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Welcome to Locus
Your quiet place to think
🔒 Everything stays on this Mac. No account, no analytics, no sync service, and no remote copy of your writing.
Locus is a native workspace for notes, projects, research, and long-form writing. This page is both a welcome guide and a live tour of the editor.
Write with native blocks
Type / at the caret to insert a block, or start a line with #, -, 1., >, ```, or --- to transform it as you write.
Start with a simple flow
- Press ⌘N to create a page.
- Use / to choose the right block.
- Select text for formatting, links, highlights, and margin notes.
☐Try the slash menu in an empty block
☑Notice that changes save automatically
A calm writing surface can still have serious structure underneath.
See every block available in the editor
- Text, three heading levels, bulleted and numbered lists, to-dos, quotes, and dividers
- Toggles, callouts, code with syntax highlighting, tables, and resizable columns
- Equations, bookmarks, page links, breadcrumbs, and an automatic table of contents
- Images and files from paste or drag-and-drop, with local storage and Quick Look previews
let idea = "Keep it local"
let workspace = Locus(idea: idea)| Block | Best for | Try |
| Table | Plans and comparisons | Add rows or columns |
| Toggle | Details on demand | Nest blocks underneath |
| Callout | Important context | Change its icon and tone |
Draft
Capture ideas without leaving the keyboard.
Shape and finish
Drag, nest, or transform blocks, then search, review history, and export when ready.
focus + structure = momentum
Connect and organize
Create nested pages and multiple workspaces, then drag pages or blocks into the structure that fits. Pin favorites, use backlinks, or type @ and [[ to link while writing.
- ⌘P opens quick page search
- ⌘K opens the command palette
- ⌘F finds text; ⌥⌘F also replaces it
- Esc selects a block; arrows extend the selection; ⌘D duplicates it
📎 Paste a screenshot or drop an image or file anywhere in the page. Assets stay beside your workspace and open with Quick Look.
Private, recoverable, and yours
| Capability | What Locus does |
| Storage | Keeps a readable local workspace package |
| Recovery | Keeps daily backups and page version history |
| Import | Brings in Markdown folders, Notion, Obsidian, and Apple Notes |
| Export | Creates Markdown, HTML, PDF, or a workspace archive |
Settings also includes App Lock, themes, typography, accent and cursor colors, Focus Mode, typewriter scrolling, asset cleanup, and the local data and backups folders.
↗ How local storage works
⌨️ Open Page Info with ⌥⌘I for word counts, version history, templates, storage, and page actions.
Keep exploring
☐Change this page’s icon or add a cover
☐Save a useful page as a reusable template
☐Try Focus Mode with ⌘.
Your next page can be much simpler. This one is intentionally full.
Everything Locus supports
✓ A complete, interactive reference to the features currently built into Locus. Check off anything you have tried; the list stays on this Mac with the rest of your workspace.
Privacy and App Lock
☐Keep the entire workspace in a readable local package on this Mac
☐Work offline without creating an account
☐Use Locus without analytics, tracking, cloud sync, or a remote copy of your writing
☐Require App Lock whenever Locus opens
☐Unlock with Touch ID
☐Unlock with Apple Watch
☐Unlock with the Mac login password
☐Lock automatically when switching to another app
☐Hide the whole editor while the workspace is locked
☐Protect menu-bar Quick Capture behind the same lock
☐Open the local Locus data folder from Settings
☐Use macOS authentication without Locus storing a password
Pages, workspaces, and navigation
☐Create multiple local workspaces
☐Rename and switch between workspaces
☐Create top-level pages with a random emoji and bundled cover
☐Create nested subpages with a random emoji and bundled cover
☐Rename pages directly in the editor or sidebar
☐Choose a searchable emoji for any page
☐Choose, change, or remove a page cover
☐Use bundled cover artwork, gradients, or solid cover colors
☐Expand and collapse nested page trees
☐Drag pages above, below, or inside other pages
☐Move a subpage back to the top level
☐Duplicate a page with its blocks, icon, and cover
☐Pin important pages
☐Favorite important pages
