Introduction to Charta
What Charta, the Markdown editor for Mac, iPhone and iPad, is: two ways of writing, single files and folders, and where to find the rest of the guide.
Charta is a Markdown editor for Mac, iPhone and iPad. It works on plain .md text files: no database and no format of its own. When you open a file, Charta only changes the characters you type; the rest of the file stays as it is.
Two ways of writing the same file
- WYSIWYG: you see your text already formatted. Markdown marks (
**,#,[…](…)) show up only where the cursor is and disappear when you move on. Tables, math, diagrams and images are drawn in the text. - Code editor: the Markdown itself, with syntax colors and line numbers, and the preview beside or below it.
Switch between the two with ⌘ E or with the button in the window’s toolbar. The mode documents open in is set in Settings › General › Open documents in. Details in WYSIWYG and code editor.
Single files and folders
- A file: on the Mac with File › Open… or from Finder; on iPhone and iPad from the Files app or from Charta’s launch screen.
- A folder: with File › Open Folder… (⇧ ⌘ O) on the Mac, or Open Folder on the launch screen on iPhone and iPad. The folder becomes a project, with a note tree, search,
[[note]]links and the graph. See Folders and linked notes.
In folders, notes save themselves shortly after each change. On the Mac, the save status appears under the window title (for example “Saved 2 min ago”).
What’s in this guide
- WYSIWYG and code editor: the two modes, the preview, the heading outline and the status bar
- Supported Markdown: tables, math, diagrams, footnotes, front matter and the other extensions
- Formatting, tables and writing: menus, lists, tables, paste, word goal, Focus and Typewriter Mode
- Folders and linked notes: projects, links, graph, search and images
- Export and print: HTML, PDF, Word and EPUB
- iPhone and iPad: the bar above the keyboard and the differences from the Mac
- Settings and Keyboard shortcuts
Requirements
Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later; iPhone and iPad with iOS and iPadOS 26 or later. Charta is free, with no ads or in-app purchases, needs no account and collects no data. The interface is in English and Italian: choose the language in Settings › General.