# Write notes

> Write and format notes in a markdown editor, and on Mac, highlight passages and comment on them.

- Page: https://resurf.so/guides/notes-and-highlights
- Section: Browse and read
- Works on: Mac, iPhone, iPad
- Last checked against the app: 2026-10-17
- Commands: `/` on Mac

## Write and format

On Mac:

1. Open a note and start typing. Edits are saved as you type.
2. Type `/` at the start of a line for the slash menu. Type to filter, then press `↩` to pick.
3. Select text for the formatting bar: bold, italic, highlight and more. Or right-click the selection and choose **Formatting**.
4. Markdown works as you type: `#` for a heading, `-` for a list, `>` for a quote, `**bold**` and `*italic*`.

On iPhone and iPad:

1. Open a note. It shows as a page to read.
2. Tap the pencil (**Edit note**), or **Edit** in the details panel.
3. Write in the **Edit note** sheet. The bar at the bottom has headings, bold, italic, lists, quotes and more.
4. Tap the check (**Save note**) to save. Closing the sheet discards your changes.

Video: [Typing / in a note to add a task list, writing three items, then selecting a word for the formatting bar.](https://resurf.so/guides/clips/clip-notes.mp4)

On Mac, click the markdown button at the bottom right of a note (**Markdown shortcuts**) for every key, such as `⌘B` for bold and `⌘I` for italic.

## Highlight and comment

On Mac, a highlight made from the formatting bar shows under **Comments** in Info, so you can find it later. For PDFs, see [PDFs and highlights](https://resurf.so/guides/pdfs).

On Mac:

1. Select a passage.
2. Click the highlight button in the formatting bar to mark it.
3. Or click the comment button. Info opens with the quote. Type your comment and send it.

Typing `==text==` makes a plain mark that doesn't show in Info. Use the formatting bar for a highlight that does.

## Where notes are read only

On Mac, a peek and the Inbox's side view show a note as a page to read. Open the capture to edit it. A voice note's **Notes** tab is read only too.

## Questions

### The slash menu doesn't open.

It's on Mac only. It opens when / is the first thing on a line, and closes if you type a space after it. On iPhone and iPad, use the bar at the bottom of the Edit note sheet.

### Do I need to save?

Not on Mac: edits are saved as you type. On iPhone and iPad, tap the check in the Edit note sheet.

## More guides

- Previous: [PDFs and highlights](https://resurf.so/guides/pdfs.md)
- Next: [Video and audio](https://resurf.so/guides/video-and-audio.md)
- [Layouts and sorting](https://resurf.so/guides/layouts.md): Choose how the library shows your captures, how big the tiles are, and what order they come in.
- [Covers and appearance](https://resurf.so/guides/appearance.md): Set the theme, the window color and how cards look, and choose what a link's cover shows.
- [Open and peek](https://resurf.so/guides/peek.md): Open a capture to read it, open it beside the library, or peek at it without leaving the grid.
- [Move between captures and zoom](https://resurf.so/guides/next-and-previous.md): Step to the next or previous capture without going back to the library, and zoom the whole window on Mac.
- [Read links](https://resurf.so/guides/reader.md): A saved link opens as the live page, and the reader shows the article as clean text at a size you like.
- [PDFs and highlights](https://resurf.so/guides/pdfs.md): Read PDFs on every device, and on Mac, find words, highlight passages and comment on them.
- [Video and audio](https://resurf.so/guides/video-and-audio.md): Play videos, audio files, voice notes and YouTube links right inside the capture.
- [Comments](https://resurf.so/guides/comments.md): Every capture has a comment thread in Info, and your highlights from notes and PDFs land there too.
- [Command bar](https://resurf.so/guides/command-bar.md): Search your library and run commands from the keyboard: go somewhere, add a filter, switch the theme or open a setting.
- [Every guide](https://resurf.so/llms.txt)