Format your thoughts with Markdown

Markdown lets you format text by typing a few plain characters. You type it in the editor, and it looks formatted as you go. You do not have to learn it, because the editor has buttons for the common things.

# Word: petrichor
**noun** the smell of rain
> It hit before the first drop.
- [ ] use it today
#words

The formatting bar

While you type, a row of buttons sits above the keyboard. Select some text, and a button wraps it. Select nothing, and it adds an empty pair with the cursor in the middle. Tap the same button again to remove the formatting.

• The button adds # at the start of the line.
• The button wraps text in **double asterisks**.
• The button wraps text in _underscores_.
• The button adds - at the start of the line.
• The button adds - [ ] , which shows as a checklist item.
• The button adds > at the start of every selected line, so it works on several lines at once.
• The button wraps text in backticks.
• The button types a # and shows your tags to pick from.
• The button adds an image. See Add images and galleries.
• The button adds a block right after the one you are in, like a text block or a file. See Quiz yourself with blurred blocks and Attach files to a thought.

Syntax steps aside

Headings are big, bold is bold, and links show only their text. The characters that make this happen are hidden, except on the line your cursor is on. There they come back, faded, so you can edit them. Code blocks fold into a thin bar until your cursor is inside.

Lists keep going

Press return at the end of a bullet, numbered or task item, and the next item starts for you. Press return on an empty item to end the list. Quotes work the same way: return continues the quote, and return on an empty quote line ends it. Delete at the start of an item to remove its bullet. Tap a task's box to tick or untick it.

What you can write

• Headings, bold and italic.
• Strikethrough, with ~~two tildes~~ on each side.
• Bullet lists, numbered lists and task lists.
• Quotes, started with > .
• Inline code, and code blocks fenced with three backticks.
• Links. Tap one in a thought to open it.
• Tables.
• Images you add from your own photos.

Good to know

• What you see in the editor is the same text you see when you open the thought. Only the look differs a little.
• You can select and copy text in a thought.
• Text blocks you add under a thought are styled as you type too, and the formatting bar works in them.