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Right-click menus

Right-click a desk, a widget, selected text or several widgets for a menu of what you can do with it, always in the same order, and use it from the keyboard.

All plansUpdated

In PlexiDesk, right-clicking opens a menu made for whatever you clicked. An empty part of a desk offers ways to add and arrange widgets. A widget offers its own actions first, then a set of actions that every widget shares, always in the same order. Text you have selected, a group of selected widgets and a web page inside a Browser widget each get a menu of their own.

Use the right-click menu when you know what you want to do with one thing: copy it, colour it, pin it, link a new widget to it, rewrite its text or send it to Attention. It saves hunting through buttons and settings.

Before you start

  • Plan: right-click menus work on every plan. If you choose a widget that is not part of your plan, PlexiDesk offers an upgrade instead of adding it.
  • AI actions such as AI Assist and Build with AI need AI set up. They run on your PlexiDesk AI credits while you are signed in, or on your own Anthropic key. See AI credits and where your AI runs Coming soon.
  • Add to Attention… appears only while Attention is turned on. See Turn Attention on or off Coming soon.
  • On a Mac trackpad without a right button, use the secondary click you have set up for your Mac.

Right-click an empty part of the desk

  1. Open a desk.
  2. Right-click an empty part of the desk, away from any widget.
  3. Choose what you want from the menu.
Item What it does
Add object Adds a widget exactly where you right-clicked. The widgets are grouped as Notes, Web, Files, Tools, Comms and Layout, and the rest are under Advanced. Document, Spreadsheet and Slides first ask you to Create new, Import a file or Place an existing one. See Add a widget to a desk.
Auto-arrange Group by type puts the loose widgets into one section for each type of widget, laid out in a grid. Stack by type does the same with the widgets stacked. See Tidy, auto-arrange and Smart Stack.
Home — fit all to view Zooms and moves the view so every widget on the desk fits on screen.
Reset view Takes the desk back to 100% at its starting point. See Move around the canvas.
Customise this device's layout Lets this computer keep its own positions and sizes for the widgets on this desk. Choose Stop customising this device's layout to go back to the layout everyone shares. See Select, move and arrange widgets.

Right-click a widget

Right-click a widget's title bar, the strip along its top, to open its full menu. This works on every widget.

You can also right-click inside many widgets: the text of a Sticky, Note, Markdown or Page widget, a table cell, a Field, a File or link card, a Mind map, and a web page in a Browser widget. The menu inside a widget is the same, except that a few of the widget's own commands, such as a table's Import CSV, JSON or Excel…, are only on the title bar. On a Card, right-click the title bar.

What the menu holds, from top to bottom

  1. Add to Attention… starts an Attention item about this widget. You check the item before it is filed. See Capture something into Attention Coming soon.
  2. The widget's own actions, such as Build with AI on a sticky. If a widget has more than two, the first is shown and the rest are under More actions. See Actions for particular widgets below.
  3. AI Assist rewrites, summarises, retones or translates the widget's text.
  4. Create & link makes a new widget that is already linked to this one. On widgets with text, Copy into is here too.
  5. Organise brings the widget to the front, pins it, recolours it or flags it as a decision.
  6. Share copies the widget's text or opens the share window.
  7. Advanced turns the widget into a desk, or duplicates it.
  8. Remove archives or deletes the widget.

Anything that does not apply to the widget you clicked is left out. When a group has only one action, that action appears on its own, without a submenu. For example, on a widget with no text, Share... appears directly instead of Share.

AI Assist

AI Assist appears when there is text to work on: text you selected, or a Sticky, Note, Markdown, Page or Card with text in it. It offers Expand, Simplify, Summarise, Rewrite, Fix Grammar, Improve Clarity and Continue Writing, then Change Tone, Translate and Custom Prompt.... You see the result before anything in your widget changes. See AI Assist: rewrite, summarise and translate text.

AI Assist is not offered on a Living Doc, because the Living Doc writes and updates its own text.

Create & link adds a new widget to the right of this one, in the same colour, and links the two. If this widget is in a section, the new one goes into the same section. Choose from:

  • Automate with an agent: adds a Desk agent that reads this widget. You then tell the agent what to do.
  • Send to a URL: adds a Send to a URL Coming soon widget linked to this one.
  • Sticky, Note, Markdown, Page, File, Field, Table or Color.

A new Sticky, Note, Markdown or Page starts with a copy of the text you selected or, if you selected nothing, of all the text in a text widget.

On widgets with text, Copy into follows, under a line in the same submenu. It copies the text into a new Sticky, Note, Markdown or Page beside this one, linked to it. The widget you started from does not change. The list leaves out the widget's own type.

To see and change the links between widgets, see Link widgets and set up wires.

Organise

Item What it does
Bring to front Puts the widget on top of any widgets it overlaps.
Move out of section Takes the widget out of its section and puts it on the desk just below the section. Shown only for a widget inside a section.
Pin to corner Keeps the widget in Top left, Top right, Bottom left or Bottom right of the screen while you move around the desk. A tick marks the current corner. Unpin appears on a pinned widget.
Recolor Colours the widget Yellow, Pink, Blue, Green or Orange. Clear color removes the colour. A tick marks the current colour.
Flag as a decision Records a decision about this widget, so you can keep track of it. See Track decisions and what puts them at risk Coming soon.

Share

  • Copy text copies the widget's text, or the text you selected. It appears only when there is text to copy.
  • Share... opens the share window for this widget. See Share a widget, document or file Coming soon.

Advanced

  • Make this a Desk... starts a new desk named after the widget, and can bring the widget along. See Turn a widget into its own desk.
  • Duplicate (keep synced) makes a copy that stays the same as the original, even on other desks.
  • Duplicate (independent copy) makes a copy of its own.
  • Duplicate into another Room / Desk... opens the same window as Make this a Desk..., so you can put a copy on a new desk in any room. It is not shown for a widget inside a section.
  • Unlink from synced copies stops this copy following the others. It appears only on a synced copy.

See Duplicate widgets and keep copies in sync.

Remove

Remove is always last, after a dividing line.

  • Archive takes the widget off the desk without deleting it. It waits in the desk's Parked list, where you can bring it back. See The load meter and parking widgets.
  • Delete removes the widget. A message with Undo appears straight after, and ⌘ Z (Ctrl Z on Windows) brings it back too. See Undo and redo.

Actions for particular widgets

These widgets add their own actions near the top of the menu.

Widget Extra actions
Sticky Build with AI, and Make a checklist (or Remove checkboxes when the sticky already has them).
Note, Markdown, Card, Mind map, Diagram Build with AI, which drafts new content in the widget's own format for you to approve.
Living Doc Regenerate now.
Table Add row. Right-click a cell and More actions also holds Duplicate row and Delete row for that row. On the title bar: Import CSV, JSON or Excel… and a row that opens or hides the table's AI assistant.
File or link holding a web link, and images or videos saved from a web page Open in browser opens the address in your computer's own web browser. Copy URL copies it.
Color Copy followed by the colour's hex value, such as Copy #2563eb.
Browser Open in browser and Copy URL. On the title bar also: Pin to Apps, Reload, Open full screen and Change URL….
Custom On the title bar, commands to change, save, look inside or start over the tool it built, and My widgets….

Right-click selected text

Select some words first, then right-click the selection. This works in the text of a Sticky, Note, Markdown or Page widget, and on a web page in a Browser widget. Right-clicking a table cell works the same way with the text in that cell, so you do not need to select it.

  • AI Assist works on just the words you selected.
  • Create & link and Copy into start the new widget with the words you selected.
  • Add to Attention… names the new item after the first line of your selection and keeps the whole selection in its notes.
  • Copy text copies the selection.

On a Sticky or a Note, click into the text first so that you can select it.

Right-click several widgets at once

  1. Select two or more widgets. Hold Shift and click each one, or hold Shift and drag a box around them. See Select, move and arrange widgets.
  2. Right-click the title bar of any one of the selected widgets.

The menu then acts on the whole selection:

  • Add N to Attention… starts one Attention item for all of them.
  • Organise > Automate N with an agent adds one Desk agent that reads every selected widget.
  • Organise > Bring all to front.
  • Copy all text copies the text of the selected Sticky, Note, Markdown, Page, Card and Living Doc widgets. It appears when at least one selected widget has content.
  • Delete N widgets removes them all.

N is the number of widgets you selected.

Right-click inside a web page

Inside a Browser widget, right-clicking a page shows the PlexiDesk menu, with actions for what is under the pointer:

  • Open link in new browser (on a link) opens the link in a new Browser widget beside this one, linked to it.
  • Copy link (on a link) copies the link's address.
  • Save image to desk (on an image) adds the image to the desk, linked to this browser.
  • Save video to desk (on a video) adds the video to the desk, linked to this browser.
  • Open in browser and Copy URL open or copy the address of the page itself.

