Quick Start

Tydora is a modern desktop Markdown editor built with Tauri v2 + React 19. It features WYSIWYG live preview, dual-mode editing, WikiLink bidirectional links, a knowledge graph, mind maps, and a whiteboard canvas. This page gets you from installation to your first note in about 5 minutes.

If you've used Obsidian or Typora, many interactions in Tydora will feel familiar: the Vault concept, bidirectional link syntax, and WYSIWYG editing all share the same philosophy.

1. Installation

  1. Go to the GitHub Releases page.
  2. Download the appropriate installer for your system:
    • Windows: Tydora_x.x.x_x64-setup.exe
    • macOS: Tydora_aarch64.app.tar.gz (Apple Silicon) or Tydora_x64.app.tar.gz (Intel)
    • Linux: Tydora_amd64.AppImage
  3. Run the installer and follow the prompts.
  4. Launch Tydora.
After the first launch, Tydora checks for available updates automatically. You can also manually check in Settings at any time.

2. Open a Vault

Tydora uses the "Vault" concept to manage your notes. Each vault corresponds to a local folder. All Markdown files in the vault are included in the file tree, link index, and knowledge graph.

  1. Click the vault switcher at the bottom of the left sidebar (showing the current vault name).
  2. Select "Add Vault."
  3. In the file picker, choose a folder as your note vault (or create an empty folder).
  4. After confirmation, the left sidebar immediately shows the file tree for that folder.
Vaults only record folder paths — Tydora does not move or copy your files. You can add multiple vaults at any time and manage them by project or topic. See 04-File-Management/01-Vaults.

3. Create Your First Note

  1. In the left file tree, right-click a target folder (or the root directory).
  2. Choose "New File."
  3. Enter a filename, e.g., my-first-note (the .md extension can be omitted — Tydora adds it automatically).
  4. Press Enter to confirm, and the editor opens the file.
  5. Start writing in Markdown!
Right-click empty space in the file tree to "New Folder" — organize your notes by category first to keep your knowledge from becoming chaos.

4. Basic Editing

Tydora offers two editing modes for different scenarios:

  • Live Preview (IR / WYSIWYG): See the final rendered result directly in the editor — what you see is what you get. Great for daily writing.
  • Source Mode (SV): Shows plain Markdown text with syntax highlighting powered by CodeMirror 6. Great for fine-tuning formatting.

Press Ctrl+/ to switch between the two modes at any time. See 02-Editor/01-Editing-Modes.

5. Saving Files

  • Manual save: Press Ctrl+S.
  • Auto-save: Enable "Auto Save" in 07-Settings/01-General-Settings. After that, files are automatically written to disk about 1 second after you stop typing.
File deletion is irreversible — proceed with caution. For important notes, consider backing up or using version control (e.g., Git).

6. Quick Navigation

Master these shortcuts to boost your productivity:

Shortcut Function
Ctrl+O 05-Navigation-Search/01-Quick-Open — Open a file
Ctrl+P 05-Navigation-Search/02-Command-Palette — Search and execute commands
Ctrl+\ Toggle left sidebar
Ctrl+/ Switch editing mode (IR ↔ SV)
Ctrl+G Open 03-Knowledge-Management/04-Knowledge-Graph
Ctrl+M Open 08-Advanced-Features/02-Mind-Map

Full list: 07-Settings/04-Shortcut-Reference.

7. Next Steps

After writing your first note, explore further: