guide

Typora Guide

The Complete Typora Guide: Mastering Markdown with Power and Efficiency#

Introduction to Typora#

Typora is a minimalist Markdown editor that revolutionizes writing through its seamless “Live Preview” functionality.

Basic Markdown Syntax#

Typora supports standard Markdown syntax with [GitHub Flavored Markdown extensions][https://github.github.com/gfm/]. Here’s how to use the most common elements:

Paragraphs and Line Breaks#

In Typora, pressing Enter once creates a new paragraph. For a single line break, use Shift + Enter. Unlike standard Markdown, which requires two blank lines for paragraph separation, Typora only requires one2.

Headings#

Create headings using 1-6 hash (#) characters at the start of a line, followed by a space:

text
# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3

In Typora, typing these and pressing Enter automatically formats the text as a heading. Alternatively, use keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+6 (Windows/Linux) or Command+1 through Command+6 (macOS)113.

Emphasis#

  • Bold: Enclose text with double asterisks (**text**) or use Ctrl+B / Command+B1
  • Italic: Enclose text with single asterisks (*text*) or use Ctrl+I / Command+I1
  • Strikethrough: Use double tildes (~~text~~) or Alt+Shift+5 (Windows) / `Control+Shift+`` (Mac)11
  • Underline: Use Ctrl+U / Command+U11

Lists#

  • Unordered lists: Start lines with - or * followed by a space, or use Ctrl+Shift+] / Command+Option+U111
  • Ordered lists: Start lines with numbers followed by a period and space, or use Ctrl+Shift+[ / Command+Option+O111
  • Task lists: Create checkboxes with - [ ] (unchecked) or - [x] (checked)11

Links and Images#

  • Links: Create with [link text](URL) or use Ctrl+K / Command+K1
  • Images: Insert with ![alt text](image-path+Shift+I / Command+Control+I1
    • You can also drag and drop images directly into Typora1

Blockquotes#

Start a line with > followed by a space to create a blockquote, or use Ctrl+Shift+Q / Command+Option+Q11.

Code#

  • Inline code: Enclose text with backticks (code) or use Ctrl+Shift+`` /Command+Shift+``13

  • Code blocks: Create with triple backticks or use Ctrl+Shift+K / Command+Option+C1113

Typora’s Unique Features#

Live Preview Mode#

Typora’s standout feature is Live Preview, which allows you to see the formatted document as you write. When you place your cursor on or near formatted text, the markdown syntax becomes visible for editing. Once you move the cursor away, the formatting is applied and the syntax disappears39.

To toggle between the rendered view and the source code view (showing all Markdown syntax), use:

  • Windows/Linux: Ctrl + /
  • macOS: Command + /913

Focus Mode#

Focus Mode dims all text except the paragraph you’re currently editing, helping you concentrate on your writing without distractions810.

  • Toggle Focus Mode: F81013

Typewriter Mode#

Typewriter Mode keeps the line you’re currently typing vertically centered on the screen, similar to how a traditional typewriter works810.

  • Toggle Typewriter Mode: F91013

Outline Panel#

Typora automatically generates an outline based on your document’s headings. Access the outline panel to quickly navigate through your document:

  • Windows/Linux: Ctrl + Shift + 1
  • macOS: Command + Control + 11013

Keyboard Shortcuts#

Typora offers numerous keyboard shortcuts to streamline your workflow. Here are the most useful ones organized by function:

File Operations#

Function Windows/Linux macOS
New File Ctrl + N Command + N
New Window Ctrl + Shift + N Command + Shift + N
Open File Ctrl + O Command + O
Quick Open Ctrl + P Command + Shift + O
Save Ctrl + S Command + S
Save As Ctrl + Shift + S Command + Shift + S
Preferences Ctrl + , Command + ,
Close Ctrl + W Command + W

Source:13

Editing#

Function Windows/Linux macOS
New Paragraph Enter Enter
New Line Shift + Enter Shift + Enter
Cut Ctrl + X Command + X
Copy Ctrl + C Command + C
Paste Ctrl + V Command + V
Copy as Markdown Ctrl + Shift + C Command + Shift + C
Paste as Plain Text Ctrl + Shift + V Command + Shift + V
Select All Ctrl + A Command + A
Select Line/Sentence Ctrl + L Command + L
Delete Line Ctrl + Shift + Backspace Command + Shift + Backspace
Select Word Ctrl + D Command + D
Delete Word Ctrl + Shift + D Command + Shift + D
Find Ctrl + F Command + F
Replace Ctrl + H Command + H

Source:1113

Formatting#

Function Windows/Linux macOS
Heading 1-6 Ctrl + 1-6 Command + 1-6
Paragraph Ctrl + 0 Command + 0
Table Ctrl + T Command + Option + T
Code Fences Ctrl + Shift + K Command + Option + C
Math Block Ctrl + Shift + M Command + Option + B
Quote Ctrl + Shift + Q Command + Option + Q
Ordered List Ctrl + Shift + [ Command + Option + O
Unordered List Ctrl + Shift + ] Command + Option + U
Bold Ctrl + B Command + B
Italic Ctrl + I Command + I
Underline Ctrl + U Command + U
Code `Ctrl + Shift + `` `Command + Shift + ``
Strike Alt + Shift + 5 `Control + Shift + ``
Hyperlink Ctrl + K Command + K
Image Ctrl + Shift + I Command + Control + I
Clear Format Ctrl + \ Command + \

Source:101113

View#

Function Windows/Linux macOS
Toggle Sidebar Ctrl + Shift + L Command + Shift + L
Outline Ctrl + Shift + 1 Command + Control + 1
Articles Ctrl + Shift + 2 Command + Control + 2
File Tree Ctrl + Shift + 3 Command + Control + 3
Source Code Mode Ctrl + / Command + /
Focus Mode F8 F8
Typewriter Mode F9 F9
Toggle Fullscreen F11 Command + Option + F
Zoom In Ctrl + Shift + = (Not Supported)
Zoom Out Ctrl + Shift + - (Not Supported)
Switch Between Docs Ctrl + Tab `Command + ``

Source:1013

Document Organization#

Using the Sidebar#

Typora’s sidebar provides easy access to your folders and files. Toggle the sidebar with Ctrl + Shift + L (Windows/Linux) or Command + Shift + L (macOS)1322.

