NexoPad for Windows: install and get started
The same NexoPad shortcuts you already have, now in the programs on your PC too.
NexoPad for Windows is a free app from the Microsoft Store. Type one of your shortcuts in Word, Outlook, Excel, Teams, WhatsApp, Telegram, Notepad or almost any other program, and NexoPad replaces it with the full text, just like the extension does in the browser.
This guide shows how to install it, what it asks the first time, how to pause it or turn it off in a program, what each page contains and what to do if something goes wrong. Day-to-day use of your shortcuts and the // search is covered in the Windows shortcuts guide, and the screenshot tool in the screenshots guide.
What it is and how it fits with the rest of NexoPad
Windows app
Inserts your shortcuts in the programs on your PC. It has no editor of its own: its New and Edit buttons open the extension's Notebook or the web dashboard.
Use your shortcuts on WindowsBrowser extension
Does the same inside Chrome, Edge, Firefox and other browsers, with the same shortcuts. In browsers it is always the extension that types, never the app.
See the extensionWeb dashboard
At dashboard.nexopad.app you create and edit shortcuts comfortably, see your statistics and manage your account and plan.
All three use the same account. A shortcut you create or change in the extension or the web dashboard reaches the app on its own, and every shortcut you insert on the PC counts in your account statistics. There is more about the app on the NexoPad for Windows page.
Download NexoPad for Windows
Free on the Microsoft Store, with the same account you use in the extension.
Requirements
- Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) or Windows 11, on a 64-bit (x64) PC.
- A NexoPad account. It's free and it's the same one you use in the extension. If you don't have one, the app takes you to create it.
- Your shortcuts. You create them in the extension or the web dashboard. If you don't have any yet, the app offers to open the web dashboard so you can create them.
- Internet to sign in and receive changes. After that, your shortcuts also work offline.
- There is no Mac or Linux version. There you can use your shortcuts in the browser with the extension.
Install and sign in
Install the app from the Microsoft Store
Click Get it from Microsoft Store on this page, or open the Microsoft Store app on your PC and search for "NexoPad". It's free. When it finishes, open it from the Start menu.
Sign in with your account
Use the same account as in the extension, with your email and password or with Continue with Google. With Google, your browser opens: finish there and, when you see "All set", go back to NexoPad.
- If you don't have an account yet, the Create your account tab opens sign-up in the web dashboard.
- If you use two-step verification, NexoPad asks for the 6-digit code from your authenticator app.
Answer "Before you start"
The first time, a window explains how NexoPad works on your PC: it reads the last few characters you type only to recognize your shortcuts, it never stores or sends what you type, it stays out of sensitive apps, and you can pause or quit it from the icon next to the clock.
At the bottom it asks Open NexoPad when your PC starts? With Yes, open at startup, your shortcuts work as soon as you turn on your PC. With Not now, you'll have to open NexoPad yourself every time you start your PC. You can change this anytime in Preferences.
Try your first shortcut
On Home you'll see a 3-step guide: click Open Notepad and type one of your shortcuts (the guide shows you a couple), or type // to search for one. The guide disappears once you insert your first shortcut or click Skip guide.
The icon next to the clock
NexoPad lives in the Windows tray, next to the clock. If it opens when your PC starts, it goes straight there, with no windows. Click the icon to open the NexoPad window, or right-click it to see its menu. If you can't find it, check the ^ arrow on the taskbar: Windows sometimes hides icons there.
Closing the window with the X doesn't turn NexoPad off: your shortcuts keep working. To close it completely, use Quit.
