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Getting Started

Welcome to Atlas — a writing and research app for macOS, iPadOS, and iOS built around projects, documents, and the connections between them. Whether you're drafting a novel, organizing research, or building a reference library, Atlas gives you a flexible workspace that adapts to how you work.

This guide walks you through the essentials: creating your first project, navigating the workspace, writing and formatting your content, organizing documents, and exporting your finished work. If you're brand new, start with The Basics below and work your way through. If you're looking for something specific, each section links directly to the relevant topic.

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The Basics

Get oriented with the core concepts and interface. These pages cover how Atlas is structured and where to find things as you move between projects, documents, and views.

  • Projects

    Create and manage your workspaces — title, author, cover image, and project settings.

  • The Workspace

    The three-column layout: Organizer, Editor, and Inspector, and how they adapt across Mac, iPad, and iPhone.

  • The Organizer

    Your navigation hub — browse, rearrange, and manage everything in your project.

  • Documents

    The six content types: text documents, folders, canvases, sketches, media, and web pages.

  • The Inspector

    Document metadata, writing statistics, heading outline, and connections like backlinks and references.

Writing

Atlas uses a live-rendering markdown editor where your formatting appears as you type. These pages cover the editor itself, the formatting you can use, and how to attach images, links, and notes to your writing.

Organizing

Projects grow quickly, and Atlas gives you several ways to structure your content. Folders provide traditional hierarchy, canvases let you arrange things spatially, and importing brings in external files and web pages.

  • Using Folders

    Hierarchical structure, the Folder Outline View, and organizational patterns.

  • Importing Media and Web Pages

    Bring in images, PDFs, audio, video, and web pages from files, photos, or other apps.

  • The Canvas

    Spatial workspaces for arranging document cards, pins, labels, and media visually.

Publishing

When your work is ready to leave Atlas, you have plenty of options. Export to a wide range of formats with live previews and per-folder settings that remember how you like things.

  • Exporting Your Work

    Export to Markdown, Plain Text, HTML, ePub, RTF, or PDF — with live preview and folder export options.

Next Steps

Once you're comfortable with the basics, explore the in-depth guides for specific workflows: