Getting started
What SILONotes is, how it is laid out, and how to write your first note.
On this page
SILONotes is a notebook that lives on your own device. There is no account to create, nothing is uploaded in the background, and it works with the network switched off. Open it and start writing.
Two apps share the same feature set and the same file format: a desktop app for Linux (Windows and macOS are being prepared), and a mobile app for Android. A backup made on one restores on the other.
The layout
On the desktop there are three columns. The left rail holds your views and your SILOs, the middle column lists notes, and the right side is where you write.
On the phone the same pieces are stacked. Your SILOs live in a drawer behind the button at the top left, and the tab bar along the bottom switches between Notes, Library, Record, Tasks and Chat.
Write your first note
- 1On the desktop press Ctrl+N, or click the + at the top of the note list. On the phone, tap the + button at the bottom right.
- 2Give the note a title, then press Enter to drop into the body.
- 3Type. Every paragraph you write becomes its own block, which is what lets you reorder and format things later.
- 4There is no save button. Your writing is committed as you go.
- at the start of a line turns it into a bullet, and [] turns it into a checkbox.Where your notes go
A new note lands in your default SILO. SILONotes ships with a handful to start you off, and you can rename them, add your own, or set a different default at any time. See SILOs and organising.
Capture from the home screen (Android)
Long-press an empty spot on your home screen, choose Widgets, and find SILONotes. Each widget does one thing without opening the app:
- Quick Note opens a small box over the home screen. Type, press Save, and the note lands in a SILO called Quick Notes. A #hashtag still files it in its matching SILO too.
- Quick Task adds a to-do to your Quick Tasks note, with Tonight, Tomorrow or Next week as a due date if you want one.
- Quick Voicenote starts recording straight away, in the background; stop or discard it from the notification.
- SILO Sam opens a chat with Sam.
- Quick Actions puts all four in one bar. Resize it: wide it shows a row, square it shows a grid.
The same four are in the menu you get by long-pressing the SILONotes icon. On the desktop, Ctrl+Shift+Space opens Quick Capture from anywhere, and it saves to the same Quick Notes SILO.
What to do next
- Set up your SILOs so new notes land where you expect.
- Learn the editor if you want headings, checklists, colours and attachments.
- Connect an AI model if you want a hand summarising or tidying up. This is entirely optional.
- Make a backup once you have written something you would miss.