The Margin Format
Plain text that does more.
Plain text that does more.
Most note-taking tools focus of formatting only as they use Markdown, Margin let's you focus on the meaning of your notes and makes it look fantastic.
You never have to learn the format unless you want to — we've crafted a visual editor that does the work for you. Just press \ to pick a block type (heading, task, decision, and so on). For those who prefer the keyboard, every block has a prefix you can type directly.
Press \ on a new line to open the block menu. Start typing to filter, then press Enter to insert the block. Every prefix shown in the Manual tab has a matching entry here — use whichever feels faster.
Even if the line already has content, pressing \ brings up the menu to change the current line's block type — your text stays put, only the formatting changes.
# My Tasks ## To Do - [ ] Design homepage - [x] Set up repo (https://www.google.com) ## Decision **Q: Which framework?** *A: React — for ecosystem.* > **Important:** Ship by Friday
My Tasks > To Do - Design homepage | Set up repo https://www.google.com ? Which framework? A. React — for ecosystem. ! Ship by Friday
The first line is always the title, no special syntax needed. Use >, >>, >>> for subsequent heading levels.
My Project Plan > Overview Some introductory text here. >> Goals Define the key objectives. >>> Milestones Track quarterly progress.
Some introductory text here.
Define the key objectives.
Track quarterly progress.
Three simple prefixes give you a full task workflow. Cycle between states as work progresses. Things like due dates are automatically deduced from the text.
- Task not started - Task not started, due 1st July. / A task started but not finished. | Done task. | Another done task.
Simple, clean lists with *. Lists can be indented to create sub-items.
* Keep the interface minimal * Prioritize keyboard shortcuts * Ship weekly, iterate fast * Measure what matters
Categorize content with #tags. Multiple tags can be applied to the same note.
#design #frontend
#design
#frontend
Capture questions and their answers easily with ?, A. syntax. Simply place the answer after the question to link them together. A question without an answer is considered a task that needs to be completed.
? Which database should we use? A. PostgreSQL for the primary store. ? Why not use a NoSQL database? A. We need strong relational queries.
Highlight critical decisions with ! and then simply pair with why? to record the rationale.
! Ship the MVP by March 15th why? Conference demo is on the 18th and we need 2 days for staging. ! Use server-side rendering only
Create data tables with : and pipe-delimited columns. Add a bit of metadate,<<header-row>>, to specify things like header rows.
<<header-row>> : Feature | Status | Owner : Auth | Complete | Alice : Dashboard | In Progress | Bob : API Docs | Pending | Carol
| Feature | Status | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Auth | Complete | Alice |
| Dashboard | In Progress | Bob |
| API Docs | Pending | Carol |
Prefix lines with ` for monospaced code formatting.
`function greet(name) { ` return `Hello, ${name}!`; `}
function greet(name) {
return `Hello, ${name}!`;
}
URLs are automatically linked, no need for any special markup. File paths reference local documents and images.
Check the docs at https://www.google.com https://www.google.com file://C:/reports/Q2-results.pdf
Use --- to separate sections visually.
Some content above. --- Some content below.
Some content above.
Some content below.
A realistic project document combining every feature — as raw Margin text and as it renders.
Product Launch Plan
#product #launch #Q2
> Goals
* Reach 1,000 beta signups
* Achieve <2s page load time
* Ship all P0 features
> Task Tracker
- Write launch blog post
- Create demo video
/ Finalize pricing page
/ QA pass on mobile
| Design system complete
| Domain and SSL configured
> Key Decisions
! Launch date is April 30th
why? Aligns with the industry
conference on May 2nd.
? Should we offer a free tier?
A. Yes — capped at 3 projects.
> Sprint Data
<<header-row>>
: Sprint | Points | Velocity
: Sprint 1 | 34 | 34
: Sprint 2 | 29 | 31.5
: Sprint 3 | 38 | 33.7
> Technical Notes
`server.listen(3000);
`console.log("Ready");
---
See https://example.com/roadmap
#product #launch #Q2
| Sprint | Points | Velocity |
|---|---|---|
| Sprint 1 | 34 | 34 |
| Sprint 2 | 29 | 31.5 |
| Sprint 3 | 38 | 33.7 |
server.listen(3000);
console.log("Ready");