SideNote Pro

Guide

Set up and use SideNote Pro

Install SideNote Pro, connect your own AI provider or a local model, then learn each part in turn. For what it can do, see features. For advice on better results, see tips.

Start here

Three steps from install to a first answer. The whole walkthrough is Getting started.

  1. Install and start the trial

    Install from the Microsoft Store, then confirm the free trial on first launch.

  2. Connect your first AI provider

    Sign in with OpenRouter in your browser, paste an OpenAI key, or point a profile at a local model.

  3. Send your first request

    Ask from the docked panel and see how a conversation starts.

Connect your AI

A hosted provider, a model on your own PC, or any compatible endpoint. New to bring your own key? Start with BYOK explained.

  • BYOK explained

    What BYOK means, when it is the right choice, and when it is not.

  • OpenRouter setup

    Approve SideNote Pro in your browser instead of pasting a key, and know what it stores, what it costs and where requests go.

  • OpenAI setup

    Create a key, connect it in the quick setup or by hand, and send a first request without writing code.

  • Ollama setup

    Run models on your own machine through Ollama's OpenAI-compatible endpoint.

  • LM Studio setup

    Local models with a graphical manager, through LM Studio's local server.

  • Custom compatible providers

    The exact contract SideNote Pro expects, and where compatibility usually breaks.

Models and reasoning

Decide what each task goes to. These two guides save the most time and money.

Work with your content

Documents, folders, screenshots and the text you are already writing or reading.

  • Documents and files

    Attach documents and ask questions that produce useful answers.

  • Scanned PDF pages

    Send chosen PDF pages as images to a model that accepts images, with no local OCR.

  • Local folder context

    Index a folder, ask questions, check the sources.

  • Screenshots and images

    Capture, attach, and ask questions that use the image well.

  • Selected-text actions

    Select, press Ctrl+Shift+Q, choose an action, and put the answer back.

  • Inline commands

    Feature page

    Type /fix, /en, /short or /formal and your text in another app, then Tab, to rewrite it in place.

  • Inline translation

    Feature page

    Type /en and a message in your own language, press Tab, and it becomes English in the same field.

Manage your work

What happens to a conversation after the answer arrives, and the notes you keep beside it.

  • Managing conversations

    History, search, retention, export, and how context compaction works.

  • Takeaways

    Feature page

    Keep decisions, next steps and useful answers beside a conversation, saved by hand or suggested automatically.

  • Active Notes

    Feature page

    Notes on your PC, stored as plain text and readable formatted, that float beside your work and go into a message only when you attach them.

  • Exporting to PDF

    Turn one response into a shareable document, rendered locally.

Privacy and troubleshooting

Exactly what stays local and what does not, and what to check when something does not work.

  • BYOK and privacy

    What BYOK does and does not do for privacy, and where your data goes.

  • Troubleshooting

    Diagnose provider, shortcut, attachment and capture problems.