Synapse documentation

What Synapse is

Plain files, no lock-in

Every note is a .md file in a normal folder. Open it in any editor, sync it however you like, back it up with Time Machine.

Preferences that stay put

Theme, fonts, editor and hotkeys are global. Switching vaults never resets them; any setting can be overridden for one vault.

Links are the point

Wiki links with autocomplete, backlinks with context, unlinked mentions, tags and a live graph.

Private by design

No account, no telemetry, no cloud. Your notes never leave your Mac.

Start here

InstallationRequirements, download and the first launch on macOS.

Getting startedOpen a vault, write a note, link it.

Guides

The editorLive Preview, tables, math, shortcuts, attachments.

Links and backlinksWiki links, embeds, backlinks, renaming, tags.

Reading viewRendered notes, code, diagrams and tasks.

Search and navigationSearch syntax, quick switcher, tabs and panes.

GraphEvery note and link, and the graph settings.

Files and vaultsThe file tree, deleting, switching, what is written.

Configure and fix

SettingsGlobal preferences and vault overrides.

HotkeysDefault shortcuts and how to change them.

TroubleshootingFirst-launch warning, conflicts, missing vaults.

FAQPrice, Obsidian vaults, privacy, platforms.

Words used in these docs

• Vault: any folder of notes you open in Synapse. Subfolders are part of it.
• Note: a Markdown file (.md) inside a vault.
• Wiki link: a link written as [[Note name]].
• Global setting: a preference stored with Synapse that applies to every vault.
• Vault override: a preference stored in one vault that replaces the global value there only.