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Home Page & Navigation
Bob edited this page May 7, 2026
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The Home Page is your landing page when you first open Flatnotes-Enhanced. It displays your most recently modified notes for quick access.
The home page shows up to 10 of your most recently modified notes (configurable):
- Click any note to open it
- Click the eye icon (hover to reveal) to preview the note without opening
- Click the "..." (dots) button to see more recent notes in search
You can set any note as your personal dashboard or welcome page:
- Go to Settings → Preferences
- Scroll to "Custom home note" section
- Toggle "Enable custom home note" ON
- Enter the note title (e.g.,
Daily DashboardorWelcome) - Click "Save preferences"
Next time you open Flatnotes-Enhanced:
- This note loads automatically instead of the default home page
- The Home button (always visible) navigates directly to it
- The keyboard shortcut
Ctrl+Alt+Halso opens it
| Use Case | Note Example |
|---|---|
| Daily checklist | Dashboard |
| Weekly planner | Week Overview |
| Project kickoff | Projects/Current |
| Quick links | Getting Started |
| Status board | Work/Status |
Flatnotes-Enhanced provides multiple ways to navigate through your notes.
The top navigation bar is always visible and contains:
| Button | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Home icon | Go to home page (or custom home note) |
| Search (magnifying glass) | Open search modal |
| Folder icon | Toggle folder sidebar |
| Tag icon | Toggle tag sidebar |
| Menu icon (hamburger) | Open main menu |
Click the hamburger menu (≡) to access:
- All Notes - View all notes
- Templates - Manage note templates
- Attachments - View and manage file attachments
- Archive - View archived notes
- Settings - Customize your experience
- Trash - Manage soft-deleted notes
- Theme toggle - Switch light/dark/auto theme
- Log out - Sign out of your account
- Toggle with Tag icon or
Ctrl+Alt+T - Shows all tags organized hierarchically
- Click a tag to filter notes by that tag
- Mutually exclusive with folder sidebar (only one open at a time)
- Toggle with Folder icon or from main menu
- Shows all folders organized hierarchically
- Click a folder to view notes in that folder
- Mutually exclusive with tag sidebar
While viewing notes, you can navigate back and forward through recently viewed notes (browser-style):
- Back button: Return to the previously viewed note
- Forward button: Go forward if you went back
Flatnotes-Enhanced supports several keyboard shortcuts for power users:
| Shortcut | Action | Works On |
|---|---|---|
/ |
Open search modal | Any page (except login) |
Ctrl+Alt+N |
Create new note | Any page (except login) |
Ctrl+Alt+H |
Go to home (or custom home note) | Any page (except login) |
Ctrl+Alt+T |
Toggle tag sidebar | Any page (except login) |
Ctrl+H |
Find & replace (in editor) | Note editor only |
- Shortcuts work even if a modal is open
- On Mac, use
Cmd+Altinstead ofCtrl+Alt - Shortcuts don't work on the login page
- These shortcuts are global and always available
Flatnotes-Enhanced has several distinct pages you can navigate to. Here's what each one does:
| Page | Access | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Home | Home button / Ctrl+Alt+H
|
Quick access to recent notes |
| Search |
/ or search button |
Full-text search with filtering |
| Note Editor | Click a note | Create and edit notes |
| Folders | Folder sidebar | Browse and manage by folder |
| Tags | Tag sidebar | Browse and manage by tag |
| Page | Access | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Archive | Menu → Archive | View archived notes |
| Trash | Menu → Trash | Restore or permanently delete notes |
| Bookmarks | Click bookmark count badge | View all pinned notes (#pin) |
| Templates | Menu → Templates | Manage note templates |
| Attachments | Menu → Attachments | View and manage file attachments |
| Settings | Menu → Settings | Customize appearance and behavior |
The search page is your main way to find notes across folders and tags.
- Press
/(forward slash) on any page - Click the search icon in the navigation bar
- Use the search box on the home page
- Full-text search: Search note content and titles
-
Tag filtering:
tags:workshows notes with #work tag -
Boolean operators:
project AND deadlinefinds notes with both words - Sorting: Sort by relevance, title, or last modified
- Quick access: Home page shows top results
📖 See Search & Filtering for advanced search techniques.
Change between light, dark, and automatic themes:
- Click the menu icon (≡)
- Click "Light theme", "Dark theme", or "System theme"
- Choice is saved and persists across sessions
| Theme | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Light | Always use light colors |
| Dark | Always use dark colors |
| System | Follow your OS setting (auto-switches) |
Flatnotes-Enhanced is fully responsive on mobile and tablet devices.
- Sidebars slide in from the left - Tap the folder/tag icon to open, tap elsewhere to close
- Navigation bar stays visible - Always access search and menu
- Full-screen note editor - Maximizes editing space
- Touch-friendly buttons - Larger touch targets
- Auto-close sidebars - Sidebars close automatically when you open a note
- Use
/keyboard shortcut to search faster - Tap and hold on notes to access preview
- Swipe to close sidebars (or tap outside them)
- Portrait orientation recommended for mobile
Flatnotes-Enhanced remembers your preferences across sessions:
- Sidebar state: Folder/tag sidebar stays open/closed as you left it
- Active tags: Selected tags persist when you close the app
- Theme preference: Your chosen theme applies on next visit
- Recent notes: Navigation history helps you move between notes
- Settings: All customizations saved to your account
Quick Note Creation:
- Press
Ctrl+Alt+Nfrom anywhere - Enter your note title
- Start typing
Fast Searching:
- Press
/to open search - Type your search term
- Press Enter or click a result
Tag Browsing:
- Press
Ctrl+Alt+Tto open tag sidebar - Click a tag to filter
- Click the tag again to deselect
Organize on the Go:
- Open folder sidebar (click folder icon)
- Drag notes between folders
- No need to refresh—changes apply instantly
For power users, set up a custom home page:
- Create a note called
Dashboard - Add links to your most-used notes using tags or folders
- Add quick checklists and today's priorities
- Set it as your custom home note
- Every time you open Flatnotes-Enhanced, you see your dashboard
Solution:
- Click the folder or tag icon in the top navigation
- Make sure the other sidebar isn't already open (only one can be open at a time)
- Try refreshing the page
Solutions:
- Shortcuts don't work on the login page—log in first
- Check you're using the right modifier key (
Ctrl+Alton Windows/Linux,Cmd+Alton Mac) - If focus is in a text input, some shortcuts may not work
Problem: Set a custom home note but it's not opening on startup
Solutions:
- Verify the note title is spelled exactly right (including capitalization and folder path)
- Check that the note actually exists
- In Preferences, toggle custom home note OFF and back ON
- Refresh the page to test
Solutions:
- Make sure the note isn't in the trash (add
NOT trashto your search) - Try searching for different keywords
- Use tag filtering to narrow results
- Check that the note exists in folders (use folder sidebar)
Print or bookmark this reference:
NAVIGATION
/ → Open search
Ctrl+Alt+H → Go home
Ctrl+Alt+T → Toggle tag sidebar
Ctrl+Alt+N → Create new note
EDITOR
Ctrl+H → Find & replace
- Getting Started & Installation - First-time setup
- Search & Filtering - Advanced search techniques
- Folders & Organization - Organizing by folder
- Tags System - Organizing by tag
- Settings & Customization - Customizing your experience