Notely

Your First Note ​

This guide walks you through creating, writing, and previewing a note from scratch.

Step 1 — Create a Note ​

  1. Press Ctrl + N (or go to File → New Note).
  2. Enter a name for your note (e.g., My First Note).
  3. Press Enter to confirm.

The new note opens in the editor immediately.

Naming Notes

Notely uses the filename as the note title. Use clear, descriptive names — avoid special characters like / \ : * ? " < > |.

Step 2 — Write in Markdown ​

The editor starts in Edit mode. Type your note content using Markdown:

markdown
# Meeting Notes — Project Kickoff

## Attendees
- Alice
- Bob
- Carol

## Action Items
- [ ] Share the meeting recording
- [ ] Create project timeline by Friday
- [x] Set up shared workspace

## Notes
The project starts **Monday July 14**. First milestone is due in **3 weeks**.

Quick Markdown Reference ​

ElementSyntax
Heading# H1, ## H2, ### H3
Bold**bold**
Italic*italic*
Task- [ ] open, - [x] done
Link[text](url)
Code`inline` or ```fenced```

→ Full Markdown Guide

Step 3 — Preview Your Note ​

Switch view modes using the mode buttons in the editor header:

ModeShortcutWhat you see
Edit—Raw Markdown source
Split—Editor + live preview side by side
Preview—Read-only rendered output

Try Split view while editing — it shows formatted output as you type.

Step 4 — Use the Toolbar ​

The toolbar above the editor provides quick-insert actions:

  • H1–H6 — Insert heading at cursor
  • B / I — Bold or italic selection
  • Link — Insert link template
  • Image — Pick and insert an image
  • Table — Insert a table skeleton
  • Diagram — Insert Mermaid or Excalidraw block

Step 5 — Save ​

Notely saves your notes automatically as you type. You'll see a status indicator in the note header when the file is being saved.

Unsaved Changes

If you close a note with unsaved changes, Notely will prompt you to confirm. Auto-save runs continuously, so this only happens if a write error occurs.

What's Next? ​