NotePlan

Markdown-based productivity app combining notes, tasks, and calendar. Available on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and web. All data stored as plain text Markdown files (.txt default, configurable to .md). Syncs via CloudKit (recommended) or iCloud Drive.

Note Types

Calendar Notes (Periodic)

Tied to dates. File naming conventions:

Period	Filename	Example
Daily	YYYYMMDD.txt	20260220.txt
Weekly	YYYY-Www.txt	2026-W08.txt
Monthly	YYYY-MM.txt	2026-02.txt
Quarterly	YYYY-Qq.txt	2026-Q1.txt
Yearly	YYYY.txt	2026.txt

Daily and weekly enabled by default. Monthly, quarterly, yearly toggled in Preferences > Calendar.

Project Notes

Regular notes in sidebar folders. First line becomes the title (unless overridden by frontmatter title property). Stored in Notes/ folder.

Task Syntax

Three line-start markers (configurable in Preferences > Markdown):

Marker	Default	Visual
* (asterisk + space)	Task	Round checkbox
- (dash + space)	Bullet	No checkbox
+ (plus + space)	Checklist	Square checkbox

Task States

* task text          → Open
* [x] task text      → Done
* [-] task text      → Cancelled
* [>] task text      → Scheduled/Rescheduled

Same states apply with + for checklists and - when configured as task.

Checklists (+) differ from tasks: they do not appear in overdue filters, do not increment the overdue counter, and do not contribute to calendar heat maps.

Scheduling

Append date tags to tasks to schedule them:

Syntax	Target
>YYYY-MM-DD	Daily note (e.g., >2026-02-20)
>YYYY-Www	Weekly note (e.g., >2026-W08)
>YYYY-MM	Monthly note
>YYYY-Qq	Quarterly note
>YYYY	Yearly note
>today	Today
>tomorrow	Tomorrow
>nextweek	Next week
>Friday	Next Friday (any weekday name)

Back-link <YYYY-MM-DD indicates the source date of a rescheduled task.

Completion timestamp: @done(YYYY-MM-DD) or @done(YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm) (controlled by Preferences > Todo > Append Completion Date).

Priority Markers

Place at line beginning:

Syntax	Level
!	Important
!!	Urgent
!!!	Very urgent
>>	Current focus

Recurring Tasks

Built-in: @repeat(occurrence/total) (e.g., @repeat(3/10) means 3rd of 10).

With the Repeat Extensions plugin: @repeat(Nx) where N is a number and x is a unit (d days, w weeks, m months, q quarters, y years, b business days). Prefix with + to calculate from completion date instead of due date: @repeat(+1w).

Links

Syntax	Purpose
[[Note Title]]	Link to project note (creates backlink)
[[YYYY-MM-DD]]	Link to daily calendar note
[[Note Title#Heading]]	Link to heading in note
[[Note Title^blockID]]	Link to synced line
[display text]([[Note Title]])	Link alias (custom display text)
[text](url)	Standard markdown link

Synced lines carry a unique ID (^abc123) and changes propagate to all copies. Create with CMD+drag (Mac/iPad) or context menu.

Tags and Mentions

• Hashtags: #tag, nested with /: #books/business
• Mentions: @person, nested: @team/jakob
• Attributed tags (v3.17+): #todo(state: backlog, assigned: Eduard)

Click any tag or mention to surface all matching occurrences.

Time Blocking

Add time to any bullet, task, checklist, or heading:

* 5:00pm Reply to emails
- 09:00 - 11:00 Communications
## 14:00 - 15:00 Deep work

Supports 12-hour (5:00pm) and 24-hour (14:00) formats. In project notes, include a date tag: * 5:00pm Task >2026-02-20. Can sync to external calendars via settings.

Frontmatter

YAML block at the very start of a note between --- markers:

---
title: My Project
icon: folder
icon-color: Amber 500
---

Reserved keys: title (overrides note title), icon, icon-color, icon-style (regular/solid/light), bg-color, bg-color-dark, bg-pattern (lined/squared/mini-squared/dotted), triggers (plugin triggers).

Custom keys are supported for use in folder views (filtering, grouping, sorting).

Extended Markdown

Syntax	Effect
**bold**	Bold
*italic*	Italic
~~text~~	Strikethrough
==text== or ::text::	Highlighting
~text~	Underline
%%comment%%	Hidden comment (invisible unless cursor on line)

Tables, code blocks (with language specifier), blockquotes, and images are supported.

Key Keyboard Shortcuts (macOS)

Shortcut	Action
CMD+J	Open Command Bar
CMD+D	Complete task
CMD+R	Cancel task
Shift+CMD+D	Open schedule menu
CMD+0/1/2/3	Reschedule to today/tomorrow/+2 days/next week
CMD+E	Create event
Shift+CMD+E	Create reminder
CMD+K	Add link
CMD+/	Fold text
Ctrl+CMD+up/down	Move lines up/down

Customize via macOS System Settings > Keyboard > Shortcuts > App Shortcuts.

File Storage Paths

• App Store: ~/Library/Containers/co.noteplan.NotePlan3/Data/Library/Application Support/co.noteplan.NotePlan3
• Setapp: ~/Library/Containers/co.noteplan.NotePlan-setapp/Data/Library/Application Support/co.noteplan.NotePlan-setapp
• iCloud Drive: Files app > iCloud Drive > NotePlan

Integration

• Apple Calendar: Syncs iCloud, Google, Outlook calendars. Events in timeline sidebar. Create with CMD+E.
• Apple Reminders: Bidirectional sync. Create with Shift+CMD+E.
• Apple Shortcuts: 7 actions (Add to Note, Open Note, Find Notes, Create Note, Open Filter, Open Tag, Run Plugin Command). Can trigger via Siri.
• Folder Views: List and Cards/Kanban layouts. Filter, group, sort by folder, tag, date, or frontmatter fields. Named views saveable per folder.

Reference Files

Read these for detailed information on specific topics:

• references/markdown-and-tasks.md — Detailed markdown syntax, all paragraph types, checklist vs task differences, synced lines, attributed tags, custom markdown via themes
• references/url-scheme.md — Complete noteplan:// x-callback-url reference with all actions, parameters, and examples
• references/templates.md — Template system: types, all template tags (date, prompt, web service, meeting note), auto-insert templates, JavaScript in templates
• references/search-and-filters.md — Advanced search syntax, all operators (source, date, task status, location, sort), boolean logic, predefined and custom filters
• references/plugin-development.md — Complete plugin development guide: architecture, full JavaScript API reference (NotePlan, Editor, DataStore, CommandBar, Calendar, Clipboard, HTMLView), plugin.json schema, HTMLView patterns (communication, theming, auto-refresh), publishing workflow, and acceptance requirements