☐Search page titles, block content, and marginal notes from the sidebar
☐Search every workspace with Quick Search
☐Open recent pages first when global search is empty
☐Run actions or open pages from the command palette
☐Navigate backward and forward through page history
☐Open another Locus window with native macOS window tabbing
☐Link pages by typing @ or [[
☐Insert a dedicated page-link block
☐Preview a linked page by hovering over it
☐See backlinks with source-page names and surrounding snippets
☐Jump from a backlink to the exact source block
☐Insert a breadcrumb showing the current page hierarchy
☐Insert a table of contents generated from page headings
☐View workspace, parent, word, character, created, and edited metadata in Page Info
Every native block
☐Write plain text paragraphs
☐Add Heading 1 blocks
☐Add Heading 2 blocks
☐Add Heading 3 blocks
☐Create interactive to-do checkboxes
☐Create bulleted lists
☐Create numbered lists from any typed ordinal
☐Add quotes
☐Add visual dividers
☐Create collapsible toggles with nested content
☐Create collapsible Heading 1 sections
☐Create collapsible Heading 2 sections
☐Create collapsible Heading 3 sections
☐Add callouts with searchable emoji and six color tones
☐Add code blocks with local syntax highlighting
☐Choose C, C++, CSS, Go, HTML, Java, JavaScript, JSON, Kotlin, PHP, Python, Ruby, Rust, Shell, SQL, Swift, TypeScript, or YAML and copy a code block in one click
☐Build editable tables with optional header rows
☐Insert or delete table rows and columns at any position
☐Use Return, Tab, and Shift-Tab to move through table cells
☐Build resizable two-column layouts
☐Add centered equation blocks
☐Add web-bookmark blocks that open in the browser
☐Add image blocks stored locally
☐Add file-attachment blocks stored locally
☐Add dedicated page-link blocks
☐Add breadcrumb blocks
☐Add automatic table-of-contents blocks
Writing, formatting, and editing
☐Save changes automatically while typing
☐See live Saving, Saved, or save-error status
☐Undo and redo up to 100 in-session changes
☐Insert any block from the searchable slash menu
☐Transform blocks by typing #, ##, ###, -, *, +, 1., >, ```, or ---
☐Create to-dos by typing Markdown checkbox shortcuts
☐Turn selected blocks into another text-bearing block type
☐Use **bold**, __bold__, *italic*, _italic_, `code`, and ~~strike~~ inline shortcuts
☐Format selected text as bold
☐Format selected text as italic
☐Format selected text with underline
☐Format selected text with strikethrough
☐Format selected text as inline code
☐Add a web link to selected text
☐Add a local page link to selected text
☐Paste a URL onto selected text to create a link
☐Highlight text in yellow, green, blue, or rose
☐Clear inline formatting
☐See the word count for a text selection
☐Paste rich HTML or RTF while preserving supported formatting
☐Paste structured Markdown as native blocks
☐Paste without formatting
☐Insert a soft line break with Shift-Return
☐Use normal line breaks inside code blocks
☐Duplicate, delete, indent, outdent, and transform a block
☐Move blocks up or down with the keyboard
☐Drag blocks to reorder or nest them
☐Select a block with Escape
☐Grow, shrink, toggle, or lasso-select multiple blocks
☐Drag-select text continuously across multiple blocks
☐Copy, cut, paste, duplicate, transform, or delete whole block selections
☐Preserve nested block structure and rich formatting on copy and paste
☐Jump to the first or last block from the keyboard
☐Click blank canvas space to place the caret in the nearest block
☐Find text with next and previous result navigation
☐Replace one match or every match in a page
☐Convert @today, @tomorrow, and @yesterday into local dates
☐Add, edit, and delete marginal notes on selected text
☐Keep note anchors aligned as surrounding text changes
☐Keep detached note text when its original quote is removed
Focus, counts, and long documents
☐Enter Focus Mode to hide the sidebar and supporting chrome
☐Keep the active line centered with typewriter scrolling
☐Dim paragraphs outside the active block in Focus Mode
☐Choose an editor text size from 13 to 22 points
☐Show or hide page word and character counts
☐See an estimated reading time
☐Use the document minimap to see and drag through page position
☐Restore each page’s scroll position during the current session
☐Open the complete keyboard-shortcut reference
