Support
How can I help?
Write any time, about a bug, an idea or a question. Every message is read by the person who makes Alcove.
Common questions
How do I add a task from anywhere on my Mac?
Press ⌥ Space in any app, type the task and press Return. Write it the way you'd say it, such as "Call mum friday 6pm !high", and Alcove fills in the date, time and priority. ⌥ ⌘ N opens a quick note. Both shortcuts can be changed in Settings ▸ Shortcuts.
My tasks aren't syncing between devices
Sync goes through your iCloud, so check these in order:
- Every device is signed in to the same Apple Account with iCloud turned on.
- Sync with iCloud is on in Alcove's settings on each device.
- The device is online and your iCloud storage isn't full. Alcove shows the sync status and the reason if something is wrong.
- Still stuck? Use Force a resync in settings.
Attached files and pictures sync too, through your private iCloud, and open on your other devices once they have arrived. A file too large to copy stays linked on the device you added it on.
Reminders aren't arriving
Make sure notifications are allowed for Alcove in your device's Settings ▸ Notifications, then use Send a test reminder in Alcove's settings. It should arrive within five seconds. Quiet reminders go to the notification list without a banner or sound; choose Notification or Alarm if you want to be interrupted. A Focus mode can hold back any reminder, and your silent switch still applies.
I ticked a repeating task and it came back
That's how repeating tasks work: a tick moves it to its next date, and a note shows where it went with an Undo button. To finish a repeating task for good, right-click it (or press and hold on iPhone and iPad) and choose Complete and stop repeating.
How do I undo something?
Press ⌘ Z on the Mac. On iPhone and iPad, use the undo button, or just shake your iPhone. Alcove keeps up to 100 steps, typing included. Every task, note, list and tag also keeps a history of its changes.
I can't see the icon in my menu bar
Alcove lives in the menu bar and has no Dock icon. On a crowded menu bar, macOS can hide icons behind the camera notch. Quitting or rearranging another menu-bar app makes room. Holding ⌘ while dragging menu-bar icons lets you move Alcove's kite further right.
How do I connect an AI assistant like Claude?
On the Mac, open Alcove's settings, choose MCP, turn on Local MCP server and use Copy MCP config to get the snippet for your assistant app. The first time the assistant connects it waits for your approval, and you choose what it may do. Every request is listed in the activity log.
Can I get my tasks and notes out of Alcove?
Yes. Choose Export as Markdown in Settings ▸ Alcove Unlock to save every list, task and note as one Markdown file that any notes or writing app can open. To take a single note, use Copy as Markdown on it, and tables copy as Markdown tables with their totals. Both keep working after the free trial ends, whether or not you unlock.
Which devices are supported?
Mac with macOS 14 or later, and iPhone and iPad with iOS or iPadOS 17.4 or later. Control Center controls need iOS 18, and meeting notes need macOS 26 or iOS and iPadOS 26.
Trial and purchases
How do I restore my purchase?
Open Alcove's settings, choose Alcove Unlock, then Restore purchases. The same button is on the unlock screen. Make sure the device is signed in to the App Store with the Apple Account you bought Alcove with. One purchase covers your Mac, iPhone and iPad, so you can restore it on each of them.
What is free, and what does Alcove Unlock add?
Alcove is free to use. Tasks and reminders without a limit, Today, Upcoming and the calendar, quick add, the Mac menu bar, widgets, notes and the Notifications page are free for good, with three lists and three meeting recordings.
Alcove Unlock is a one-time purchase of $29.99 in the US for your Mac, iPhone and iPad. It adds unlimited lists, folders and boards, iCloud sync across your devices, unlimited meeting notes, alarm reminders, Siri and Shortcuts, Speak tasks, AI assistants, files on tasks, floating windows and every theme. The App Store shows the price in your local currency.
How does the free trial work?
The trial is 14 days of everything the unlock adds, and it's there whenever you want it: Alcove offers it beside the price when you reach for something the unlock covers, and in Settings ▸ Alcove Unlock. It runs on the same dates on every device signed in to your Apple Account, never turns into a charge, and each Apple Account can start it once. Two days before it ends, Alcove sends one notification, if you allow notifications.
When the trial ends without the unlock, Alcove goes back to the free version. Your tasks, lists, boards and notes all stay; you just can't make more than the free version allows until you unlock.
Why does a button open the unlock screen?
That button leads to something Alcove Unlock adds, such as a fourth list, a board, an alarm or iCloud sync. The screen names it, lists what the unlock includes and offers the free trial. Already bought Alcove, or have it through Family Sharing? Choose Restore purchases on the same screen.
Does Family Sharing work?
Yes. When you buy the unlock, the people in your Family Sharing group get it too, on their own devices and with their own lists. If it hasn't appeared for someone, check that purchase sharing is turned on in your Family Sharing settings, then have them choose Restore purchases in Settings ▸ Alcove Unlock.
How do I get a refund?
Alcove is sold through the App Store, so Apple handles refunds. Go to reportaproblem.apple.com, sign in with your Apple Account and choose Request a refund. After a refund, adding and editing pause again, unless your free trial still has days left. Your tasks and notes stay readable and in sync either way.
Privacy
Alcove has no account and no tracking, and your data stays on your devices and in your own iCloud. Read the full Privacy Policy.