the Day One menu bar quick entry 

1. Open Day One > Settings > General
2. Enable the first option called Show Menu Bar Entry
3. A pop-up will ask you to confirm the change — click Show Day One in Menu Bar.

Alternatively, you can also:

1. Go to Settings > Reminders.
2. Click the check box next to “Enable Reminders.”

Using the Quick Entry Window

Once the menu bar quick entry is open, a small rectangular window appears, allowing you to type your new entry. The journal where this entry will be saved is shown in the bottom-left corner.

In the top-left corner, the X icon lets you close the window. You can also simply click outside the quick entry window to close it.

In the top-right corner, you’ll find a three-dot menu with the following options:

• Enable reminders
• Add location
• Open Day One
• Preferences
• Quit Day One 

Next to this menu, the icon with two overlapping rectangles (also called the Open in App icon) opens the current entry in the full Day One app. This allows you to continue editing or formatting it using all available tools (like media, templates, etc.).

If you have more than one journal, you can choose which one to use by clicking the dropdown in the bottom-left corner. A tag icon next to it allows you to add tags to your quick entry.

At the bottom-right corner, you’ll see two buttons:

• Open – opens the full Day One app with the entry ready to continue.
• Save – saves the quick entry without opening the main app.

How to Remove the Menu Bar Quick Entry

Once you enable the Day One menu bar quick entry, it will launch at startup and will be available even when the Day One macOS app is closed. 

To close it:

1. Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of the quick entry window.
2. Select Quit Day One*.

*Note: Quitting from the menu bar only closes the quick entry; it does not quit the full Day One app.

To fully disable the menu bar quick entry:

1. Open Day One > Settings > General.
2. Toggle off Show Menu Bar Entry.

How to Sync your Menu Bar Quick Entries 

The Menu Bar Quick Entry is a handy tool for capturing thoughts quickly without needing to open the full app, but the sync process doesn’t fully complete until the main Day One application is launched. This is because the Menu Bar entry is essentially a lightweight extension of the main app, and some sync operations are only triggered when the full application is running.

To ensure your quick entries are synced in your Day One macOS app:

1.  Open the main Day One app briefly after creating Menu Bar Quick Entry to ensure they sync.
2. Use the Command+S keyboard shortcut while in the Day One macOS app to trigger a sync.