| Menu option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Active / Paused | Shows NexoPad's status. It can't be clicked. |
| Pause for 15 minutes / Pause for 1 hour | Stops inserting shortcuts for that time. Then it starts working again on its own. |
| Resume | Ends the pause right away. It's only available while NexoPad is paused. |
| Take a screenshot | Opens the screenshot tool. More in the screenshots guide. |
| Sync now | Brings in changes to your shortcuts and account right away. |
| Settings | Opens the NexoPad window. |
| Quit | Closes NexoPad completely. Your shortcuts stop working until you open it again. |
// search doesn't open, but the screenshot key still works. You can also pause from the NexoPad window, as shown next.The NexoPad window
| Page | What you'll find |
|---|---|
| Home | The time you've saved this month (counting the extension and the PC), your most used shortcut, this month's uses and whether everything is synced. Below, Your most used, with a button to copy each text. |
| My shortcuts | All your shortcuts with their full text, to search them, copy them or open New and Edit. Details in the shortcuts guide. |
| Screenshots | Your latest screenshots, saved only on this PC. Details in the screenshots guide. |
| Apps | The programs you have open, each with a switch to turn NexoPad off in it. |
| Preferences | Start with Windows, // search, where to create and edit shortcuts, language, screenshots and your account. |
| Help | How it works in 3 steps and quick answers to the most common questions. |
At the top, in the blue header, there's a search box (Search a shortcut or text…) that takes you to My shortcuts, plus your name and plan. Clicking your initial opens a menu with My account, Statistics and Web dashboard, which open in the browser, and Sign out.
Next to it, the Active ▾ pill shows that NexoPad is working. Click it and choose Pause for 15 minutes or Pause for 1 hour. During the pause you'll see Paused with the time left; to come back sooner, click it again and choose Resume.
Where NexoPad types and where it doesn't
NexoPad works in every program where you type, except the ones you turn off and a few where it never acts. To turn it off in one, go to Apps: under Open now on your PC each program appears with its own switch. When you turn it off you'll see Off: shortcuts are not inserted here, and NexoPad stops looking at what you type in that program.
If a program isn't in the list, open it and click Refresh list. The ones you turned off that are closed now stay under Turned off (closed now), so you can turn them back on.
Where it never types
- Browsers such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave, Opera or Vivaldi. The NexoPad extension works there, with the same shortcuts.
- Password managers such as 1Password, Bitwarden, KeePass or LastPass.
- Terminals and consoles: Command Prompt, PowerShell, Windows Terminal, WSL or PuTTY. A shortcut with line breaks could run commands.
- Remote desktop (Remote Desktop Connection, AnyDesk, TeamViewer or RustDesk) and Windows security windows.
- In all of these programs NexoPad keeps nothing of what you type. That's why they don't appear in Apps: they can't be turned on.
Preferences
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Open NexoPad when the computer starts | Starts NexoPad with Windows. It stays next to the clock, with no windows, and your shortcuts work from the start. |
| Search with // | Type // in any program to find a shortcut and insert it. It turns off by itself if you have a shortcut that starts with //. |
| Create and edit shortcuts in | Where New and Edit open: Automatic, the extension's Notebook in Chrome, Edge or Firefox (if you have it installed) or the Web dashboard. With Automatic, NexoPad uses the Notebook if it finds the extension and, if not, the web dashboard. |
| Language | Español, English, Português (Brasil), Français or Deutsch. At first it uses the Windows language, or English if it isn't one of these. It's also the language of the automatic greeting and of the days and months your shortcuts insert. |
| When to start saying "Good afternoon" | For shortcuts with an automatic greeting: "Good morning" in the morning, "Good afternoon" from the time you choose (12:00, 13:00 or 14:00) and "Good evening" from 20:00. |
Further down you'll find Screenshots, with the screenshot key and other options explained in the screenshots guide; Account, with your plan, the Manage button (opens the web dashboard) and Sign out; and About, with the app version, Privacy, Terms of use and Support.
Sync and plan
Your shortcuts live in your NexoPad account. The app downloads them when you sign in and keeps a copy on the PC, so they keep working without internet. In that case, Home shows Offline and Your shortcuts still work; uses made offline are sent when the connection comes back.
Changes arrive on their own: NexoPad checks for updates every 5 minutes while you use the PC and, after you click New or Edit, every 15 seconds for a few minutes. If you don't want to wait, click Sync now in the icon menu or the sync card on Home.
The app is free and uses your account's plan, shown next to your name: Free, Pro or Teams. On the Free plan, Home shows this month's uses (for example, 37 / 200) and the row Free plan · 37 of 200 uses this month with the Upgrade to Pro button, which opens the plans in the web dashboard.
