TanaOutliner
Log inDownload
Feature

Docs

Docs are the default kind of item in Tana for writing, thinking, and capturing context and information.

TL;DR

A Doc is the default kind of item, with rich text, slash commands, @ mentions to reference other items, and real-time collaborative editing. Assign a type to add structured fields, run skills from the Send to menu, and track backlinks to see how information connects across your workspace.

  • Rich text editor with slash commands for headings, lists, code blocks, math, diagrams, and more
  • Assign a type to add structured fields, or use as a freeform doc
  • Mention docs, people, and items with rich, interactive pills
  • Backlinks show every item that references this doc
  • Send to routes a doc to a chat, a skill, a meeting, a copied link, or Markdown export

Creating a doc

Select "Doc" from the create menu, or from the "+" button on any space home or date in Today. A Doc is the default item kind for freeform writing, and the create menu, types table, space home buttons, slash command, and AI tools all use the label Doc. The slash-menu aliases "note" and "document" still match the same option, so existing muscle memory keeps working.

When you create a typed entry inline (from the kanban board's "+" buttons or the slash command), the Inline document popover protects in-flight work: while the new doc is still in proposal state, clicking outside or pressing Escape no longer discards what you typed. Only the Create button (to keep it) and the Discard trash icon (to drop it) close the popover. Editing an existing doc is unchanged: outside-click and Escape still dismiss the popover.

The editor

A doc opens as a full-screen editor with an editable title at the top and a rich text area below. The editor supports real-time collaborative editing: multiple people can write in the same doc at the same time.

Formatting

Select text to access inline formatting: bold, italic, strikethrough, and inline code.

Slash commands

Type / anywhere in the editor to insert:

  • Heading 1, 2, 3: Section headings at different levels
  • Bullet list: Unordered list
  • Numbered list: Ordered list
  • Code block: Syntax-highlighted code
  • Quote: Blockquote
  • Divider: Horizontal rule
  • Math block: LaTeX equation
  • Mermaid diagram: A diagram written in Mermaid syntax

In the title, type / to set or remove a type on the doc.

A Mermaid block renders the diagram with a "Preview" / "Source" toggle (Preview by default); click the diagram to open it in a pan and zoom view. You can also turn any existing code block into a diagram by changing its language to Mermaid. Flowcharts and the common graph types are supported.

Emoji picker

Type : in the editor or the chat composer to open the emoji picker (Slack-style, around 250 common emojis searchable by shortcode). Pick one to insert it. Pressing : again closes the picker without inserting anything.

Images and attachments

Drag and drop, paste, or use the attach button to add images, audio, and video files to a doc. Images get AI-generated descriptions automatically. Video and audio render inline as native HTML5 players in the editor, the read-only viewer, the diff preview, and the compact editor, so attached media plays in place rather than as a separate download.

Mentions

Type @ to mention another document, a person, or any item. Each mention is a pill with a leading symbol that matches what it points to: a task's state, a person's avatar, an image thumbnail, a type badge for a typed item, or the document-kind icon for everything else (Doc, Canvas, Meeting, Chat, Skill, Agent, Space, and audio, video, or other assets). Long titles truncate so the pill stays one bounded shape, including inside table cells and headings.

Move between mentions with the arrow keys, and open one by pressing Enter or clicking: a Doc opens in a peek side panel, other kinds navigate to the item. Modifier-clicks open the mention in a new tab, window, or split, the same as any other link. You can also drag a mention to move it within the doc.

Types and fields

Any item can be assigned a type to add structured fields. For example, assign a "Bug" type to add fields like priority, assignee, and status. Set the type from the overflow menu ("Set type") or via slash command in the title.

When a type with a workflow is assigned, the item becomes a task with state tracking and assignment.

Task state

An item with a task state shows a checkbox next to the title. Click the checkbox or press Cmd+EnterCtrl+Enter to toggle between open and closed. See Tasks for full task management.

Send to

Every item has a Send to menu in its toolbar, and on meeting tiles, that routes the item without leaving it:

  • Chat with...: start a chat about the item with Tana, one of your custom agents, or a teammate. This creates a new chat with the item attached and opens it, ready for your first message. Choosing a teammate makes a shared private chat with just the two of you; if they do not already have access to the item, Tana offers to grant it.
  • Skills and integrations: run any skill attached to the item's type, or a connected integration like GitHub or Linear. If a skill creates an external issue, it links to it once run.
  • Pin to meeting: attach the item to a meeting so everyone in the call can see it.
  • Copy link: copy a link to the item.
  • Export Markdown: download the item as a .md file, with the title as an H1 heading and the full content in Markdown.

In the Chat with... list, the people you have recently shared docs, chats, and canvases with come first, shown with their profile photos.

Open in chat

Right-click a doc and choose "Open in chat" to iterate on it with AI in a split view: proposed edits on the left, an iteration chat on the right. Describe the change you want and the AI updates the proposal in place. Accepting lands the edits on the original doc; rejecting or closing leaves it unchanged. These iteration chats are owned by the doc itself, so they stay out of your main chats list.

Side panels

The toolbar provides access to side panels:

  • Table of contents: Headings from the doc, for quick navigation within long documents
  • Backlinks: All items that reference this doc, grouped by field type or mention context. Backlinks update automatically as other items link to it.
  • Changes: Chronological history of edits showing what changed, who made the change, and when. Click an entry to see details.
  • In common: Items shared between the doc's participants. Only visible when the doc has multiple participants.

Backlinks and Changes are pinned open by default.

Backlinks

Backlinks are a key part of how information connects in Tana. When any item links to or mentions this doc, that reference appears in the backlinks panel. Backlinks are grouped by how the reference was made: through a specific field (shown as "Type > Field"), or as an inline mention.

Location and access

The doc toolbar shows two adjacent buttons for location and access:

  • Location ("Lives in") opens a popover for the document's scope (which space or event it belongs to), with an Open button to navigate to the parent. Hidden for docs that live at the organization root, where the picker has nothing meaningful to show.
  • Access opens access mode, participants, and Guest Link. See Spaces and sharing for the access modes and Link sharing for the Guest Link behavior.

The same Move action lives in every doc panel's overflow menu (Doc, Canvas, Chat, Skill, Agent, Artifact, Type, Space Home, plus Image, Asset, Audio, Call, and Transcript panels). It is also available on the meeting event overflow menu and on the inline document popover, so docs at the organization root (where the Location button is hidden) can still be moved.

Deleting a doc

Delete from the overflow menu or context menu. A confirmation dialog warns before proceeding. A deleted document is soft-deleted: opening it shows a "Document deleted" panel with a "Restore document" button, so you can bring it back if you removed it by mistake.

Docs - Tana Learn