What is Zenboard?

Zenboard is a visual reference management tool designed for creators. It brings all your scattered inspiration — images, videos, text, links — into one place, so you can reference them at any time without disrupting your workflow.

Stop digging through deeply nested folders or covering up your work just to view a reference. Zenboard lives as a thin, transparent layer on top of your workspace — or a discreet drawer tucked along the edge of your screen.

Why Zenboard?

Throughout the creative process, we constantly refer to all kinds of materials. But conventional methods always break our flow.

• The Command-Tab trap: Switching windows to check a reference hides your work. Switching back hides the reference.
• Scattered inspiration: Images live in folders, links in browser bookmarks, and notes in a separate app.
• Tedious collecting: Saving, naming, and organizing files into folders causes you to lose ideas in the process.

Zenboard solves all of this in the most natural and effortless way possible.

1. A Workspace That Never Breaks Your Flow

Zenboard’s interface is designed with one top priority: never getting in the way of your work.

4-Direction Smart Dock

You can place the sidebar on any edge of your screen — left, right, top, or bottom. It stays subtly hidden along the edge until you hover over it, then smoothly slides into view.

Is the left sidebar covering your code editor? Move it to the right or bottom. Are your drawing tools obscured at the bottom? Move it to the top or left. On a MacBook with a notch? Place it at the top to take advantage of the notch area. Choose the optimal position where your references never overlap your content.

Floating Mode

You can also detach the sidebar and place it anywhere on screen. Using a dual-monitor setup? Simply drag it over to whichever display you prefer.

Ghost Mode

Need to draw or code while viewing references? Turn on Ghost Mode Cmd + Shift + G. Zenboard becomes semi-transparent and lets mouse clicks pass right through. It’s like pinning reference stickers on your monitor — keep working while staying inspired.

2. Collect at the Speed of Thought

When inspiration strikes, a cumbersome saving process means ideas slip away. Zenboard provides the most intuitive ways to collect.

• Everything in one place: Supports PNG, JPG, animated GIF/WebP, MP4 video, text notes, and more.
• Drag & Drop: Just drag in files, web images, or text blocks.
• Copy & Paste: Copied an image? Cmd + V. Copied text? Cmd + V.
• Smart URL: Paste an image URL and Zenboard automatically downloads and displays the image.
• Add Files: Use Cmd + Shift + O to import multiple files at once.

3. Infinite Canvas

Spread your collected materials freely across an infinite canvas. Zoom in, zoom out, group related items, add comments, and bring your ideas to life. With no spatial constraints, you can build your own unique boards.

4. Optimized for Your Mac

Zenboard is built as a macOS-native app and prioritizes a first-class desktop experience.

• Apple Silicon optimized: Runs smoothly and efficiently on the latest Mac chipsets.
• Private & Secure: All board data is stored locally on your Mac. No cloud uploads or account creation required.
• Lightweight performance: Even boards packed with images and videos run smoothly without taxing your system.
• Ultra-compact: The installation size is only about 20 MB, taking up virtually no storage space.