When you reach the limit, typing a shortcut opens a window with Upgrade to Pro and Not now, and the text isn't inserted. Your free uses come back on the 1st of the next month. On Pro and Teams, uses are unlimited. If your team's payment is pending, Home shows Team vault paused: team shortcuts still insert, but they can't be edited until the admin renews the license.
Privacy
- It only looks at the last few characters. To recognize a shortcut, NexoPad remembers at most the last 60 characters you type, only in the PC's memory. They are cleared when you switch windows and are never saved or sent.
- It doesn't send what you type. Your account only receives how many times you use your shortcuts and how many characters they insert. The text you type and the names of the programs where you use them are never sent.
- Clipboard. To insert a text, it puts it on the clipboard for a moment and pastes it. That step stays out of the Windows clipboard history, and afterwards the clipboard is left as it was.
- Protected local copy. The copy on the PC of your shortcuts, your account details, your uses and what you last typed in the small fields window is encrypted with Windows data protection: it can only be read with your Windows user on that PC. Your preferences are stored separately, unencrypted, because they don't contain your texts. The session is kept in Windows Credential Manager.
- No AI, ads or tracking. The app has no artificial intelligence features, shows no ads and uses no analytics tools.
Uninstall NexoPad
Sign out if you want to remove everything
In Preferences › Account, click Sign out. This also deletes the session saved in Windows: if you uninstall without signing out, it stays in Credential Manager.
Uninstall the app like any other
Right-click NexoPad in the Start menu and choose Uninstall. You can also go to Settings › Apps › Installed apps (on Windows 10, Apps & features), find NexoPad and uninstall it.
What stays
The data the app keeps in its folder is deleted. Screenshots you saved in your Pictures folder stay, because they are your files, and your shortcuts remain in your account, ready in the extension and the web dashboard.
Common problems
- A shortcut isn't inserted: check that the pill in the header says Active and not Paused, and that the program isn't turned off in Apps. Remember that NexoPad never types in browsers, password managers or terminals.
- It works everywhere except in one program: if that program was opened as administrator, Windows doesn't let NexoPad type into it. Open it the normal way.
- You see the notice "NexoPad isn't signed in": open NexoPad from the icon next to the clock and sign in.
- A new shortcut doesn't show up: click Sync now. If it still isn't there, you may have limited it to certain websites (those shortcuts are only used in the browser), or it may be a team shortcut that's pending approval or belongs to another department.
- Google sign-in doesn't finish: complete it in the browser tab that opened and, when you see "All set", go back to NexoPad. If more than 5 minutes pass, try again.
- NexoPad doesn't open when the PC starts: check the switch in Preferences. If it keeps turning itself off, enable NexoPad in Windows Settings › Apps › Startup: if you turned it off there, the app can't turn it back on by itself.
- The `//` search doesn't open: check that Search with // is on in Preferences, and type the two slashes at the start or after a space. More in the shortcuts guide.
FAQ
Do I need the extension installed?
No. Your NexoPad account and your shortcuts are enough, and you can create them in the web dashboard. If you have the extension in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, NexoPad can open its Notebook to create and edit shortcuts.
Does the app work inside Chrome or Edge?
No. In browsers the NexoPad extension does the work, with the same shortcuts. If you don't have it, you can install it for free.
Is there a Mac or Linux version?
No. NexoPad for Windows only works on Windows. On Mac and Linux you can use your shortcuts in the browser with the extension.
Does the app take up one of my plan's browser slots?
No. The Windows app doesn't count as a connected browser, so you can use it alongside the extension without taking up a slot.
How do I turn NexoPad off completely?
Right-click the icon next to the clock and choose Quit. To stop it from opening when your PC starts, turn off Open NexoPad when the computer starts in Preferences. If you only want to stop it for a while, use the pause instead.
Does it work without internet?
Yes, with the copy of your shortcuts saved on the PC. You need internet to sign in the first time and to receive changes.
What happens if I sign out?
Your shortcuts stop working on this PC and the copy the app kept is deleted. They stay in your account: when you sign in again, they download again.