Overview

1. Simplenote Export Markdown
2. Simplenote Markdown Checkbox
3. Simplenote Markdown
4. Simplenote Markdown Table
5. Simplenote Markdown Cheat
6. Simplenote Markdown Support

Nearly all Markdown applications support the basic syntax outlined in John Gruber’s original design document. There are minor variations and discrepancies between Markdown processors — those are noted inline wherever possible.

Simplenote already supported Markdown formatting, you had to enable this option from the side panel. But v2 of the program allows you to import Markdown files directly. Click on the File menu and select Import Notes, choose the 'Plain Text Files' option and you can use it to add the contents of.TXT or.MD documents directly as a note. Apr 06, 2021 Prevent Markdown list prefixes from multiplying when hitting Return #1148; When copying a note, ensure that the raw text is copied to the clipboard instead of rich text #1155; Fix line break behavior in the Markdown preview to match common Markdown implementations, as well as the other Simplenote apps #1169.

Headings

To create a heading, add number signs (#) in front of a word or phrase. The number of number signs you use should correspond to the heading level. For example, to create a heading level three (<h3>), use three number signs (e.g., ### My Header).

Alternate Syntax

Markdown formatted. When you edit the notes which have the attribute 'Markdown formatted', the file is opened with the major mode specified by the customize variable simplenote2-markdown-notes-mode whose default value is text-mode. If you want to use markdown-mode for example, install markdown-mode.el and set this variable to markdown-mode. Today we’re excited to announce that Markdown support has been added to the latest update of Simplenote for iOS. To enable Markdown for a note, just tap on the ‘Markdown’ button in the note info panel. You can then swipe on the note editor to view the Markdown preview. Once you’ve enabled Markdown for a note, all new Continue reading “Markdown.

Alternatively, on the line below the text, add any number of characters for heading level 1 or -- characters for heading level 2.

Heading Best Practices

Markdown applications don’t agree on how to handle a missing space between the number signs (#) and the heading name. For compatibility, always put a space between the number signs and the heading name.

Paragraphs

To create paragraphs, use a blank line to separate one or more lines of text.

Paragraph Best Practices

Unless the paragraph is in a list, don’t indent paragraphs with spaces or tabs.

Line Breaks

To create a line break (<br>), end a line with two or more spaces, and then type return.

Line Break Best Practices

You can use two or more spaces (commonly referred to as “trailing whitespace”) for line breaks in nearly every Markdown application, but it’s controversial. It’s hard to see trailing whitespace in an editor, and many people accidentally or intentionally put two spaces after every sentence. For this reason, you may want to use something other than trailing whitespace for line breaks. Fortunately, there is another option supported by nearly every Markdown application: the <br> HTML tag.

For compatibility, use trailing white space or the <br> HTML tag at the end of the line.

There are two other options I don’t recommend using. CommonMark and a few other lightweight markup languages let you type a backslash () at the end of the line, but not all Markdown applications support this, so it isn’t a great option from a compatibility perspective. And at least a couple lightweight markup languages don’t require anything at the end of the line — just type return and they’ll create a line break.

Emphasis

You can add emphasis by making text bold or italic.

Bold

To bold text, add two asterisks or underscores before and after a word or phrase. To bold the middle of a word for emphasis, add two asterisks without spaces around the letters.

Bold Best Practices

Markdown applications don’t agree on how to handle underscores in the middle of a word. For compatibility, use asterisks to bold the middle of a word for emphasis.

Italic

To italicize text, add one asterisk or underscore before and after a word or phrase. To italicize the middle of a word for emphasis, add one asterisk without spaces around the letters.

Italic Best Practices

Markdown applications don’t agree on how to handle underscores in the middle of a word. For compatibility, use asterisks to italicize the middle of a word for emphasis.

Bold and Italic

To emphasize text with bold and italics at the same time, add three asterisks or underscores before and after a word or phrase. To bold and italicize the middle of a word for emphasis, add three asterisks without spaces around the letters.

Bold and Italic Best Practices

Markdown applications don’t agree on how to handle underscores in the middle of a word. For compatibility, use asterisks to bold and italicize the middle of a word for emphasis.