When there are more than two of these, the first is shown and the rest are under More actions. Below them come the shared groups. When you have selected text on the page, these include AI Assist, Create & link and Copy text, all working on that text.

Right-click inside a text box on the page, such as a search box, and you get the usual editing menu instead: spelling suggestions, Add to dictionary, Undo, Redo, Cut, Copy, Paste and Select All.

See Browser widget.

Right-click a section's name

A section has a menu of its own. Right-click the coloured name tab at the top of the section.

Item What it does
Share section… Opens the share window for the section.
Make this a task… Opens the Make this a desk window, filled in with the section's name. See Turn a widget into its own desk.
Duplicate (empty) Adds a new, empty section of the same size and colour, named after this one with (copy) at the end. The widgets stay in the original.
Section layout Lays the widgets inside out as Free, Grid, Stacks, Icons or List. A tick marks the current layout.
Bring to front Puts the section on top of anything it overlaps.
Archive (keep children on desk) Archives the section and puts the widgets that were inside it back onto the desk.

See Section widget Coming soon.

Other right-click menus

The minimap's jump list

Right-click a name in the list above the minimap to rename it, instead of opening a menu. Type the new name and press Enter to keep it, or Esc to leave it as it was. Double-clicking a name does the same. See The minimap and the jump list.

Tabs in the open-items strip

Right-click a tab in the open-items strip for:

  • Pin — keep it here, or Unpin on a pinned tab.
  • Close the others and Close all. Closing only clears the strip. Nothing you have open is deleted.
  • Send to desk, on a document's tab, followed by a list of your desks. Choose a desk to put the document on it.

Right-click the same tab again to close the menu. See The open-items strip.

Rooms and desks

On All rooms and All desks, right-click a room or desk to see everything you can do with it, such as rename it, create a public link, open it, archive it or move it to Trash. A room or desk that is shared with other people offers Archive for me instead, and Leave share if someone else shared it with you. See Browse All rooms and All desks and Archive, trash and restore rooms and desks.

A Plexii conversation

Select some text in a conversation with Plexii, then right-click it for:

  • Add to Attention…
  • Save selection as sticky and Save selection as note, which add the text to the desk you have open. They are greyed out when no desk is open.
  • Copy

See Meet Plexii, your assistant.

Focus mode

In focus mode, right-click a widget's thumbnail in the dock for that widget's menu, with Focus this widget at the top. See Open widgets full screen and side by side.

Use a menu from the keyboard

When a right-click menu opens, it takes the keyboard straight away, so you can carry on without the mouse.

Key What it does
↓ and ↑ Move down and up the menu. Greyed-out items and dividing lines are skipped.
Letters Jump to the item whose name starts with what you type.
Home and End Go to the first or last item.
→ Open the highlighted item's submenu and move into it.
← Step back out of a submenu.
Enter or Space Choose the highlighted item, or open its submenu.
Esc Close the menu.

Clicking anywhere outside the menu also closes it. For every other shortcut, see Keyboard shortcuts.

Tips

  • Right-click the title bar when in doubt. It always opens the widget's full menu, including commands that the inside of the widget leaves out.
  • Select first, then right-click. Selecting a sentence before you right-click makes AI Assist, Create & link and Add to Attention work on just that sentence.
  • Use Create & link to build a chain. Right-click a table, choose Create & link > Automate with an agent, and the new agent already reads the table.

Common questions

Add to Attention… is not in my menu. Attention is turned off. Turn it on in Settings and the row appears. See Turn Attention on or off Coming soon.

AI Assist is not in my menu. There is no text to work on. Select some text, or right-click a widget that has text in it. AI Assist is not offered on a Living Doc.

The menu inside a widget is missing a command I have seen before. Some of a widget's own commands are only on its title bar. Right-click the strip along the top of the widget instead.

Right-clicking a selected widget shows a short menu. Several widgets are selected, so the menu acts on all of them. Click an empty part of the desk to clear the selection, then right-click the widget again.

What is the difference between Create & link and Copy into? Both add a new widget beside this one, linked to it. Create & link offers more types of widget, such as a table or an agent. Copy into is for carrying text into a Sticky, Note, Markdown or Page.

I chose a widget and was asked to upgrade. That widget is not part of your plan. See Plans and pricing: Free, Pro and Team Coming soon.

Still need help? Contact support at [email protected].