Attach files and pictures to tasks and notes, on every device
In Alcove you can attach files, pictures, links, code snippets and text to any task, and put pictures and files inside notes. Drag them in, choose them, or paste them. Since version 1.1 they sync through your own iCloud, so a picture added on the Mac opens on your iPhone and iPad too.
Tasks often come with something: a boarding pass, a receipt, a screenshot of a bug, a PDF to read. In Alcove, that something can live with the task, or inside a note, and follow you to every device.
What you can attach
| Kind | Examples | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Pictures | Screenshots, photos, scans | Tasks and notes |
| Files | PDFs, documents, spreadsheets | Tasks and notes |
| Links | A web page, a booking | Tasks |
| Code snippets | A command, a config, a query | Tasks |
| Text and JSON | Notes, logs, data | Tasks |
Pictures show as previews; PDFs, videos and text open right in Alcove.
Three ways to add them
- Drag and drop a file onto a task or into a note on the Mac.
- Choose from Files, Photos or the camera, including scanning a document, on iPhone and iPad.
- Paste. Copy a screenshot, a photo or a file and paste it into a note or a task's attachments. On iPhone, use the Paste button, so iOS doesn't need to ask.
On every device
From Alcove 1.1, files and pictures sync through your own private iCloud. Add a picture to a note on the Mac and it opens on your iPhone a moment later; take a photo on the iPhone and it's on the Mac. Alcove downloads attachments ahead of time, and straight away when you open one that hasn't arrived yet. Delete an attachment and it's removed everywhere.
Files larger than the limit in Settings (50 MB by default) are kept as a link to the original rather than copied, so they stay on the device you added them from.
With an AI assistant
Turn on Alcove's MCP server and approve an assistant like Claude, and it can work with attachments too: look at a picture, read a text, code or PDF file, or add files and pictures to tasks and notes. Nothing is shared until you approve it, and every call is logged. See connecting an AI assistant.
Privacy
Attachments stay on your devices and in your own iCloud, never on an Alcove server. There's no account and no tracking.
Questions people ask
Do attachments sync between my Mac and iPhone?
Yes, from Alcove 1.1. Files and pictures you attach, or paste into a note, are stored in your own private iCloud and download on your other devices, ahead of time and straight away when you open one.
Is there a size limit?
Files are copied into Alcove up to the size set in Settings (50 MB by default). A larger file is kept as a link to where it is on the device you added it from, and doesn't sync.
Can I paste a screenshot into a note?
Yes. Copy a screenshot or a picture and paste it into a note or a task's attachments. A file copied in the Finder or Files pastes as that file.
Can an AI assistant read my attachments?
Yes, if you turn on Alcove's MCP server and approve the assistant. It can see pictures, read text, code and PDF files, and add files and pictures to tasks and notes.
Where are my attachments stored?
On your devices and in your own iCloud. There's no Alcove server and no account.