Blockquotes

To create a blockquote, add a > in front of a paragraph.

The rendered output looks like this:

Dorothy followed her through many of the beautiful rooms in her castle.

Blockquotes with Multiple Paragraphs

Blockquotes can contain multiple paragraphs. Add a > on the blank lines between the paragraphs.

The rendered output looks like this:

Dorothy followed her through many of the beautiful rooms in her castle.

The Witch bade her clean the pots and kettles and sweep the floor and keep the fire fed with wood.

Nested Blockquotes

Blockquotes can be nested. Add a >> in front of the paragraph you want to nest.

The rendered output looks like this:

Dorothy followed her through many of the beautiful rooms in her castle.

The Witch bade her clean the pots and kettles and sweep the floor and keep the fire fed with wood.

Blockquotes with Other Elements

Blockquotes can contain other Markdown formatted elements. Not all elements can be used — you’ll need to experiment to see which ones work.

The rendered output looks like this:

The quarterly results look great!

• Revenue was off the chart.
• Profits were higher than ever.

Everything is going according to plan.

Lists

You can organize items into ordered and unordered lists.

Ordered Lists

To create an ordered list, add line items with numbers followed by periods. The numbers don’t have to be in numerical order, but the list should start with the number one.

Ordered List Best Practices

CommonMark and a few other lightweight markup languages let you use a parenthesis ()) as a delimiter (e.g., 1) First item), but not all Markdown applications support this, so it isn’t a great option from a compatibility perspective. For compatibility, use periods only.

Unordered Lists

To create an unordered list, add dashes (-), asterisks (*), or plus signs (+) in front of line items. Indent one or more items to create a nested list.

Starting Unordered List Items With Numbers

If you need to start an unordered list item with a number followed by a period, you can use a backslash () to escape the period.

Unordered List Best Practices

Markdown applications don’t agree on how to handle different delimiters in the same list. For compatibility, don’t mix and match delimiters in the same list — pick one and stick with it.

Adding Elements in Lists

To add another element in a list while preserving the continuity of the list, indent the element four spaces or one tab, as shown in the following examples.

Paragraphs

The rendered output looks like this:

• This is the first list item.

• Here’s the second list item.

  I need to add another paragraph below the second list item.

• And here’s the third list item.

Blockquotes

The rendered output looks like this:

• This is the first list item.

• Here’s the second list item.

  A blockquote would look great below the second list item.

• And here’s the third list item.

Code Blocks

Code blocks are normally indented four spaces or one tab. When they’re in a list, indent them eight spaces or two tabs.

The rendered output looks like this:

1. Open the file.

2. Find the following code block on line 21:

3. Update the title to match the name of your website.

Images

The rendered output looks like this:

1. Open the file containing the Linux mascot.

2. Marvel at its beauty.

3. Close the file.

Lists

You can nest an unordered list in an ordered list, or vice versa.

The rendered output looks like this:

1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item
   • Indented item
   • Indented item
4. Fourth item

Code

To denote a word or phrase as code, enclose it in backticks (`).

Escaping Backticks

If the word or phrase you want to denote as code includes one or more backticks, you can escape it by enclosing the word or phrase in double backticks (``).

Code Blocks

To create code blocks, indent every line of the block by at least four spaces or one tab.

The rendered output looks like this:

Horizontal Rules

To create a horizontal rule, use three or more asterisks (***), dashes (---), or underscores (___) on a line by themselves.

The rendered output of all three looks identical:

Horizontal Rule Best Practices

For compatibility, put blank lines before and after horizontal rules.

Links

To create a link, enclose the link text in brackets (e.g., [Duck Duck Go]) and then follow it immediately with the URL in parentheses (e.g., (https://duckduckgo.com)).

The rendered output looks like this:

My favorite search engine is Duck Duck Go.

Adding Titles

You can optionally add a title for a link. This will appear as a tooltip when the user hovers over the link. To add a title, enclose it in parentheses after the URL.

