All chapters
Getting started
Daily work
Find and understand
Research and publish
Protect your notes
Reference
Start here
Header is a Mac app for writing notes and connecting them. Your notes are plain Markdown files in a folder you pick, and Header works on them where they are.
Four things to know first
Your notes are files in a folder you choose
That folder is your vault. Each note is a Markdown file ending in .md. If the folder already holds Markdown, Header leaves those files where they are and doesn't convert them. You can open the same files in any text editor, and if you keep the folder in iCloud Drive, Dropbox or Google Drive, that service syncs it between your Macs. Syncing is not a backup: a deleted note is deleted everywhere. For recovery, see Sync & backup.
You write in Markdown
Markdown is ordinary text with a few symbols for formatting: # Trip to Lisbon makes a heading, - book the ferry makes a bullet. The editor has three modes. Rich shows the formatting, Source shows the text as you typed it, and Split shows both. More in Writing & the editor.
Notes link to each other
Type [[ and Header lists the notes you opened recently; keep typing to search all of them. Pick one and you have a link. Header also tracks the reverse direction, so a note's Backlinks show every note that points to it. See The Note Inspector & history.
AI is optional, and you review what it changes
You decide where AI runs: Apple Intelligence on this Mac, a local model through Ollama, or a cloud provider with your own key. Header works without any of them. Ask Header answers cite the notes they came from, and AI Review suggests edits that you accept or reject one at a time.
How this guide is organised
Read the first three chapters in order if you're new. After that, jump to whatever you need.
| If you want to… | Read |
|---|---|
| Get Header running and pick a vault | Install, update & first launch |
| Move notes over from Obsidian, Notion, Bear, Evernote or Apple Notes | Bring your notes in |
| Find your way around the window and the sidebar | Your vault & the window |
| Write, format, link and export | Writing & the editor, The Note Inspector & history |
| Jot things down quickly, plan the day, record a meeting | Capturing ideas, Today & daily notes, Tasks, Minutes |
| Find old notes and see how they connect | Finding & connecting notes, Lenses, Atlas |
| Use AI with your notes | Setting up AI, Ask Header, AI writing tools |
| Look back over what you've written | Mindprint, Review & Retro |
| Work with sources, write a long piece, or lay ideas out on a board | Research & the Reading Room, Manuscripts, Boards |
| Keep notes safe, private and in sync | Trust, safety & privacy, Sync & backup |
| Use Header from Spotlight, Shortcuts, widgets or the Terminal | Header across macOS |
| Look up a setting, a shortcut or a fix | Settings, Keyboard shortcuts, Help, feedback & FAQ |
Your first ten minutes
Two short checklists in the app walk you through the basics. Both tick themselves off when you actually do each step, and both can be brought back from the Help menu after you hide them.
The “Get oriented” checklist
After you set up a vault, a small card titled Get oriented sits above the note list and counts your progress out of 4. Click a step's name and Header does it for you:
- Open or create a note creates a new note.
- Capture a quick thought opens Quick Capture.
- Search your vault puts the cursor in the note list's search field.
- See where your notes are saved shows your vault folder in Finder.
A step is ticked when you really do it, from the card or anywhere else in the app. The circle next to each step lets you mark it done or not done by hand. Dismiss hides the card.
Get your first cited answer AI
Once the Get oriented card is done or dismissed, and Header has an AI to work with, a second card appears at the bottom-left of the window. It has three steps:
- Ask a question about your notes. The Ask button opens Ask Header; the answer comes back with numbered citations.
- Open a cited source. Click one of the numbered notes under the answer to check what it was based on.
- Decide one AI change. Run AI Review from the editor toolbar, then accept or reject one suggestion.
The tour needs either Apple Intelligence or an AI provider you've set up. If neither is ready when you start it from the Help menu, Header says so and offers Open AI Settings.