Knowledge graph
See your whole vault as a living map of linked notes. Open it with G.
Documentation
Everything, at your fingertips.
Getting started, every keyboard shortcut, the markdown syntax, the features and utilities, and how to share your notes with AIs. Skim it, or search the page — it's all here.
Start here
Getting started
MORTIS CLOUD is an end-to-end encrypted, local-first markdown notes app — a private Obsidian alternative. Your notes are plain .md files that live on your device and sync, encrypted, across all of them.
- Open it. Install the desktop app for Windows, macOS or Linux, or just open the web app in your browser. Nothing to configure.
- Create your account. Sign up once. Your password also derives the encryption key — so pick a strong one and keep it safe. Even we can't recover your notes without it.
- Write your first note. Press N and start typing in plain markdown.
- Link your thinking. Type
[[to link to another note. Backlinks, mentions and the knowledge graph build themselves. - Sync & share. Everything syncs automatically, encrypted. Share a note or a whole project as one link your AI can read.
The one shortcut to remember: P opens the command palette. Every action lives there, searchable, with its shortcut shown next to it.
Orientation
The workspace
Three regions: the sidebar on the left, the editor in the middle, and the panels on the right.
- Sidebar & file tree — your folders and notes. Search sits at the top; right-click for rename, move, pin, delete and more.
- Editor & reading mode — notes open in clean reading mode; click anywhere to edit, or press E to toggle. Switching away saves automatically.
- Tabs & split view — open notes appear as tabs. Split the editor to read two notes side by side.
- Right panels — the outline of the current note and its backlinks (what links here).
Power use
Keyboard shortcuts
Pick your system — the keys below update to match. Inside the editor, the standard text-editing shortcuts (undo, redo, copy, select-all, word motion) work as you'd expect too.
Showing Windows shortcuts.
Essentials
| P | Command palette — every action, searchable |
| O | Quick switcher — jump to any note by name |
| N | New note |
| E | Toggle reading / editing mode |
| , | Settings |
| R | Refresh the vault |
Navigation & search
| ← / → | Go back / forward through notes you've opened |
| F | Find — in the note (editor) or focus sidebar search |
| Shift F | Search across the whole vault |
| G | Open the knowledge graph |
Editing & formatting
| B | Bold |
| I | Italic |
| K | Insert link |
| [[ | Autocomplete a wikilink to another note |
| / | Slash menu — insert templates, blocks and snippets |
| Tab | Accept the autocomplete suggestion (otherwise indent) |
View & files
| Shift Z | Zen mode — distraction-free full screen (Esc exits) |
| Shift T | Cycle the signature themes |
| F2 | Rename the selected note or folder |
| Delete | Move the selection to Trash (restorable) |
Syntax
Writing in markdown
Plain markdown, plus the linked-thinking extensions you'd expect. A live preview styles it as you type.
[[Note name]] | Wikilink to another note |
[[Note#Heading]] | Link straight to a heading |
![[Note]] | Transclude (embed) another note's content |
#tag | Tag — highlighted and searchable |
- [ ] task | A checkbox task; - [x] when done |
> [!note] Title | Callout (info, tip, warning, danger…) |
front :: back | A flashcard for spaced-repetition review |
$E = mc^2$ | Inline math (KaTeX); $$…$$ for a block |
```mermaid | Mermaid diagrams (flowcharts, sequences…) |
--- | Frontmatter properties at the top of a note |
Paste an image straight into a note and it's saved into your vault and linked automatically — and it syncs to your other devices.
Toolkit
Features & utilities
A small set of well-made tools. Reach any of them from the command palette ( P).
Canvas
An infinite whiteboard to arrange notes, cards and ideas spatially and connect them.
Kanban boards
Turn a note into a drag-and-drop board of columns and cards for projects and tasks.
Daily notes & calendar
A note for each day, plus a calendar and an agenda that gathers your tasks.
Flashcards
Write front :: back in any note and review with SM-2 spaced repetition.
Instant search
Full-text search across every note, title and tag in milliseconds.
Version history
Browse and restore earlier versions of a note — nothing is ever silently lost.
Activity heatmap
A wall of your writing activity over time, with vault statistics.
Export
Export any note to PDF or HTML, or insert from reusable note templates.
Pins & random note
Pin notes you return to, or jump to a random note to rediscover old ideas.
Trust
Security & sync
Your password never leaves your device. We derive an encryption key from it locally, encrypt every note with AES-256, and only then sync the ciphertext.
- End-to-end encrypted — the server only ever stores unreadable data. Lose your passphrase and even we can't recover your notes. That's the point.
- Local-first — your notes live on your device. Read and write fully offline; changes sync the next time you're online.
- Open format — everything is plain
.mdwith standard wikilinks and frontmatter. No lock-in: your notes are yours. - Real-time sync — edits show up across desktop, web and mobile, all sharing one encrypted vault.
Ready?
Get the app
Free, no ads, no telemetry. Download it for your system, or open the web app right now.