The Cool Country Consulting Blog

OK so you’ve decided you want to try Google Keep. But it’s a pain having to go and find it – by the time you’ve found it you’ve forgotten what you wanted to ‘keep’ in the first place.

Google Keep doesn’t have a desktop application – it exists only within a web browser window. It also lacks any kind of screen clipping capability so it is borderline useless; but the ability to sync with Android devices is handy.

Edit 2: (June 2016) Chrome users: Just click “Hamburger” –> More Tools –> Add to Desktop

Edit: Chrome users: No need to do these steps – just click Menu — Tools — Create Application Shortcuts.

Here’s how I (sort of) solved the problem of having a shortcut to Google Keep.

(These instructions are for Firefox, but can be adapted for Chrome users.)

1 – Put “Google Keep” into a Pinned Tab in Firefox. (Right click the tab, choose “Pin Tab”)

2 – Download and install “AutoHotKey” (Genuinely free at http://www.autohotkey.com/)

When you open AutoHotKey for the first time, it will bring up a sample script that you can edit. All you need to do is add the following:

^5::
WinActivate, ahk_class MozillaWindowClass
Send ^6
return

Explanation:

^5 — that’s Ctrl + 5; the key combination I chose to open Google Keep

WinActivate, ahk_class MozillaWindowClass — That’s what “Firefox” is called – use the “Window Spy” program if you need to identify another browser. Chrome for example appears to be ahk_class Chrome_WidgetWin_1

Send ^6 — this opens the sixth tab. If Google Keep is your first (pinned) tab then  you’d use ^1 instead.

Return — ends the script.

3 – After saving the Notepad file, Right-click the “AutoHotKey” “H” Icon near your clock (bottom right of the screen) and choose “Reload Script”

4 – Try it out 🙂

If it doesn’t work, perhaps you need to run AHK as administrator; you’re in another application that uses the shortcut key you’re trying to use for Google Keep, or something else went wrong.

I doubt Google will ever release a Windows application for Google Keep. They tend to like to make things difficult for Windows users by not allowing free integration with Windows Contacts, Calendars, etc so it’s unlikely they will bother. Unfortunately for them, this will likely continue to drive people to using the more functional alternatives from Microsoft, Evernote, etc.