Markdown is a lightweight way to format text using plain characters. Instead of clicking a Bold button, you type bold. Instead of a Heading dropdown, you type ## My Heading. Once it clicks, you'll write faster and your notes will look better.
The Basics
Here are the shortcuts you'll use every day:
Headings — Use # for H1, ## for H2, ### for H3. In Notly, H2 and H3 are the most useful for structuring a long note.
Bold and italic — Wrap text in double asterisks for bold, *single asterisks* for italic. You can combine them: *bold italic*.
Lists — Start a line with - or * for a bullet list. Use 1. for numbered lists. Indent with two spaces to create sub-items.
Checkboxes — Start a line with - [ ] for an unchecked box, - [x] for a checked one. This turns any note into a lightweight task list.
Links — Use [link text](https://url.com). Notly auto-detects URLs and makes them clickable too.
Intermediate Tricks
Horizontal rules — Type --- on its own line to insert a divider. Great for separating sections in long notes.
Blockquotes — Start a line with > to create a callout or quote. Useful for highlighting important information.
Code — Wrap inline code in `backticks`. For a code block, use triple backticks (```) on their own line before and after the code.
Power User Tips
Notly automatically renders Markdown as you type, so there's no preview mode to toggle. If you want to see raw Markdown, tap the source button in the editor toolbar.
You can combine Markdown with Notly's tag system. A note's tags and its internal ## headings both work as navigation anchors — tap a tag or a heading in the outline panel to jump directly there.
Finally, exported notes (as PDF or plain text) preserve all Markdown formatting. If you share a note with someone who doesn't use Notly, it still looks great.