Getting started
What SILONotes is, how it is laid out, and how to write your first note.
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, macOS and Windows, 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.- , 1. or [] converts the block as you type. The phone uses the block-type button in the formatting toolbar instead.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.
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.