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Getting Started

Getting started with Glyph

Glyph is a desktop app for notes that live on your computer. You pick a folder (a Space), write notes as Markdown files, and open them anytime. No account required to start writing.

What Glyph is

Glyph stores notes as plain Markdown files inside a folder you choose. That folder is your Space. You can open those files in other apps, back them up, or put them in a Git repository. Glyph indexes them so you can search and link notes.

You work offline by default. Sync is optional: use Git, or keep your Space folder in iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, or any other cloud provider you choose.

Open or create a Space

On first launch, the welcome screen offers Open Folder. That opens an existing folder as your Space.

Later you can use:

  1. Open Space (Cmd+O) to pick a folder that already has notes (or an empty folder you want to use).
  2. Create Space (Cmd+Shift+N) when you want a new workspace folder Glyph initializes for you.

Glyph treats that folder as the home for your notes. Markdown files (.md) inside it show up in the app.

You can open another Space later. Each Space is its own folder with its own notes, Space settings, Git sync, and AI keys.

Write your first note

  1. Open a Space.
  2. Create a new note from the sidebar or command palette.
  3. Type in the editor. Glyph saves your work as a Markdown file in the Space folder.
  4. Give the note a title. That becomes the file name on disk.

Open the Space folder in Finder (or your file manager) if you want to see the .md files. What you type in Glyph is what lives on disk.

Try a short note, quit Glyph, and reopen the Space. Your file should still be there. That is the offline-first idea in practice.

The left sidebar is how you move around your Space. Quick actions at the top include New Note, Pinned, All Notes, Collections, and Connections. Below that, the Notes tree lists folders and files. A Tags section appears when your Space has tags.

Open today’s note from the command palette (Open Daily Note) after you set a Daily Notes folder in Space settings. Use the command palette or Quick Open to search. Start with the file tree and a single note. The rest can wait.

Settings you may want soon

Open Settings when you are ready:

  • Appearance: theme, accent, editor width
  • General: default editor mode, tabs, license
  • Space: Daily Notes folder, templates, attachments (needs an open Space)
  • Git: sync with a Git remote (optional)
  • Glyph AI: chat and agents (optional)

Tips

  • Keep one Space per project or vault. You can open another Space later without losing the first.
  • Because notes are Markdown files, you can rename or move them in the file tree or on disk. Prefer renames inside Glyph so links stay tidy.
  • Official builds include a 7-day trial. Community builds work without a license key (see Settings → General → License).

Next steps

Set a Daily Notes folder under Settings → Space if you want a note per day. Turn on Git Sync when the Space root is a Git repo with origin. Enable Glyph AI when you want chat with @ context in the sidebar.