Editor Overview

NuvoPad offers four distinct editor modes, each suited to a different workflow. You can switch between them at any time without losing your content.

The Four Modes

WYSIWYGDefault

What You See Is What You Get. Formatting is rendered visually as you type — bold text appears bold, headings appear as headings, bullet lists appear as bullet lists. You never see the raw Markdown syntax.

Best for: everyday writing, long-form documents, notes with heavy formatting.

SourceRaw Markdown

Displays the raw Markdown source exactly as it is stored. All syntax characters are visible: **bold**, ## Heading, - list item, etc.

Best for: pasting Markdown from other tools, editing tables and code blocks, debugging formatting issues.

Split

Shows the Source editor on the left and a rendered Markdown preview on the right, side by side. Changes in the source are reflected in the preview in real time.

Best for: writing and reviewing simultaneously, complex Markdown documents where you need continuous visual feedback.

PreviewRead-only

A read-only rendered view of the note. No editing is possible in this mode — it is intended for reading and reviewing a finished document.

Best for: reviewing finished notes, distraction-free reading.

Switching Modes

There are three ways to switch the editor mode:

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S — toggles between WYSIWYG and Source mode.
  2. Click the mode label in the formatting toolbar (top of editor) — cycles through all four modes.
  3. Set your preferred default in Settings → Editor → Default editor mode.

📝 Note

The editor mode is a global setting — switching modes applies to all notes, not just the current one. Your content is preserved in all modes; only the rendering changes.

Autosave

NuvoPad automatically saves your work. The default delay is 750 ms after you stop typing. The save indicator in the toolbar shows:

  • Saving… — a write is in progress
  • All changes saved — the last save completed successfully

If you switch to a different note while a save is pending, NuvoPad flushes the pending content immediately before switching — no data is lost. You can also save manually with Ctrl+S.

Zoom

Scale the editor UI without changing the underlying font-size setting. Zoom controls apply to the whole window.

Ctrl++Zoom in
Ctrl+-Zoom out
Ctrl+0Reset zoom

Editor Alignment

Control how the content area is positioned horizontally. Set in Settings → Editor → Editor alignment:

  • Left — content is left-aligned with no max-width constraint
  • Center — content is centered with a comfortable reading width (default)
  • Full — content spans the entire editor width

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