Outerline Outerline

Files, Backup & Recently Deleted

Outerline has no separate database for your writing. Every document is a plain .md file in a folder you choose, which means you can back it up, sync it, or open it in any other editor whenever you like.

Where Your Library Lives

You pick a library the first time you launch Outerline. Open Outerline > Settings > General to see it: Storage Location shows where the current library lives, and the Library row lets you change it.

  • iCloud Library is Outerline’s built-in iCloud library, which is the simplest way to keep a Mac and an iPhone in sync.
  • Your own folder can be any folder you choose, including one inside iCloud Drive, Dropbox, or another sync provider. Sync timing is then controlled by that provider, not by Outerline.

Alongside your notes, Outerline keeps a data folder holding metadata such as highlights, comments, tags, stars, and version history. It is normally hidden as .outerline-data; in libraries hosted by a sync provider that does not handle dot-folders well, Outerline uses a visible outerline-data folder instead. Either way, keep it with your notes when you move a library.

Work With More Than One Library

Outerline remembers every library you open on this Mac, so you can keep several close at hand and switch between them from Settings > General > Library:

  • Choose a library from the Library menu to switch to it.
  • Add… opens an existing Outerline library or any folder of Markdown files.
  • New… creates a fresh library, seeded with the Basics notes.
  • Rename… changes the library’s display name. New libraries take their folder’s name.
  • Use iCloud Library… switches to the built-in iCloud library.

Outerline asks before switching and saves the main window and any separate document windows first. When you come back to a library, its selected folder, open note, and expanded folders are restored. If a save fails, edits conflict, or the destination is unavailable, the switch stops and your current library stays open.

Choose Manage Libraries… from the Library menu to see every remembered library with its location and availability. The current library appears first with a blue check. For a library that can’t be found, use Retry or Locate…, or Remove to forget it on this Mac. Removing a library never changes its files.

Import a Web Page

Choose File > Import Web Page…, paste the address of a public HTTPS article, and pick a destination folder from the Location menu. Outerline extracts the article on your Mac — the page is never sent to an extraction service — and saves it as a new Markdown note. It never overwrites an existing note, and the source address is kept in the note’s frontmatter.

Export a Document

With a document open, choose File > Export as:

  • Export as HTML (⇧+⌘+E) writes a styled, self-contained web page.
  • Export as PDF writes a paginated copy for sharing or printing.
  • Export as Markdown writes a copy of the raw source to a location you choose.

Export a Library Backup

Choose File > Library > Export Backup to write a timestamped outerline-backup-*.zip archive containing your Markdown files and the Outerline metadata that goes with them. This is the fastest way to take a snapshot of everything before a big reorganisation, or to hand your library to another machine.

Recently Deleted

Deleting a document (⌘+Delete) moves it to Recently Deleted rather than erasing it. The Recently Deleted row appears in the sidebar when there is something in it, and each entry shows the date it was deleted.

  • Select a document there to read it. Deleted documents are read-only until you restore them.
  • Use Move to on a row to restore that document into a folder in your library.
  • Use Move All to restore everything at once.
  • Use Delete, or Delete All, to remove documents permanently along with their metadata. This cannot be undone.

How Long Deleted Notes Are Kept

Outerline clears out Recently Deleted on a schedule you control in Settings > General > Recently Deleted. You can keep deleted documents for 5, 15, or 30 days, or choose never to delete them automatically. The default is 30 days.

This setting is stored with your library, so Outerline on iPhone follows the same retention choice when both apps use the same library.

On iPhone

See Files & Settings on iPhone for the same operations on iPhone.