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Feature

Notes

Notes are the default document type in Tana for writing, thinking, and capturing information.

TL;DR

Rich text with slash commands, @ mentions to reference other documents, and real-time collaborative editing. Assign a type to add structured fields, attach skills for quick AI actions, and track backlinks to see how information connects across your workspace.

  • Rich text editor with slash commands for headings, lists, code blocks, math, and more
  • Assign a type to add structured fields, or use as a freeform note
  • Backlinks show every document that references this note
  • Open in chat to start an AI conversation with the note as context
  • Attach skills as quick-action buttons on typed notes
  • Export to markdown for use outside Tana

Creating a note

Select "Doc" from the create menu, or from the "+" button on any space home or date in Today. Notes are the default document type for freeform writing, and the create menu, types table, space home buttons, slash command, and AI tool documentation 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

Notes open 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 note 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

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

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 note. 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.

Types and fields

Any note 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 note becomes a task with state tracking and assignment.

Task state

Notes with a task state show 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.

Open in chat

Click "Open in chat" in the toolbar (speech bubble icon) to open a split view with proposed edits on the left and an iteration chat on the right. Describe the change you want and the AI updates the proposal in place. Accept lands the edits on the original doc; reject or close returns it unchanged. These iteration chats are owned by the doc itself, so they do not clutter the main chats list alongside real conversations.

Skill buttons

When a note has a type with skills attached, the skills appear as quick-action buttons in the toolbar. Click a skill button to run it with the note as context. If the skill connects to an external tool like GitHub or Linear, the button shows the relevant icon and links to the created issue once run.

Side panels

The toolbar provides access to side panels:

  • Table of contents: Headings from the note, for quick navigation within long documents
  • Backlinks: All documents that reference this note, grouped by field type or mention context. A note's backlinks update automatically as other documents 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: Documents shared between the note's participants. Only visible when the note 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 document links to or mentions this note, 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.

Export

Select "Export Markdown" from the overflow menu or context menu to download the note as a .md file. The export includes the title as an H1 heading and the full content in markdown format.

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 note

Delete from the overflow menu or context menu. A confirmation dialog warns before proceeding.

Notes - Tana Learn