Images, files, and local assets
☐Paste screenshots and image data directly into a page
☐Drag and drop images or files into the editor
☐Choose one or several attachments with the macOS file picker
☐Store imported assets beside the local workspace
☐Open image previews at full resolution
☐Quick Look a selected image or file with Space
☐Open attached files in their default Mac app
☐Resize an image from 120 to 1200 points
☐Double-click an image resize handle to restore natural size
☐Delete an image directly from its hover controls
☐Show a clear unavailable state when a referenced asset is missing
☐Clean up assets unused by pages, templates, or version history
Import, capture, and export
☐Import a Notion Markdown-and-CSV export ZIP
☐Unpack multipart and nested Notion export archives
☐Preserve Notion subpage hierarchy, images, and internal links
☐Import an Obsidian vault or ordinary Markdown folder
☐Convert Obsidian wikilinks and aliases into local page links
☐Convert Obsidian embedded images into image blocks
☐Leave Obsidian frontmatter out of the page prose
☐Import Apple Notes folders and rich note formatting
☐Group each migration under one reviewable, undoable parent page
☐See live import progress, attachment counts, skipped files, and errors
☐Import a Markdown folder while preserving its directory hierarchy
☐Capture Markdown from the macOS menu bar without opening the main window
☐Save menu-bar capture to an automatically created Inbox page
☐Export a page as Markdown with referenced assets
☐Export a page as self-contained HTML
☐Export a page as PDF
☐Preserve page covers, icons, rich text, tables, and images in HTML and PDF
☐Export an entire workspace as nested Markdown folders plus Assets
Templates, history, and recovery
☐Save any page as a named reusable template
☐Create a new page from a template
☐Clone nested template blocks without shared identities
☐Use the built-in Project plan and Meeting notes templates
☐Delete templates from Settings
☐Create local page-version snapshots whenever changed pages are saved
☐Keep up to 60 versions for each page
☐Review version timestamps, word counts, block counts, and change summaries
☐Restore any stored page version
☐Create one daily workspace backup and keep the latest seven
☐Open the backups folder from Settings
☐Preserve an unreadable workspace file as a recovery copy
☐Write workspace changes atomically so an incomplete save cannot replace the last good file
☐Flush pending edits when Locus leaves the foreground or quits
☐Move a page and its descendants to Recently Deleted
☐Restore trashed pages with their required ancestors and descendants
☐Keep Recently Deleted items for 30 days
☐Empty Recently Deleted with session undo support
☐Permanently delete a page subtree when requested
Appearance and personalization
☐Choose from 22 complete app themes across Locus, Classic, Writer, and Developer collections
☐Use Locus, System, Obsidian, Slate, Midnight, Graphite, Arctic, or Twilight themes
☐Use Paper, Parchment, Manuscript, Typewriter, Linen, Blush, or The Study themes
☐Use Terminal, Nightcode, Solar, Fjord, Nocturne, Retro, or Synthwave themes
☐Let the System theme follow the Mac light or dark appearance
☐Choose Avenir, System, Serif, or Mono editor typography
☐Choose among seven app accent colors
☐Choose among seven text-cursor colors or match the accent
☐Apply theme-aware local syntax-highlighting colors
☐Use a gradient or solid-color sidebar surface
☐Choose a custom sidebar solid color
☐Choose from 11 sidebar gradients or match the active theme
☐Adjust sidebar transparency continuously
☐Adjust sidebar blur continuously
☐Reset appearance overrides to theme defaults
☐Reset sidebar customization independently
☐Choose from 71 bundled page-cover artworks across six collections
☐Use ten muted solid page-cover colors
☐Use any of the 11 page-cover gradients
macOS integration and accessibility
☐Use native macOS menus for page, navigation, editing, import, and export actions
☐Use keyboard shortcuts for every core writing and navigation workflow
☐Honor the macOS Reduce Motion accessibility preference
☐Navigate labeled controls and the adjustable document position with assistive technologies
☐Use native Quick Look, file pickers, save panels, and default-app opening
☐Keep Quick Capture available as a macOS menu-bar extra
☐Use native multiple windows and automatic window tabbing