Getting started
Install
Download Folio from the download page or from GitHub Releases.
| Platform | File | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| macOS (Apple Silicon) | Folio-<version>-arm64.dmg | Signed and notarized |
| macOS (Intel) | Folio-<version>.dmg | Signed and notarized |
| Windows | Folio-Setup-<version>.exe | Not code-signed yet: SmartScreen shows a warning, choose More info → Run anyway |
| Linux | Folio-<version>.AppImage | chmod +x it, then run it |
Folio checks for updates at launch. To check by hand, use Folio → Check for Updates… on macOS, or Help → Check for Updates… on Windows and Linux.
Open a folder
- Choose File → Open Folder… (
⌘O/Ctrl+O). - Pick the folder that holds your documents: a project's
docs/folder, the whole repository, or an Obsidian vault. - Folio lists every Markdown file in it, sub-folders included.
Folio remembers the folder, and File → Open Recent lists the last 10. It watches the folder while it's open: save a document in your editor and Folio shows the change in place, keeping your scroll position. New, renamed and deleted files show up in the list right away.
Open files and folders from your system
A folder you open becomes the workspace. A Markdown file opens in place when it's in the current workspace; otherwise its folder becomes the workspace.
- Finder or Explorer: right-click a
.mdfile (or, on macOS, a folder) and choose Open With → Folio. You can also make Folio the default app for Markdown files. - Drag and drop: drop a file or folder onto Folio's window, or onto its Dock icon.
- Command line: on macOS, choose Folio → Install 'folio' Command in PATH… once. Then run
folio .,folio docs/orfolio README.md. On Windows and Linux, pass the path to Folio's executable. If Folio is already open, the path opens in its window.
Find your way around
- Sidebar, left: the document list, with a search box above it, and the Marks tab with every highlight, note and bookmark.
- Document, centre: the open document, with its status and tags above it.
- Outline, right: the open document's headings. The section you're reading is highlighted as you scroll.
In a window narrower than 960px, the outline slides in from the right when you open it. Below 768px, the document list slides in from the left too.
Next steps
- Reading a folder of docs: search, filters and focusing on one folder.
- Highlights, notes and bookmarks: marking what you read.
- Reviewing specs with a coding agent: sending your notes back.
- Settings: skipped folders, your editor, custom CSS.