Format notes and comments
On this page
Notes and comments use the same editor, so everything here works in both (except Make subtask, which only notes have). Everything also works offline.
Type to format#
Start a line with - for a bullet list, 1. for a numbered list, [ ] for a checklist, # for a heading or > for a quote. Type ``` and press Enter for a code block: inside it, what you type stays exactly as typed. Select text and press Ctrl+B for bold, Ctrl+I for italic or Ctrl+K for a link (⌘ on a Mac).
The / menu#
Type / at the start of a line or after a space to open a menu of everything the editor can insert: headings, lists, a table, a quote, a code block, a link, an image, today's date and a mention. Keep typing to filter it (/tab finds the table), move with ↑ and ↓, press Enter to insert, or Esc to keep what you typed.
On a phone, a row of buttons (bold, italic, link, lists and More) sits above the text while you write. In the comment box on a computer, the Formatting button shows the same row, and the @ button starts a mention.
Tables#
Choose Table from the / menu. Tab moves to the next cell and adds a row at the end; Shift+Tab goes back. Right-click a cell, or type / in it, to add or delete rows and columns or turn the header row off. A table holds up to 10 columns and 100 rows of plain text per cell, and scrolls sideways on a narrow screen.
Images#
Paste a screenshot, drop a picture, or choose Image from the / menu. The file becomes one of the task's attachments and shows where you put it. Select it to type a description for screen readers. A picture whose file was removed shows Removed image. Pasting a web address of a picture adds a link, never the picture: OpenTodo loads nothing from other sites. With end-to-end encryption the picture is decrypted on your device; on a locked device it reads Encrypted image.
Mention someone#
In a shared project, type @ and a few letters of a member's name and pick them. Mentioning someone in a task's notes sends them a notification "mentioned you in the notes of …" once; later edits don't notify them again. After the people, the list offers the groups of the workspace, shown with a group icon: @Adults notifies everyone in the group who can see the task.
Make a checklist line a subtask#
In a task's notes, put the caret on a checklist line and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter (or choose Make subtask from the / menu). The line becomes a link to a new subtask with its text; a ticked line makes a completed subtask. The link always shows the subtask's current title. Ctrl+Z right after takes both back.
What other apps see#
Notes and comments are stored as Markdown text too, so the API, the command line, exports and email show them as | pipe | tables |, > quotes, fenced code,  for pictures and @name for mentions.