# Frequently asked questions

{% hint style="info" %}
If your question is not answered here, [send us an email](mailto:contact@soulver.app) or a [message on X](https://x.com/soulver). We're happy to help.
{% endhint %}

## <mark style="color:blue;">**Availability & platforms**</mark>

### Where can I get Soulver 3?

Soulver 3 for **Mac** is available as a one-time (non-subscription) purchase of $39 on the [Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/soulver-3/id1508732804?ls=1) or as a [direct download](https://soulver.app/download) from our website.

[Soulver 3 for iPad](https://soulver.app/ipad) ($20) and [Soulver 3 for iPhone](https://soulver.app/iphone/) ($14) are available as one-time purchases on the App Store.

All versions of Soulver are also available on [Setapp](https://soulver.app/setapp) (260+ apps for $9.99/month).

### What are the system requirements for Soulver 3?

Soulver 3 for **Mac** requires macOS 13 (Ventura) or newer, and is compatible with the latest macOS 26 (Tahoe).

If you're still using macOS 10.14, 10.15, 11, or 12, you can [download an older version](https://soulver.app/mac/sparkle/soulver-3.6-304.zip) of Soulver 3.

Soulver 3 for **iPhone** & Soulver 3 for **iPad** require iOS 16/iPadOS 16 or later, and are compatible with the latest iOS 26 & iPadOS 26.

### Can I try Soulver before purchasing?

**Yes**: we offer a <mark style="color:green;">**no-commitment**</mark> 30-day trial.

You are <mark style="color:green;">**not charged**</mark> when the trial ends. You may purchase or delete Soulver at any time, during or after the trial.

After the trial ends, you can continue to view any sheets you have created (although they will no longer be editable).

### Should I buy Soulver directly from you, from the App Store, or from Setapp?

#### Benefits of the [direct download](https://soulver.app/download) version

* A single serial number works on up to 5 Macs, even with different App Store accounts
* We make slightly more per sale than from the App Store (and supporting indie developers is a good thing).
* We are able to refund your transaction if required, issue tax invoices, and offer student discounts

#### Benefits of the [Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/soulver-3/id1508732804?ls=1) version

* Automatic updates in the background & no serial number to keep track of
* Option to subscribe to the optional data service "Knowledge Assistant, Live Stocks & Advanced Weather" ($26/year)

#### Benefits of the [Setapp](https://soulver.app/setapp) version

* Get all platforms (Mac, iPhone & iPad) as part of a single Setapp subscription
* Never pay an upgrade fee for a major update (for Soulver 4, Soulver 5, etc)
* Complimentary access to "Knowledge Assistant, Live Stocks & Advanced Weather" (ordinarily $26/year)

## <mark style="color:blue;">**Purchasing & licenses**</mark>

### Why are Soulver 3 for Mac, iPad & iPhone all separate purchases?

We craft Soulver individually for each platform we build for. Soulver is a best-of-class native Mac app (AppKit), and a best-of-class app for the iPad and for the iPhone (UIKit).

Some developers with a similar engineering approach charge a monthly or yearly subscription fee for access to all platforms ([Bear](https://bear.app/) & [Fantastical](https://flexibits.com/fantastical) for example). If you like this model, subscribe to [Setapp](https://soulver.app/setapp) and get all versions of Soulver (+260 other apps) for $10/month.

We prefer one-time purchases per major release. Like [Things](https://culturedcode.com/things/) & [iA Writer](https://ia.net/pricing), we set appropriate prices for each platform. You save money by only paying for the platforms you need, and only paying once.

Each major release typically comes with years of free updates & support (our historical average is 6 years per major version on the Mac, and 14 years on iOS).

### Can I use a serial number with the Mac App Store version of Soulver?

Unfortunately Apple doesn't allow this (or offer developers a way to migrate customers from other sales channels, to the App Store).

Use the [direct download version of Soulver](https://soulver.app/download) if you have a serial number.

### My purchase of Soulver 3 via the App Store is not being recognized.

Ensure that you're signed into the **same** App Store account that you used to purchase originally.

You might also try logging out and back into your App Store account.

## <mark style="color:blue;">**Sheets & Syncing**</mark>

### How do I sync my sheets using iCloud?

#### **On Mac**

Go to the **General Settings** (⌘-,) and select **In iCloud** under **Sheetbook Location**

<figure><img src="https://1915029247-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-Lf0gWBnuB8M1SitWhyk%2Fuploads%2FkSqPqsWt9c9evOyCat7J%2FScreenshot%202023-04-05%20at%205.26.56%20pm.png?alt=media&#x26;token=43925014-56c4-4d1a-aa60-ae34f2962d3f" alt="Soulver for Mac syncing settings"><figcaption><p>Choose "In iCloud" in Soulver for Mac's General Settings</p></figcaption></figure>

{% hint style="info" %}
**Why can't I see my sheetbook file in iCloud Drive?**

You might be wondering why the sheetbook file doesn't appear inside iCloud Drive or Files (on iOS).

