Writing notes

Type as you would anywhere. Nifty saves as you go, and Markdown turns into formatting as you type it.

The editor

Editing a note keeps it where it is. The note looks the same as when you read it, but you can change the title and the text.

• Add category, above the title, files the note. See Categories and pins.
• Add type, beside it, says what kind of note it is. See Choose a type below.
• Add mood records how you feel. See Add a mood below.
• On the same line, you can see the word count and whether your changes are saved.
• Done (⌘↵) stops editing and shows the note.
• Untitled is the title. The title is optional. Press ↵ to go on to the text.

Type @, # or ^ to link a person, tag or project. See Mentions and tags.

Choose a type

A type says what kind of note it is: a 1-to-1, a Meeting, a Journal entry, your Thoughts, an Idea or a Reference. A 1-to-1 is any conversation with one other person, including a call. The type is optional.

1. In the editor, choose Add type beside the category, or choose the type that's already there.
2. Type the start of its name, such as me for Meeting, and then press ↵.

No type removes the type.

Each type has an icon, which shows beside the note in the notes list and on its card. When you read a note, its type shows above the title. Choose it to see every note of that type. The type is on the note's PDF too.

Nifty can fill the type in for you.

• A note about a meeting in your calendar takes its type from the event's guests. With one guest besides you, it's a 1-to-1, and with more, it's a Meeting. Nifty recognises you by the email addresses on your own page, or else by your name. An event with no other guests, such as one you added in Nifty, gives no type.
• With Note titles turned on, AI chooses a type for a note that nobody else has typed. A calendar event's type replaces one AI chose.

A type you choose, or No type, is never changed.

Add a mood

A mood records how you felt when you wrote a note. It's optional.

1. In the editor, choose Add mood beside the type, or choose the mood that's already there.
2. Type to find a mood, such as anx for 😟 Anxious, and then press ↵.

The moods are grouped under Good, Calm, Low, Tense, and Mind and body. No mood removes the mood.

The mood shows above the note's title when you read it. Nifty leaves it off the note's PDF.

Emoji

Type : after a space or at the start of a line. You can browse every emoji by group, with the ones you've used lately first, or keep typing to search by name. For example, :thumbs finds 👍 and 👎. The arrow keys move, ↵ chooses and Esc closes. If you type a whole name between colons, such as :tada:, it turns into 🎉 straight away.

Format as you type

Start a line with one of these.

Type	For
# to ######	A heading (1 to 6)
- or *	A bulleted list
1.	A numbered list
[ ]	A checklist
>	A quote
> [!NOTE]	An information box (blue)
> [!WARNING]	A warning box (yellow)
```	A code block
---	A dividing line

Inside a line, you can use **bold**, *italic*, ~~strikethrough~~, ==highlight==, `code` and [text](https://…) for a link. When you read the note, a link to another website opens in a new browser tab.

To see all of these while you write, choose Formatting help (the ? beside Done), or press ⌘/. Press Esc to go back to your text.

On a phone, a bar above the keyboard has buttons for mentions, tags, emoji, checklists, lists, headings, bold, italic, highlight and both kinds of box. Swipe the bar sideways to see them all.

Information and warning boxes

A box sets a few lines apart from the rest of the note. An information box is blue, for something useful to know. A warning box is yellow, for something to be careful about. Each has its own icon too.

Start a line with > [!NOTE] for an information box, or > [!WARNING] for a warning box, and then type. Each ↵ adds another line to the box, and lists work inside it. Press ↵ on an empty line to leave the box.

If you paste Markdown with these boxes in it, or copy one from GitHub, it stays a box. [!TIP] and [!IMPORTANT] make information boxes, and [!CAUTION] makes a warning box.

Formatting keys

Keys	Does
⌘B / ⌘I	Bold / italic
⌘E	Code
⇧⌘S / ⇧⌘H	Strikethrough / highlight
⌘⌥1 to 6	Heading 1 to 6
⌘⌥0	Back to plain text
⇧⌘7 / 8 / 9	Numbered list / bulleted list / checklist
⇧⌘B	Quote
⌘⌥C	Code block
⇧↵	New line in the same paragraph
Tab / ⇧Tab	Nest or unnest a list item

On Windows and Linux, use Ctrl for ⌘ and Alt for ⌥. To see these keys in Nifty, press ? when you're not typing, or read Keyboard shortcuts.

Checklists

Start a line with [ ] , or press ⇧⌘9. Each ↵ adds the next item. You can also tick items while reading the note, without opening the editor.

Code

Type ``` and a space to start a code block. To highlight the code, choose its language from the menu above the block, or type the language before the space, such as ```python.

Images and PDFs

Paste or drop an image into the text. You can use JPEG, PNG, WebP and GIF images of up to 20 MB each.

Drop a PDF on the editor to link it to the note. It's listed under the text while it uploads, then under Documents in the note's details. If the details are hidden, it stays under the text until you choose Done. An image dropped on the text goes in the text instead. A new note needs some text first. See Library.

Saving and backups

The status beside Done says how saving is going. It shows Saves as you type, then Saving… and then Saved. If you're offline or a save fails, the status says so, and your text stays on screen. Choose Try again when it appears.

Nifty also keeps a backup of unsaved text in your browser for 7 days. When you open the note again, the text is put back, with Nifty restored your unsaved text. Signing out clears these backups.

Nifty doesn't keep older versions of a note.