Special Pre-Release: Introducing...

Performance. Stability. Design. Next level across the board.

TheBrain 15 is a groundbreaking upgrade, redefining our platform with a complete generational overhaul. This rewritten foundation ensures smoother, faster performance for years to come, reflecting our long-term commitment to you.

• Robust Framework: A new backend, originally designed for TheBrain Server, capable of handling much more data than previous standalone versions.

• Unified & Accelerated Development: A seamless UI layer delivers consistent functionality across desktop, mobile, and web, reducing complexity and speeding up innovation.

• Enhanced Reliability: Built on modern technologies with robust support from Microsoft, Apple, and Google, eliminating compatibility issues from version 14.

• Built for Speed: From startup and sync, every operation is faster and more responsive.

Upgrades and Licensing

TheBrain 15 will be a free upgrade for all users with an active subscription. For users with a one-time license-only purchase, TheBrain 15 will be free if the license was purchased on or after June 5, 2025.

Compatibility with v14

TheBrain 15 installs alongside TheBrain 14. Data is backward compatible with the following exceptions:

• After a brain has been opened in Version 15, it will not automatically be able to open in v14. This is due to a new feature called Light Sync. Light Sync keeps file attachments in the cloud and they are downloaded just-in-time to enable much faster sync while saving space on your device. If you wish to jump between v15 and v14, disable this feature in v15.

Pre-Release Overview

Introduction

Welcome to TheBrain Version 15 Pre-Release. Version 15 uses a completely rebuilt architecture, featuring a hardened backend and an all-new user interface. This overview highlights key changes and capabilities, focusing on stability, scalability, and enhanced user experience.

Pre-Release

• Please remember that this is a pre-release preview. TheBrain 15 is not finished yet and there are many more features and enhancements we are planning, not to mention bugs that are not yet ironed out. Please back-up your data and be aware that things may be missing or unstable.

A New User Interface Platform

• Clean Slate Approach: The front end has been rebuilt from the ground up with a streamlined and intuitive design, leveraging state-of-the-art UI technologies for improved performance and compatibility. The interface is highly consistent across Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and web platforms, while optimizing for each platform’s unique strengths. For example, the desktop releases feature sleeker and more space-efficient window chrome.
• Unified Platform for All Devices: The common platform of TheBrain 15 will enable near-simultaneous delivery of features across all clients. Most features introduced in this desktop release will soon roll out to both mobile and web. This change fundamentally alters our development process and future advances will arrive more rapidly than ever before.
• Adaptive Color Scheme: As part of the redesign we have incorporated the ability for the UI to blend in to the content of your Brain. Using the theme setting "Follow Brain Theme" enables the entire interface to dynamically adapt to the colors defined in the content area of the selected brain, creating a truly immersive and visually cohesive experience.

Backend and Performance

• Rebuilt Backend: Utilizes the same code as our server, capable of handling many users at once and now optimized for single-user desktop performance.
• Performance: The backend efficiently manages resources, allowing seamless operation even with multiple open brains.
• Enhanced Speed: TheBrain 15 delivers significantly improved performance across all operations. Startup: Launching TheBrain is up to five times faster. Brain Opening: Opening brains is virtually instantaneous. Navigation and Content Creation: Navigating and creating new content is dramatically faster.
• Resource Efficiency: Reduced CPU, memory, and energy usage ensures a smoother experience, even during intensive tasks.

Tab System and Scalability

• New Tab Design: Tabs display brain icons and names in a beautiful minimalist design that utilizes smooth drag and drop to create new windows, merge, and rearrange.
• Scalable Tabs: No limit to the number of open tabs, with no impact on memory or CPU usage. Inactive tabs consume no resources, and switching is near-instantaneous.
• Quick Access: The plus button shows synced local brains. Use the "All Brains" option to return to the Brains List for cloud syncing.

View Switching and Toolbar

• View Switching Control: This new control in the title bar moves between split view (plex and content), plex-only, or content-only and features smooth animation making it a pleasure to use while replacing the sometimes troublesome splitter arrows of Version 14.
• Updated Brain Toolbar: The updated toolbar includes all the capabilites you've come to rely on and is built with expandability and customizability in mind for the future.
• Improved Search Box: The new search experience includes fast access to recent searches and recent thoughts plus tabs to organize results by brain. Search is also now capable of applying filters just like reports so you can easily search for thoughts by type, tag, creation date, etcetera.