The rendered output looks like this:

My favorite search engine is Duck Duck Go.

URLs and Email Addresses

To quickly turn a URL or email address into a link, enclose it in angle brackets.

The rendered output looks like this:

https://www.markdownguide.org
fake@example.com

Formatting Links

To emphasize links, add asterisks before and after the brackets and parentheses. To denote links as code, add backticks in the brackets.

The rendered output looks like this:

I love supporting the EFF.
This is the Markdown Guide.
See the section on code.

Reference-style Links

Reference-style links are a special kind of link that make URLs easier to display and read in Markdown. Reference-style links are constructed in two parts: the part you keep inline with your text and the part you store somewhere else in the file to keep the text easy to read.

Formatting the First Part of the Link

The first part of a reference-style link is formatted with two sets of brackets. The first set of brackets surrounds the text that should appear linked. The second set of brackets displays a label used to point to the link you’re storing elsewhere in your document.

Although not required, you can include a space between the first and second set of brackets. The label in the second set of brackets is not case sensitive and can include letters, numbers, spaces, or punctuation.

This means the following example formats are roughly equivalent for the first part of the link:

• [hobbit-hole][1]
• [hobbit-hole] [1]

Formatting the Second Part of the Link

The second part of a reference-style link is formatted with the following attributes:

1. The label, in brackets, followed immediately by a colon and at least one space (e.g., [label]: ).
2. The URL for the link, which you can optionally enclose in angle brackets.
3. The optional title for the link, which you can enclose in double quotes, single quotes, or parentheses.

This means the following example formats are all roughly equivalent for the second part of the link:

• [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobbit#Lifestyle
• [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobbit#Lifestyle 'Hobbit lifestyles'
• [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobbit#Lifestyle 'Hobbit lifestyles'
• [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobbit#Lifestyle (Hobbit lifestyles)
• [1]: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobbit#Lifestyle> 'Hobbit lifestyles'
• [1]: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobbit#Lifestyle> 'Hobbit lifestyles'
• [1]: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobbit#Lifestyle> (Hobbit lifestyles)

You can place this second part of the link anywhere in your Markdown document. Some people place them immediately after the paragraph in which they appear while other people place them at the end of the document (like endnotes or footnotes).

An Example Putting the Parts Together

Say you add a URL as a standard URL link to a paragraph and it looks like this in Markdown:

Though it may point to interesting additional information, the URL as displayed really doesn’t add much to the existing raw text other than making it harder to read. To fix that, you could format the URL like this instead:

In both instances above, the rendered output would be identical:

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.

and the HTML for the link would be:

Link Best Practices

Markdown applications don’t agree on how to handle spaces in the middle of a URL. For compatibility, try to URL encode any spaces with %20.

Images

To add an image, add an exclamation mark (!), followed by alt text in brackets, and the path or URL to the image asset in parentheses. You can optionally add a title after the URL in the parentheses.

The rendered output looks like this:

Linking Images

To add a link to an image, enclose the Markdown for the image in brackets, and then add the link in parentheses.

The rendered output looks like this:

Escaping Characters

To display a literal character that would otherwise be used to format text in a Markdown document, add a backslash () in front of the character.

The rendered output looks like this:

* Without the backslash, this would be a bullet in an unordered list.

Characters You Can Escape

You can use a backslash to escape the following characters.

HTML

Many Markdown applications allow you to use HTML tags in Markdown-formatted text. This is helpful if you prefer certain HTML tags to Markdown syntax. For example, some people find it easier to use HTML tags for images. Using HTML is also helpful when you need to change the attributes of an element, like specifying the color of text or changing the width of an image.

To use HTML, place the tags in the text of your Markdown-formatted file.

The rendered output looks like this:

This word is bold. This word is italic.

HTML Best Practices

For security reasons, not all Markdown applications support HTML in Markdown documents. When in doubt, check your Markdown application’s documentation. Some applications support only a subset of HTML tags.

Use blank lines to separate block-level HTML elements like <div>, <table>, <pre>, and <p> from the surrounding content. Try not to indent the tags with tabs or spaces — that can interfere with the formatting.

