Five Minute Note
Scratchpad that deletes itself
Only for Mac
Free
Mac
A menubar scratchpad that self-destructs. Hit a hotkey, dump a quick thought, walk away. Five minutes later it's gone. Nothing saved, nothing synced, no cleanup.
Five Minute Note is a menubar scratchpad that destroys itself.
Press a global hotkey, jot whatever you need (a phone number, a passing thought, an API key, a quick to-do), and the timer starts. The note self-destructs 5 minutes after your last keystroke. Keep typing and it stays; stop, and the countdown runs. Nothing is ever saved to disk, and nothing syncs.
The same hotkey shows and hides the window, so you can summon the note, tuck it away, and call it back as many times as you like. Hiding never pauses or destroys it; the timer keeps running underneath the whole time. Only the clock ends a note. When it hits zero, the note is destroyed whether it is on screen or hidden. No file, no history, no cleanup.
WHY IT EXISTS
Some notes aren't meant to be kept. The number someone reads you. An idea you need to hold for thirty seconds. The thing you'll paste into a form in a moment. Saving them is friction, and cleaning them up later is more friction. Five Minute Note skips both. It forgets so you don't have to.
HOW IT WORKS
Hotkey the window open from any app and start typing
Every keystroke resets the 5-minute timer, so it lives as long as you're working
Stop typing and the countdown begins, shown in the corner and as a draining pie in the menubar
Hotkey it away to hide it, then hotkey again to bring it right back; the timer keeps running while it's hidden
At zero the note is destroyed, on screen or silently
MAKE IT YOURS
Set any global hotkey
Pick the window color
Add 5 minutes with a tap, or trash the note instantly
PRIVATE BY DESIGN
Your text never touches the disk and never leaves your Mac. No account, no network, no analytics, no tracking. When a note's time is up, it's simply gone.
Five Minute Note does one thing well. It is the place to put something you don't want to keep.
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
The developer, Samuel Rulon-Miller, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Samuel Rulon-Miller
- Size
- 169.4 KB
- Category
- Productivity
- Compatibility
Requires macOS 13.0 or later.
- Mac
Requires macOS 13.0 or later.
- Mac
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Copyright
- © 2026 Samuel Rulon-Miller