Note Taking

Master the core of Plainpad — creating, editing, organizing, and searching your notes.

Creating a Note

To create a new note:

1. Click the New Note button (or use the + icon) in the note list panel
2. Give your note a title
3. Start writing in the editor
4. Your note saves automatically as you type

Writing with Markdown

Plainpad supports Markdown formatting, which lets you add structure and emphasis to your notes without leaving the keyboard:

Text Formatting

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3

**Bold text**
*Italic text*
~~Strikethrough~~

Lists

- Unordered item 1
- Unordered item 2

1. Ordered item 1
2. Ordered item 2

- [ ] Task (unchecked)
- [x] Task (completed)

Links and Images

[Link text](https://example.com)
![Image alt text](https://example.com/image.png)

Code

Inline `code` in a sentence.

```
Code block
with multiple lines
```

Blockquotes

> This is a quoted block of text.
> It can span multiple lines.

Searching Notes

Plainpad provides full-text search across all your notes:

• Click the search bar at the top of the note list
• Type your search query — results filter in real time
• Search matches both note titles and content
• Clear the search to return to your full note list

Organizing Notes

The note list shows all your notes sorted by the most recently updated. To keep things organized:

• Use descriptive titles so you can identify notes at a glance
• Use Markdown headings within notes to create structure
• Use the search feature as a quick filter instead of manually scrolling

Deleting Notes

To delete a note:

1. Select the note from the note list
2. Click the Delete button (trash icon)
3. Confirm the deletion when prompted

Keyboard Shortcuts

For power users, Plainpad supports common keyboard shortcuts:

• Ctrl + N — Create a new note
• Ctrl + S — Force save the current note
• Ctrl + F — Focus the search bar
• Ctrl + B — Bold selected text
• Ctrl + I — Italicize selected text

Working Offline

If you've installed Plainpad as a PWA, you can work offline. Notes you create or edit while offline will sync automatically when your device reconnects to the internet.