Sync Improvements

• Parallel Syncing: Sync up to eight brains simultaneously, significantly speeding up the process.
• Light Sync Attachments: Enabled by default, large attachments are not synced locally, saving space and speeding up syncs. Attachment content is indexed for searchability even when the attachment itself is not present on local storage. Attachments display a cloud icon and download on-demand with embedded progress indicators. Right-click to toggle "available offline" to manage local storage.
• Sync Status: Hover over the sync icon for a quick peek at current progress or click to see an overview of all active as well as recent syncs updated in realtime.
• Compatibility Note: Light sync attachments must be disabled to open a brain in Version 14 on the same machine. Different machines running Versions 14 and 15 are compatible.

Plex Enhancements

• Smoother Animations: The plex is faster, more responsive, and uses fewer resources.
• Icon Indicators: Links now display icons to indicate attached notes or files, making them instantly visible.
• Context Menus: Right-clicking a thought or background offers shortcuts. Holding Shift (Windows) or Option (MacOS) modifies actions (e.g., open in new window instead of new tab).

Outline and Mind Map Views

• Redesigned Views: Both outline and mind map views are more performant, compact, and intuitive.
• Improved UI: Clicking chevrons expands nodes, and clicking content displays it without navigating. A second click navigates, offering a cleaner experience.

Timeline Updates

• Enhanced Readability: Displays past and future events in an easy-to-digest format.
• Event Management: Add events by selecting a date and clicking the plus button or choosing a date after clicking plus.
• Event Display: Each event shows duration, repeat status, and reminders with additional details that appear on hover.
• Reminder OS Integration: On Windows, reminders integrates with the OS notification system; macOS, iOS, and Android improvements are planned.

Settings Management

• Unified Settings Access: All settings (user, brain, device) are accessible from one place with a search feature to locate specific settings quickly.
• Synced Settings: Brain and theme settings sync with the brain. User settings now sync across machines. Device settings (e.g., update checks, proxy settings) remain device-specific.

Content Area Improvements

• Enhanced Properties: Set types, tags, and other properties at the top of the content area. Option to pin properties at the top while scrolling. New editing controls now optionally hide themselves when not in use.
• Hero Images: New option to show thought icons as hero images.
• Share Functionality: Share links to thoughts via the OS native share sheet or by copying local link or web links.

Notes Editor

• Hybrid Editing: Mixed WYSIWYG and Markdown shortcuts provide the best of both worlds for creating and editing while the Markdown storage provides peace-of-mind and easy portability.
• Markdown Shortcuts: Set paragraph type by typing MD codes at the start of a line followed by a space. For example, # for a title, * for bullets, - for checkboxes. Create code blocks by typing three backticks, or start an inline code block with two backticks. You can even turn existing text into inline code by typing a backtick at the start and end positions. Additional markdown shortcuts are planned.
• Table Support: Tables are more powerful than ever in v15 with the new table engine supporting all the same rich formatting and images of the main content area.
• Rebuilt PDF Export: The PDF export engine is all-new and much more robust, providing fast, accurate exports.

Attachments

• Easier to Manage: Attachments are significantly easier to handle with a streamlined interface.
• Flexible View Options: View attachments in grid and list layout and with compact or expanded display options.
• Improved Embedded Previews: Enhanced previews, especially for images, provide clearer and more detailed displays directly within the interface.
• Faster Drag-and-Drop: Drag-and-drop is up to 10 times faster, improving workflow efficiency while at the same time being much easier to use and providing better visual feedback.
• Cloud Offloading: Attachments can be offloaded to the cloud to save local storage space, with seamless on-demand downloading when needed. Attachments that are stored remotely are indicated by a cloud icon. When needed, attachments download automatically with an embedded progress indicator for very large attachments. Once downloaded, attachments are kept local for offline access. You can also toggle offline availability manually.

Enhancements Throughout

• Every Aspect Rebuilt and Rethought: From the precise rendering of toolbar icons to the seamless UX of major features like syncing, every detail has been carefully crafted. In addition to the features highlighted above you'll notice refinements and whole new approaches in brain management, notifications, multiple thought operations, drag and drop, attachments, keyboard shortcuts, the installation/update process…and more.