01
Click the menu bar
Tangent waits quietly at the top of your Mac, without interrupting you or taking up Dock space. Right-click to see your bubble and station counts.
A little breathing room for your Mac
Let your thoughts
float.
An idea can wait without getting lost. Capture it in a second, let it float on your desktop, and group it in a collection station when you are ready. Then get back to what matters now.
▧ Brief.pdf
▧ Research
Ask the designer
about empty states
Try that bakery
this weekend 🥐
Reply to email
TangentGive passing thoughts a little space
⚙
Look up Tokyo exhibitions
● Out of the Dock. There when you need it.
Have a thought→Let it float→Stay focused→Come back later
Clear your head in three seconds
Give thoughts a home.
Keep your focus.
No new workspace. No sorting things first. Just capture the thought.
02
Type. Press Return.
No titles, tags, or due dates. The input is already focused. One sentence is all you need.
03
Let it float
Keep it in sight. Drag it into a collection station when you want to organize, and pop it when you are done.
Your turn
That little thought?
Leave it here.
Type a thought and see how Tangent makes room for your attention. Drag the bubbles around or pop them.
↖ Drag bubbles · Click × to pop
Finish that article
Message Alex
✦
A clear head. Nice.
Light enough to stay out of your way
Every detail helps you
get back to now.
Your thoughts stay on your Mac
Local-first, with no login or cloud. Bubble text, positions, sizes, colors, and shapes are stored on your Mac using SwiftData. Collection stations and settings are saved in local preferences. The app runs in the macOS sandbox and makes no network connections except to verify App Store purchases. It does not collect usage data or analytics.
A shape for every thought
The free bubble shape comes with six soft color presets and custom colors. Premium adds sticky notes, clouds, and bubble tea.
As natural as a sticky note
- ⌁DragPut it where it feels right
- ⌘Scroll to resizeScale from 0.65× to 2.4×
- ✎Edit in placeChange the text and appearance anytime
A home for related thoughts
Create a person or house collection station. Drag bubbles into it to connect them as a group, keeping their text and appearance intact.
- ⌁Drag in to connectSnaps in when the bubble center enters a station
- ↗Pull away to disconnectDisconnects about 48 points outside; reconnect in the same drag
- ☰Manage the whole groupRight-click to rename, restyle, resize, or release all
Done? Pop it.
No checkboxes or archives. Click × or Option-click to turn a finished thought into a little burst of particles and clear it from your desktop.
Make it feel like you
- ↑Launch at loginReady in the menu bar when you start
- ≡Float and stay on topChoose gentle motion and whether bubbles cover other windows
- AChinese and EnglishFollow your system or choose manually
Eight steps to feeling at home
The interactive tour walks you through creating, moving, editing, and resizing a bubble, then creating a station, collecting a bubble, viewing its contents, and popping it. Skip anytime or restart from Settings.
Simple, right down to the price
Start free.
Upgrade once.
The core experience is completely free. No ads, subscriptions, or time limits.
Ready to use🎈
Tangent Free
US$0forever
Catch everyday thoughts with no time limit on the features you use.
- ✓ Unlimited desktop bubbles
- ✓ Bubble shape, six color presets, and custom colors
- ✓ Drag, resize, edit in place, and pop animations
- ✓ Unlimited person and house collection stations
- ✓ Local storage, no account, works offline
- ✓ Launch at login, floating, and always-on-top settings
- ✓ Traditional Chinese and English interface
One-time purchase✦
Tangent Premium
US$4.99one-time
Purchase from the Unlock screen in the app. Final pricing is shown in the Mac App Store.
- ✓ Everything in Free
- ✓ Sticky note, cloud, and bubble tea shapes
- ✓ Future Premium shapes
- ✓ Restore Purchases when you change Macs
- ○ Accounts and cross-device sync are not available
Open Settings → Unlock in the app to purchase.
We only promise what is ready. Tangent currently has no accounts or cloud sync. If we add cross-device features, we will announce them when they are ready.
Tangent 1.0
A lighter head starts
with your next thought.
Free to download. Requires macOS Sonoma 14 or later. Supports Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
Tangent is now on the Mac App Store. Start free and unlock extra shapes with a one-time in-app purchase.
1
Install from the App StoreUse the button above to get Tangent
2
Take the quick tourEight interactive steps on first launch
3
Click 🎈Capture a thought from the menu bar
FAQ
Still
curious?
Cannot find an answer? Email contact@tangent.tw and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Email usHow is Tangent different from a to-do app?
Tangent does not ask you to categorize thoughts, schedule tasks, or manage projects. It gives your attention a little breathing room: catch the detour, then return when you are ready. For a little organization, group related bubbles in a collection station.
Do I need an account?
No. Tangent has no accounts or login. Just open it and start. Premium purchases use your existing Apple Account through the App Store; there is no Tangent account to create.
Are my bubbles uploaded to the cloud?
No. Text, positions, sizes, colors, and shapes are stored on your Mac using SwiftData. Stations and settings live in local preferences. The sandboxed app makes no network connections except to verify App Store purchases, and sends no usage analytics or crash reports.
Can I sync across devices?
Not yet. Tangent 1.0 has no cloud sync, so bubbles do not move to another Mac. You can use Restore Purchases to restore Premium on a new Mac. To make a backup, open the Application Support folder from the Privacy section in Settings and copy your local data.
Will my bubbles disappear when I quit?
No. When you reopen Tangent, unpopped bubbles return to your desktop and collected bubbles stay in their groups. You can also set Tangent to launch when you log in to macOS.
Is Tangent Premium a subscription?
No. Premium is a one-time US$4.99 purchase that unlocks sticky notes, clouds, bubble tea, and future Premium shapes. Final pricing is shown in the Mac App Store. Use Restore Purchases when you change Macs.
Which Macs and languages are supported?
Tangent 1.0 requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later and supports both Apple silicon and Intel Macs. The interface supports Traditional Chinese and English. Follow your system language or choose one in Settings; restart the app after changing languages.
How do collection stations work?
Add a station from the menu bar capture window or right-click menu, and choose a person or house shape. Drag a bubble into it: when the bubble center enters the shape, it connects and joins the group. Pull it about 48 points outside to disconnect. Moving a station moves the group. Right-click to rename, restyle, resize, or release bubbles individually or all at once.