December 11th, 2023

Manual

How to use Horse: open and organise pages, move through the sidebar, learn shortcuts, install extensions, and return to the exact task you meant to finish.

258 words by Eleanor McKeown & Pascal Pixel

This is the manual for Horse. Trails® replace tabs, so some familiar browser jobs happen in a new place. Every guide below begins with one job and ends with you knowing how to do it.

New to Horse? Start with Getting Started. Bring one real task, open a few useful pages, and watch Horse build Trails®. By the end, you’ll know the sidebar, Trailheads, and how Horse keeps the route back to your work.

Already using Horse? Choose the thing you want to do. The manual is an index, not homework. You may open the exact page you need! Such power.

The basics

BasicsThe "wait, how do I do the normal thing?" pages. How Horse works, how to install it on more than one device, folders, search, default browser, and the rest of the everyday questions.September 11, 2023 · 169 words by Eleanor McKeown
How Horse worksHorse replaces tabs with Trails, a sidebar that branches as you click, keeps the route visible, and restores their saved state after a normal quit.July 31, 2023 · 954 words by Eleanor McKeown
Use Horse on another computerA Horse license belongs to one person and can be used on that person’s computers. Trails do not currently sync automatically between them.246 words by Eleanor McKeown
Search or enter a URLHow searching and address-bar work in Horse, where the URL bar lives now, and how to switch the default search engine.April 8, 2024 · 274 words by Eleanor McKeown
Create FoldersFolders and Trailheads are two ways to group Trails. Folder for filing related research; Trailhead for keeping whole parts of life from bleeding into each other.August 21, 2023 · 315 words by Eleanor McKeown
Create a TrailheadA Trailhead is a top-level container with its own header. Trailheads keep work, personal stuff, and side projects from bleeding into each other.August 14, 2023 · 120 words by Eleanor McKeown
Keep web apps outside TrailsSome sites (Twitter, Instagram, web apps) work better when links open in the current page instead of branching. Here’s how to set that.August 28, 2023 · 148 words by Eleanor McKeown
Open DownloadsDownloads live at the bottom of the sidebar. Your files still go to the same download folder your other browsers use.August 7, 2023 · 122 words by Eleanor McKeown
Save pagesHorse writes changes to your Trails locally as you work. Export important Trails as Markdown when you also need a separate portable copy.256 words by Eleanor McKeown
Keyboard shortcutsEvery default keyboard shortcut in Horse, grouped by what it does. Trail shortcuts are rebindable in Settings.April 27, 2026 · 501 words by Eleanor McKeown
Make Horse your default browser on MacThree clicks in System Settings and links from Mail, Slack, and everywhere else open in Horse instead of Safari.January 28, 2025 · 64 words by Eleanor McKeown

Navigation

Sidebar shortcutsThe sidebar is where Horse actually lives. Here’s how the page menu, sidebar layout, and hide-sidebar shortcut work.November 27, 2023 · 225 words by Eleanor McKeown
Move pagesDrag pages anywhere in the sidebar, or use keyboard shortcuts. Select several and move them at once.October 30, 2023 · 58 words by Eleanor McKeown
Keyboard navigationHorse shows keyboard shortcuts in the menu, and Trail shortcuts can be remapped in Settings. This is how to find and customise them.November 6, 2023 · 74 words by Eleanor McKeown
Go BackUse the toolbar Back and Forward controls, keyboard shortcuts, or select a visible page in the Trail.227 words by Eleanor McKeown
Find the address barThere isn’t one at the top of the window. URLs live attached to each page in the sidebar, here’s how to view, edit, and copy them.March 11, 2024 · 143 words by Eleanor McKeown
Duplicate pagesHorse redirects you to an existing page instead of duplicating it. When you actually want a duplicate, here’s how to make one.October 16, 2023 · 139 words by Eleanor McKeown
Find in PageFind in Page works the way you already know it. The find toolbar lives at the bottom of the sidebar.November 20, 2023 · 167 words by Eleanor McKeown
Close several pagesSelect several Trails, close the selection together, or close a collapsed parent with its descendants.217 words by Eleanor McKeown
Restore a deleted TrailClosed a Trail by accident? Bring it back, with everything underneath.April 15, 2025 · 50 words by Eleanor McKeown

Features

Import and export linksMove links in from Notion, Apple Notes, or Obsidian, and export your Trails back out as Markdown. Both directions, no lock-in.August 26, 2024 · 389 words by Eleanor McKeown
Passwords and SaddlepackUse Horse’s local Saddlepack manager, or install the tested 1Password or Bitwarden extension from the Extensions screen.281 words by Eleanor McKeown
Block adsHorse 3.3 uses the tested uBlock Origin Lite extension instead of the retired built-in ad blocker.255 words by Eleanor McKeown
Add emojiAdd an emoji or icon to any Trail or page so the sidebar reads at a glance. Folder for projects, coffee for personal, screen for work.September 25, 2023 · 118 words by Eleanor McKeown
Use Dark ReaderHorse 3.3 uses the tested Dark Reader extension instead of the retired built-in dark-reader control.223 words by Eleanor McKeown
Show the title barHorse hides the title bar by default. Here’s how to bring it back if you want a familiar drag handle at the top of the window.May 6, 2024 · 91 words by Eleanor McKeown
Move Trails between computersHorse does not automatically sync Trails between computers. Copy selected Trails as Markdown, move the text, and import it on the other device.261 words by Eleanor McKeown
Export a Trail as MarkdownCopy selected Trails as Markdown and save the text elsewhere. This preserves their links and structure but is not a full Horse backup.247 words by Eleanor McKeown

Outside the manual

If the manual didn’t answer your question, go straight to the right place:

  • FAQ: pricing, privacy, licenses, DRM video, compatibility, and memory.
  • Help: license retrieval, billing, bug reports, feature requests, and privacy requests.
  • Extensions: the extensions tested in Horse today.
  • News: recent release notes and product stories.
  • ADHD: why visible Trails® make interrupted work easier to resume.