You can’t use Markdown syntax inside block-level HTML tags. For example, <p>italic and **bold**</p> won’t work.

Take your Markdown skills to the next level.

Learn Markdown in 60 pages. Designed for both novices and experts, The Markdown Guide book is a comprehensive reference that has everything you need to get started and master Markdown syntax.

Want to learn more Markdown?

Don't stop now! 😎 Star the GitHub repository and then enter your email address below to receive new Markdown tutorials via email. No spam!

Tips & Tricks

Is there a way to import my notes?

Yes. You can now import notes into our desktop app for Windows, Linux, and macOS*. To get started, select File > Import Notes from the app menu, then pick the type of notes you will be importing.

You can also import from our web app! When logged in, click the menu on the top left corner (three horizontal lines), then click on Settings and choose the Tools tab. Finally, click on Import Notes.

The options are:

• Simplenote exports (.json)
• Plain text files, including Markdown files (.txt or .md)
• Evernote export (.enex — only supported in the desktop app)

You can browse the notes you want to import or drag and drop a file into the import window. The app takes care of the rest. If you’re importing notes with Markdown formatting and you’d like to keep them that way, check the Enable Markdown on all notes box and they’ll be automatically configured as Markdown notes in Simplenote.

*A quick note, Mac users! To use the importer, make sure you’re using the Electron version of the app, available here. The standard version of the app available in the Mac App Store doesn’t support importing yet.

Is there some way to export my notes?

You can export your data, including notes and tags, from the web, Android, and desktop apps for Windows, Linux and macOS*.

Web

You can backup your notes by exporting them from our web app. When logged in, click the menu on the top left corner (three horizontal lines), then click on Settings and choose the Tools tab. Finally, click on Export Notes.

Android

You can export your notes from the Android app by opening the navigation drawer, tapping the Settings item in the drawer, and tapping the Export data option under the Account section. You will be shown the system file explorer where you can choose to save your data locally or remotely via services like Google Drive if you have a Google account on the device. You will also be able to edit the file name, which is simplenote.json by default.

Desktop app (Linux, Windows, macOS*)

You can also export notes in the desktop app at File > Export Notes. Either method will download a .zip file of all your notes. The filename for each individual note is the first line of the note.

*To export notes on macOS, make sure you’re using the Electron version of the app, available here. The standard version of the app available in the Mac App Store doesn’t support exporting yet.

How can I add a checklist?

On our mobile apps, you’ll find a new button in the editor toolbar to add a checklist. On Desktop, head to Format → Insert Checklist. Nested Checklists are also supported, in case you need an extra level of organization.

How can I share a note or collaborate with others?

If you’d like others to view and edit one of your notes, add their email address as a tag. The shared note will then pop up in their list of notes. They’ll need to have their own Simplenote account first. Similarly, if you’d like to work on a note together, have them add your email address as a tag to collaborate. In the iOS app, instead of adding your email address as a tag, you can tap the Info panel icon when viewing a note, then tap Collaborate.

If you’d like to share a view-only version, you can use the publish to web feature.

How can I change the language?

You can change the language on Android and iOS by changing it from your device settings. At the moment Simplenote is not localized in Linux, Windows, or on the web.

What are the keyboard shortcuts available?

There are keyboard shortcuts for our Android, Electron (Linux, Windows), and macOS apps.

Android

Tap Ctrl, to see a list of shortcuts available on the current screen. A list of all shortcuts is below.

Electron (Linux, Windows)

Type Ctrl/ to view all shortcuts. Here are some common ones:

macOS

Notes

Can I print my notes?

Yes! You can print your notes using our web, Android, Electron (Linux, Windows), iOS, and macOS apps.

Web

Open your browser printing options and choose the option to print the selection. Different browsers will offer different options for this.

Android

Open your note, and publish it to web. Open the link in your browser (might differ depending on your browser app), and Share the link. You will see “Print” as an option.

Electron (Linux, Windows)

Open your note and use the File -> Print menu option or CtrlP.

iOS

Open your note, click on the Info in the panel, and select “Send.” You will see “Print” as an option.

macOS

Open Simplenote, and click on the “Note” settings. You will see the option to Print your note using your system’s preferences.

