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Getting started

This page takes you from a fresh install to your first written page.

Install​

φ runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Download the latest build for your system, then follow Installing φ — it covers each platform, including the one-time Windows SmartScreen prompt and the Linux AppImage and .deb formats.

φ is in alpha

You're using early software — expect rough edges. Your writing itself is always safe: it's plain files on your computer, saved continuously and versioned. See the introduction for what's solid versus still settling.

First launch​

The first time you open φ, it asks you to choose where your writing should live. A vault is simply a folder that holds your documents — pick an existing folder or create a new one (for example ~/Documents/My Book).

macOS will ask for folder access

When your vault is in a protected location — Documents, Desktop, Downloads, or iCloud Drive — macOS shows a prompt like "φ would like to access files in your Documents folder." Click OK to allow it. φ needs this to read and save your documents there; it's a standard macOS privacy prompt and appears only once per location. You can review or change it later in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Files and Folders.

That's the only setup step; once you've chosen, you're ready to write.

Open or create another vault​

You can keep several vaults — one per project, say — and switch between them at any time:

  1. Use the vault switcher in the status bar (bottom-left), or open Settings (⌘,) → Vault.
  2. Choose Open to point φ at an existing folder, or Create to make a new vault anywhere you like.

See Vaults for details.

Write your first document​

  1. Press ⌘N (or click New document).
  2. Type a title at the top, then press Enter and start writing in the body.
  3. That's it — φ saves automatically as you type. There is no save button to hunt for (though ⌘S forces an immediate save if you like).

A few things to try​

  • Select text to bring up the bubble toolbar — bold, italic, links, highlights, and a dictionary lookup. See The editor.
  • Type / at the start of a line to open the slash menu and insert headings, lists, quotes, code blocks, and more.
  • Type [[ to link to another document by name. Links become a navigable web you can see in the graph.

Find your way around​

  • Left rail — switch between your spaces: Notes (folder tree), Write (collections), and Journal (calendar), plus launchers for the graph, characters, and more.
  • Sidebar — the list for the current space; toggle it with ⌘[.
  • Right panel — context for the current document: links, outline, annotations, version history, and the dictionary. Toggle it with ⌘].
  • Status bar — save state, version status, a live clock, writing session and word counts.

Back up your work​

Because a vault is a plain folder, any backup tool (Time Machine, a synced folder, a copy to an external drive) protects it. For per-document history and optional off-machine backup, see Versions & backup.

Next steps​