Leaf help

Getting started

Leaf isn't on sale yet. This page is here so early testers can find their way around.

1. Open Leaf and sign in with your Meadow account.
2. Open a file with File › Open, or a whole folder with Open Folder… (⇧⌘O). The folder shows as a file tree beside the text.
3. Press ⌘P and type a few letters to jump to any file in that folder. Files open as tabs of the same window.
4. Want Leaf for a file type every time? In Finder, choose a file, Get Info, pick Leaf under Open With and click Change All. Leaf never makes itself the default.

What you can do

• Opens fast, even a 50 MB log. Past 1 MB of text Leaf turns highlighting off so it stays quick (the status bar says so).
• Highlighting for 28 languages and formats: JSON, YAML, TOML, INI and .env, XML and HTML, CSS, JavaScript and TypeScript, Python, Swift, Shell, SQL, Go, Rust, Ruby, C, C++, Objective-C, Java, Kotlin, Markdown, CSV and TSV, logs and diffs. Leaf picks the language for you; click it in the status bar to change it.
• An editor's basics: line numbers, Go to Line, matching brackets, auto-indent, toggle comment, duplicate and move lines, sort lines, show invisibles, find and replace.
• A folder beside the text with ⌘P Quick Open. It skips .git, node_modules and build folders.
• PDFs and pictures open for a quick look: PDFs with thumbnails, search and zoom; PNG, JPEG, GIF, HEIC, WebP, TIFF, BMP and SVG in a zoomable viewer.
• Markdown preview beside the text, and JSON pretty-print and validate (it points at the exact line and column).
• Your file stays your file: Leaf keeps its encoding, byte order mark and line endings unless you change them.
• Sync to Burrow (optional): the text files in folders you pick show up in Burrow, where you can read, search and edit them.

Keyboard shortcuts

Permissions, and why

• Files and Folders: macOS may ask the first time you open something in Desktop, Documents or Downloads. Leaf only reads the files and folders you open.
• Leaf doesn't need the microphone, the camera or screen recording.

What stays on your Mac

• Your files stay on your Mac. Leaf edits them in place, with Autosave and Versions.
• Sync to Burrow is off by default. Turn it on in Leaf › Sync to Burrow… and pick folders (or use File › Save to Burrow for one file). Text files up to 1 MB in those folders sync both ways with your Meadow account; PDFs, images and other binary files never leave your Mac.
• Edits made in Burrow come back to the file on Leaf's next sync. If both sides changed, Leaf keeps both and saves a "(Burrow conflict)" copy.

Troubleshooting

No colours in a big file. Leaf turns highlighting off past 1 MB of text to stay fast. The status bar says when it has.

.ts files open in another app. macOS thinks .ts is video. Open TypeScript from Leaf's File › Open or from a folder.

A permission stopped working after an update. macOS can tie a permission to the exact build of an app. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Files and Folders, switch Leaf off and on again (or remove it with − and add it back), then quit and reopen Leaf.

The sign-in code hasn't arrived. It comes from Meadow, usually within a minute. Check spam and promotions. You can ask for a new one after 60 seconds with Resend Code; the last code still works. More in Signing in.

I paid but Leaf still shows the paywall. Click I've Paid — Check Again. Leaf also checks by itself when you bring it to the front, when your Mac wakes, and every few minutes while it's locked. Make sure you're signed in with the same email you paid with (it shows under the buttons as "Signed in as …"). Still locked? Contact support and we'll sort it out.

System requirements

• macOS 14 or later.
• A Meadow account with Leaf in your plan, once it's on sale.