The sidebar offers three views:

  1. Outline (Ctrl + Shift + 1 / Command + Control + 1): Shows the structure of your current document based on headings
  2. Articles (Ctrl + Shift + 2 / Command + Control + 2): Shows all open documents
  3. File Tree (Ctrl + Shift + 3 / Command + Control + 3): Shows your folder structure13

Creating an Efficient Folder Structure#

To create a well-organized file structure in Typora:

  1. Open the sidebar and click “Open Folder” at the bottom
  2. Select or create a main folder for your Typora documents
  3. Right-click on the folder to create subfolders (by year, project, or category)
  4. Right-click on any folder to create new files23

Best Practices for Folder Structure:

  • Create a logical hierarchy (e.g., Project → Year → Month → Documents)
  • Use clear, consistent naming conventions (e.g., YYYYMMDD_ProjectName)
  • Keep folder structures relatively shallow to avoid complexity
  • Consider separating work by project type or category21

File Naming Conventions#

For optimal organization:

  • Use consistent date formats (YYYYMMDD) at the beginning of filenames for chronological sorting
  • Avoid spaces in filenames (use underscores or hyphens instead)
  • Include descriptive keywords in filenames
  • Use consistent capitalization21

Quick File Access#

Use Ctrl + P (Windows/Linux) or Command + Shift + O (macOS) to quickly open files with the “Open Quickly” feature, which searches across all your files in open folders313.

Themes and Customization#

Typora offers extensive customization options through themes and CSS modifications.

Built-in Themes#

Typora comes with 6 built-in themes that you can select from the “Themes” menu. You can set different themes for light and dark modes on supported systems17.

Installing Custom Themes#

To install a custom theme:

  1. Go to Preferences → Appearance → Open Theme Folder
  2. Download a theme from the Typora Theme Gallery or other sources
  3. Extract the theme files (if in a ZIP) and copy the CSS file and any related resource folders to the theme folder
  4. Restart Typora and select the new theme from the Themes menu161719

Creating Custom CSS Modifications#

Instead of modifying theme files directly, you can create CSS override files:

  1. Go to the theme folder as described above
  2. Create one of these files:
    • base.user.css - Applied to all themes
    • [theme-name].user.css - Applied only to a specific theme18

Example for Custom Font:

To change the font for all themes, create base.user.css with:

css
body {
  font-family: "Your Preferred Font", sans-serif;
}

For more advanced customization, you can use the developer tools:

  • Windows/Linux: Toggle DevTools with Shift + F12
  • macOS: Enable Debug from the Help menu, then right-click and select “Inspect Elements”18

Export and Compilation#

Typora offers various options for exporting your Markdown documents to other formats.

Export Options#

Access export options from File → Export:

  • PDF: Creates a PDF document with customizable page settings
  • HTML: Exports as a single HTML file with styling
  • Word (.docx): Converts to Microsoft Word format
  • OpenOffice (.odt): Exports to OpenDocument Text format
  • RTF: Creates Rich Text Format documents
  • Epub: Generates e-book format
  • LaTeX: Exports to LaTeX format
  • Image: Converts the document to an image
  • HTML (without styles): Creates clean HTML without CSS
  • Markdown: Converts to other Markdown variants515

Using Pandoc for Advanced Export#

For formats like Word, LaTeX, and others, Typora uses Pandoc, which must be installed separately15.

To install Pandoc:

  1. Download from pandoc.org
  2. Install according to your operating system’s instructions
  3. Typora should automatically detect the Pandoc installation

Customizing Export Settings#

For PDF export, you can customize:

  • Paper size and margins
  • Page headers and footers
  • Table of contents inclusion
  • Page breaks before headings
  • Font settings and line spacing15

Markdown Export and Reformatting#

When exporting to different Markdown variants, you can customize:

  • Line width (column limit)
  • Line endings (CRLF or LF)
  • Tab width
  • Character encoding15

For reformatting your Markdown:

  1. Create an export profile under Export → Markdown (other spec)
  2. Select desired options like line width and text wrapping
  3. Use this to reformat your document while maintaining content15

Advanced Features#

Math Expressions#

Typora supports mathematical expressions using LaTeX syntax:

  • Inline Math: Enclose with single dollar signs
  • Math Blocks: Create with double dollar signs or use Ctrl + Shift + M / Command + Option + B111

Example of a math block:

text
$$
\mathbf{V}_1 \times \mathbf{V}_2 =  \begin{vmatrix} 
\mathbf{i} & \mathbf{j} & \mathbf{k} \\
\frac{\partial X}{\partial u} &  \frac{\partial Y}{\partial u} & 0 \\
\frac{\partial X}{\partial v} & \frac{\partial Y}{\partial v} & 0 \\
\end{vmatrix}
$$

Diagrams#

Typora supports various diagram types through external libraries like Mermaid for flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and Gantt charts814.