How does syncing work?

All notes are synced between your device, the web app, and any desktop apps that you might have downloaded. When you create, edit, or delete notes in any of these locations, they automatically and wirelessly sync to the other locations as well as soon as you open the app.

Can I search notes without a connection to the internet?

Yes, you can search your notes even when you’re offline using Simplenote for Android, Linux Windows, iOS, and macOS apps. You can even search on app.simplenote.com when you’re offline, as long as you have logged into the app while online.

Can I use Markdown?

Yes! Markdown is supported on our web, Android, Electron (Linux, Windows), and iOS apps.

Web

Open a note for editing then select Note info & settings (the icon with an i in a circle at the very top of the screen) and then check the option next to “Markdown Formatted.”

Android

You can enable and disable Markdown on a per-note basis by tapping the ellipsis action in the top app bar while viewing a note and tapping the Markdown checkbox. Simplenote Android will remember the last time you enabled or disabled Markdown on a note and apply that setting when notes are created.

Markdown on Android does not support HTML tags. Entering something like <b>, <i>, <br>, or <img> will show the tag exactly as it is written and not formatted. The supported syntax is shown below.

To use single spacing, add two spaces () followed by one new line to the end of a line. To use double spacing, add two new lines to the end of a line.

To create a heading, add number signs (#) in front of a word or phrase. The number of number signs you use should correspond to the heading level.

Heading 2

Heading 3

Heading 4

Heading 5

To bold text, add two asterisks (**) or underscores (__) before and after a word or phrase. To italicize text, add one asterisk (*) or underscore (_) before and after a word or phrase. To emphasize text with bold and italics at the same time, add any combination of three asterisks (***) or underscores (___) before and after a word or phrase.

Bold
Italic
Italic
Bold/Italic
Bold/Italic
Bold/Italic
Bold/Italic

To create a blockquote, add a chevron pointing right (>) in front of a paragraph.

Blockquote

To denote a word or phrase as code inline with other text, enclose it in backticks (`).

Code Inline

To create code blocks, add three backticks (```) before and after the block of text. Alternatively, indent every line of the block by at least four spaces () or one tab.

To create an unordered list, add dashes (-), plus signs (+), asterisks (*), or bullet points (•) in front of line items.

• Dash 1
• Dash 2
• Dash 3

• Plus 1
• Plus 2
• Plus 3

• Asterisk 1
• Asterisk 2
• Asterisk 3

• Bullet 1
• Bullet 2
• Bullet 3

To create a checklist, add a dash (-), space (), and square brackets ([]) surrounding a space () or x (x) in front of the items.

To create an ordered list, add line items with numbers followed by periods.

1. Ordered 1
2. Ordered 2
3. Ordered 3

To create a table, use three or more hyphens (---) to create each column’s header, and use pipes (|) with a space () on each side of the pipes to separate each column.

To create a horizontal rule, use three or more asterisks (***), dashes (---), or underscores (___) on a line by themselves.

Simplenote Export Markdown

To create a link, enclose the link text in brackets (e.g., [Link]) and then follow it immediately with the URL in parentheses (e.g., (https://simplenote.com)).

To create an image, put an exclamation mark (!) before the enclosed image text in brackets (e.g., ![Image]) and then follow it immediately with the URL in parentheses (e.g., (https://cldup.com/DqxSeQlvga.png)).

Electron (Linux, Windows)

First, enable it on your note by selecting the Info panel icon and toggle the Markdown setting.

To get started with text formatting, check out the basics. Here’s a small sampling of what you can do with Markdown:

# heading 1
## heading 2
### heading 3
_Italics_
**Bold**
**_Italics and Bold_**
Links: [Simplenote](https://simplenote.com/)

Lists:

– Thing 1
– Thing 2
– Thing 3

Embed an image:

iOS

Click on the Info panel icon and toggle the markdown setting. Once enabled, you can swipe left to preview your markdown notes, and swipe right to continue editing.