This is because it's stored in a private (not user visible) part of iCloud Drive reserved for Soulver.

You can still reveal the sheetbook in Finder in the Mac version, by clicking the little arrow button in the bottom right of General settings.
{% endhint %}

#### **On iPad & iPhone**

Tap the cog to go to **Settings** > then **Sheets & Syncing** and select **in iCloud** under **Store Sheetbook**

<figure><img src="https://1915029247-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-Lf0gWBnuB8M1SitWhyk%2Fuploads%2FWQSxrZDuvd60cAn4EtuG%2FiPad%20Settings.png?alt=media&#x26;token=1e012487-667c-4bfa-8d08-82ea72e19567" alt="Soulver for iPad Syncing Settings"><figcaption><p>Choose "In iCloud" in Soulver for iPad's Sheets &#x26; Syncing Settings</p></figcaption></figure>

Alternatively, if you just need to sync a single sheet, export it (by dragging it out of the sidebar, or going **File** > **Export** > **Soulver 3 File**), and save it to a synced location, like Dropbox or iCloud Drive.

### How do I import my Soulver 2 files into Soulver 3?

#### **On Mac**

Go File > Open, click `Show Options` and tick "Import to Sheetbook".

If you synced your Soulver 2 files with iCloud, you can probably find them under iCloud Drive / Soulver.

<figure><img src="https://1915029247-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-Lf0gWBnuB8M1SitWhyk%2Fuploads%2FWR34dxlOVHFV9bZMFmDZ%2FScreenshot%202024-04-16%20at%207.38.01%E2%80%AFPM.png?alt=media&#x26;token=00b6b2b7-e9e6-42df-af2d-c250166664dc" alt=""><figcaption><p>Import Soulver 2 files into Soulver 3 via the Open dialog (⌘O)</p></figcaption></figure>

#### **On iPad & iPhone**

Tap the Files button and choose "Import Soulver Files"

If you synced your Soulver 2 files with iCloud, you can probably find them under Files / Soulver.

<figure><img src="https://1915029247-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-Lf0gWBnuB8M1SitWhyk%2Fuploads%2FF4Ex8Rz9HLl970QQ2maQ%2FScreenshot%202024-04-16%20at%207.39.52%E2%80%AFPM.png?alt=media&#x26;token=f2f447eb-7b5e-4ea7-bb85-6ebdb02fa356" alt=""><figcaption><p>Importing Soulver 2 files into Soulver 3 on iPhone</p></figcaption></figure>

### Why isn't Soulver for Mac remembering my sheets' window positions?

Soulver supports "Resume", a feature in macOS which restores the position of your windows on launch.

For Resume to work correctly:

* Don't close your window manually before you quit Soulver
* Ensure "**Close windows when quitting an app**" is **disabled** in the macOS **Desktop & Dock** settings

![Make sure you're not closing Soulver's windows when you quit the app!](https://1915029247-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-Lf0gWBnuB8M1SitWhyk%2Fuploads%2F2yTzIkNAkrOqPMQPTAi0%2FScreenshot%202022-11-15%20at%203.05.14%20pm.png?alt=media\&token=525fb861-fa64-44d6-be91-48a8ec063028)

## <mark style="color:blue;">**Common questions**</mark>

### Can I get Soulver to ignore certain numbers in my text?

Sure, use a [comment](https://documentation.soulver.app/syntax-reference/headings-and-comments)**:**

![Labels & other comment styles in Soulver](https://1915029247-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-Lf0gWBnuB8M1SitWhyk%2F-MjLMMX5t2GHUvKg5rU-%2F-MjLMz7cnYRzKoB66nIf%2FScreen%20Shot%202021-09-11%20at%2010.38.16%20pm.png?alt=media\&token=4c830fbf-de8e-40be-b99f-8a94068d2c09)

### Can I turn off notation in answers?

By default Soulver formats your large answers with [SI notation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_prefix):

![M stands for million](https://1915029247-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-Lf0gWBnuB8M1SitWhyk%2F-Li2sKmvbkWTx6vvtSzM%2F-Li2uHc-_H6l8eF9-hBJ%2Fimage.png?alt=media\&token=62c25aed-7b64-452f-ae8a-fca0ab34a341)

To disable this notation go to the `Format` menu and untick `Notation for Large Numbers` .

