The editor shows Markdown source in the same column as the rendered page, with a preview, toolbar and shortcuts.
Type the title where the page title sits. Tags go under it. Page details holds the page path, the hidden setting and delete page. Start body sections at ##. Press preview or ctrl-e (cmd-e on macOS) to switch between source and preview. The status line shows the word count.
Markdown basics
| To write | Use |
|---|---|
| A section heading | ## Plan |
| A smaller heading | ### Details |
| Bold or italic text | **important** or *emphasis* |
| A bullet list | - First item on each line |
| A numbered list | 1. First step on each line |
| An unchecked or completed task | - [ ] To do or - [x] Done |
| Inline code | Surround text with backticks |
| An external link | [Example](https://example.com) |
| A link to another wiki page | [[Page Title]] |
| A quoted note | > A note for readers |
Leave a blank line between paragraphs. For a code block, put three backticks on a line before and after it, with a language name after the opening backticks:
```sh
printf 'Hello from HMD\n'
```
Each code block on a saved page has a Copy button, in the live wiki and static exports. If the browser blocks clipboard access, the button selects the code and asks you to press Ctrl+C (Cmd+C on macOS).
See Links And Navigation for page links and Attachments for uploaded images and files.
Toolbar
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| B, I | Bold and italic |
| H | Insert a heading |
| link | Turn the selected text into a [text](url) link |
| code | Wrap the selection in code |
| table | Insert a table |
| img | Insert an image placeholder |
| attach | Upload an attachment |
| toc | Insert a <!-- hmd:toc --> token |
| focus | Show only the title and the writing, larger, with all but the current line dimmed |
| preview | Show the rendered page in place of the source |
Keyboard shortcuts
ctrl works on Windows and Linux; cmd on macOS.
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
ctrl-s / cmd-s |
Save |
ctrl-k / cmd-k, or / |
Open the command palette |
ctrl-e / cmd-e |
Edit the current page; in the editor, switch between source and preview |
ctrl-j / cmd-j |
New page from the namespace's quick-create template |
ctrl-shift-k / cmd-shift-k |
Insert a link ([text](url)) |
ctrl-b / cmd-b, ctrl-i / cmd-i |
Bold, italic |
alt-1, alt-2, alt-3 |
Heading levels 1 to 3 |
ctrl-shift-f |
Focus mode; esc leaves it |
In focus mode, move the mouse to show a corner bar with the word count, text size controls and Exit. HMD remembers the text size.
Diagrams
Fenced mermaid blocks render as diagrams in the preview and on the saved page:
```mermaid
graph LR
Write --> Preview
Preview --> Save
Save --> Share
```
graph LR Write --> Preview Preview --> Save Save --> Share
Raw HTML
Raw HTML in page bodies is rendered. A sanitizer strips scripts and event handlers, but the rest is trusted content, so give editing access only to users you trust.
Common pitfalls
- Drafts are saved locally and restored if the page changes, but only a save writes to the repository.
- The link button and
ctrl-shift-kinsert[text](url). For a wiki-link that shows in backlinks, type[[Title]]by hand. - Navigating away with unsaved changes shows a warning.