How does publishing work?

Publishing notes is a way to share notes on the web for others to read. You can use the new info panel to publish a note to the web. Just tap the Info panel icon when viewing a note, then tap Publish. Within seconds you’ll be able to share a link to get the word out. To publish a note using the web app, click on the ellipsis icon and then click on Publish.

What’s the maximum length of a note?

You can create very long notes if you absolutely have to, but we don’t recommend making notes longer than several thousand words. Huge notes can take a long time to process both in the web app and on your device.

You can break long notes up into multiple notes and link between them using internal links.

How many notes can I make?

We don’t currently place any restrictions on the number of notes you can make, as long as you’re not abusing the system.

How do internal links work?

Internal links allow you to link to one note from within another note. You can read more about how to use them on this blog post: https://simplenote.com/2020/11/03/introducing-internal-links/

Troubleshooting

I accidentally deleted a note. Can I recover it?

Simplenote Markdown Checkbox

Yes, all deleted notes go into your Trash. To see the notes that are in your Trash, you need to view the “Trash” tag. On Android and iOS, simply return to your main notes list and open the tags drawer. You’ll see “Trash” below the “All Notes” row. In the web app, hover over the tag in your note list, and select Trash.

When viewing your Trash, you can choose to restore a previously deleted note by swiping from right to left on the note then by tapping “restore.” It will then appear back inside All Notes.

I lost a note or some text from a note. What can I do?

In the vast majority of cases, Simplenote’s synchronization works great. We handle millions of synchronization requests each day without any problems. But if you do lose your data, even just a single character, and even if it’s not our fault, we want to hear about it. The integrity of your notes is our top priority. Any form of data loss is completely unacceptable.

The first thing is to check the note history, most Simplenote apps support viewing previous versions of a note. Be sure to check the history of any blank or duplicate notes you can see. Most of the time you will find your content there. If not, you may want to check the Trash and restore the note from there. Notes put in the Trash still retain their version history.

We’re in the process of adding additional safeguards and fallback measures for your notes. Please contact us regarding any form of data loss and try to provide as many details as you can remember about the circumstances that caused the problem so we can ensure it won’t happen again in the future.

Security

Are my notes encrypted in storage?

In terms of security, Simplenote works a lot like other popular online services such as Gmail and Facebook. Your personal information is protected by a strict Privacy Policy. Notes are not encrypted at rest due to server side constraints. For this reason we recommend not using Simplenote to store anything particularly sensitive.

Unlike a lot of other services, however, by default your notes in Simplenote are always encrypted when they’re in transit across a network. This is important. It’s when your personal information is most vulnerable. We believe that all modern services should provide this level of protection by default.

You have my email address…

We respect the privacy of our users, and we’ll never give email addresses to third parties.

Does Simplenote encrypt my notes during synchronization?

Yes, this is important! Don’t settle for anything less. Nonetheless, we discourage users from storing extremely sensitive information such as passwords, bank account information, or social security numbers. Please see our Privacy Policy if you have any concerns.

Information

How can I contact you?

Simplenote Markdown

If the information on this page doesn’t answer your questions please contact us here!

How much does Simplenote cost?

Simplenote is a free service provided by your friends at Automattic.

What happened to Dropbox support?

Simplenote Markdown Table

Simplenote no longer supports Dropbox sync.

Account

I forgot my password. What do I do?

To reset your password, visit app.simplenote.com/forgot. Enter your email address there and a password reset link will be sent to you.

Can I close my account?

Yes, this can be done via the Simplenote web app only:

Simplenote Markdown Cheat

Sign in to the web app and go to your account settings. You’ll find an option there to delete your Simplenote account.

Please note that all your notes will be permanently deleted, and your account details (like your email address) will be purged. If you’d like to keep a copy of your notes, we recommend you export them before closing your account.

How do I change the email address I use to sign in?

Simplenote Markdown Support

You can change your email address by visiting the Settings page in the web app. At the top, you’ll see your address along with a “change” link. Click that link and you’ll be able to enter your new address. A confirmation email will be sent to your old address.