![The answer with notation disabled.](https://1915029247-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-Lf0gWBnuB8M1SitWhyk%2F-Li2sKmvbkWTx6vvtSzM%2F-Li2ufwZfurTrTePEiK_%2Fimage.png?alt=media\&token=91d2320e-e43a-46e8-942f-1e5844949f7b)

You can also access line specific formatting settings by clicking the action button on an answer:

![Contextual Menu on an Answer](https://1915029247-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-Lf0gWBnuB8M1SitWhyk%2F-Mj4AqOpRjhThLu0gTVY%2F-Mj4Bs7y9g8iWW5kJWQ-%2FContextual%20menu.png?alt=media\&token=541a65a2-1fcd-4c36-9f82-098a3d4086f4)

To turn off notation for **all lines**, go to

`Settings > Calculator > Number Formatting`

and disable `Notation for Large Numbers`

### In Soulver, 1 GB equals 1000 MB. But isn't 1 GB actually 1024 MB?

Soulver conforms to the industry standard binary prefix system, which you can read about here:

{% embed url="<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_prefix>" %}

The gist of it is that new units (KiB, MiB, GiB) have been introduced to represent base 2 binary units, so that kB, MB & GB can behave like normal base 10 SI units.

## <mark style="color:blue;">**Design, history & philosophy of Soulver**</mark>

### Soulver is a natural language calculator. Is it using machine learning (AI) to achieve this?

Actually, no. Soulver does **not** use machine learning algorithms, or even regular expressions.

Soulver is powered by a natural language calculation engine called [SoulverCore.](https://soulver.app/core)

SoulverCore scans text for particular phrases (much like a data detector), and evaluates the last valid mathematical expression on a line of text.

If you're curious about how we built SoulverCore, check out the wonderful [Crafting Interpreters](https://craftinginterpreters.com/) by Robert Nystrom.

### What were the original design goals for Soulver?

For the first Soulver (released in 2005) our goal was to invent a better calculator interface for computers.

To us, this means:

1. Answers calculate live, with no explicit press of an equals button necessary
2. Support for commenting words alongside calculations, for extra clarity & context
3. The ability to edit & reference previous calculations

We succeeded in these goals by placing an "answer column" alongside a notepad, inventing a new kind of notepad calculator in the process.

Multi-word variables (inspired by programming languages) & line references (inspired by spreadsheets) open up lots of additional workflows.

Finally, Soulver takes advantage of the powerful document & text editing infrastructure on Apple devices.

### What are the current design goals for Soulver?

Since 2005, we constantly improve Soulver year-after-year, while ensuring it never becomes bloated or overly complicated.

For the last decade we've been focusing on:

1. Ensuring best-in-class apps on each Apple platform we support (i.e by using native technologies, and integrating deeply with the operating system)
2. Adding more natural language features for "taking a load off your brain" when working through problems involving calculation
3. More ways to personalize your calculation *environment* (like global variables, custom units, visual options, etc)

### Was Soulver the first notepad calculator?

Soulver (originally released in 2005) was the first notepad calculator to use an **answer column** on the right side of a text editor with instant calculation.

Soulver 1.2 (released in 2006) was the first notepad calculator that let you use **words alongside numbers.** And Soulver 2 (released in 2010) was the first notepad calculator to support live currency & stock rates, natural language functions & tokenizing line references.

The first notepad + calculator tool that we know of is [MathPad](https://macintoshgarden.org/apps/mathpad-2) by Mark Widholm released for Macintosh in 1993.

[Calca](https://calca.io) is a modern app inspired by the MathPad design, in that it prioritizes comments over math, and requires you manually insert a special symbol (=>) to invoke calculation.

We prefer Soulver's approach, in which your expression is evaluated as soon as you type it (no explicit calculation step required).

## <mark style="color:blue;">**Other platforms**</mark>

### Will Soulver ever be available for Windows or Linux?

Don't rule it out, especially with [Swift](https://www.swift.org) now available on these platforms!

But in the meantime, there are numerous clones of Soulver available for other platforms & for the web:

**Native Windows**

* [OpalCalc](https://www.skytopia.com/software/opalcalc/)

[**Electron**](https://www.electronjs.org/docs/latest)**-based (compatible with Windows, Linux & Mac)**

* [Parsify](https://parsify.app/)
* [Figr](https://figr.app/)

**Web-based**

* [Numbr](https://numbr.dev)
* [NoteCalc](https://bbodi.github.io/notecalc3/)

{% hint style="warning" %}
We support Soulver clones on other platforms: everyone benefits when great UI concepts are copied, evolved upon, and widely used.

If you make a calculator product inspired by Soulver, please do consider writing an acknowledgment of the source of this idea (somewhere on your website, or in your application credits perhaps). Then let us know so we can feature it here 🙂.
{% endhint %}