Bref
A fast, minimal note-taking app. Notes are plain Markdown files in a folder you choose, styled as you type. Written in Rust with GPUI, a GPU-accelerated UI framework.
Install · User guide · Shortcuts · Website · Contributing
Why Bref
- Fast. The window opens in about 75 ms. A keystroke costs about a millisecond, even in a note of 5,000 lines. Figures
- Plain files. One
.md file per note, in an ordinary folder. Sync it with git, Syncthing or a cloud folder. An existing folder of Markdown notes works as is.
- Styled as you type. Headings grow, bold and italics render, markers stay visible but dimmed. The file on disk stays plain Markdown.
- Tables that compute. Cells wrap,
Tab moves between them, pasting from a spreadsheet works, and =sum(above) adds up a column.
- Linked notes.
[[Links]], backlinks, tags, embedded sections, a graph, and a calendar of daily notes.
- More than notes. Kanban boards, list pages built from front matter, UML diagrams drawn by hand and saved as SVG, and a CSV grid that opens a million rows.
- Keyboard first. One palette for notes and commands. Every shortcut is listed in the app (
F1) and can be changed.
- Yours to dress. 13 themes, IBM Plex built in, any installed font. Light and dark, English and French.
Install
| System | Get it |
|---|
| Arch Linux | the prebuilt package, below |
| macOS 11 or later | bref-macos.dmg |
| Windows 10 or 11 | installer or zip |
| Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, other Linux | build from source, below |
# Arch Linux
curl -LO https://github.com/alarboulletmarin/bref/releases/latest/download/bref-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
sudo pacman -U ./bref-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
# Other Linux: needs Rust 1.88 or later, and the libraries listed in the install guide
git clone https://github.com/alarboulletmarin/bref.git
cd bref
make && sudo make install
The macOS and Windows downloads are not signed. The first launch needs one extra click: see the install guide, which also covers the packages of each distribution, building on macOS and Windows, and upgrading.
Bref tells you when a new version is out. On Arch, macOS and Windows (installer), one click updates it.
Getting started
- Launch Bref and click Start in ~/Documents/Notes, or open a folder you already have.
- Type. The first line is the title of the note and the name of its file. Saving is automatic.
Ctrl + P finds or creates a note, F10 lists every command, F1 lists every shortcut.
On macOS, read Cmd for Ctrl. More in First steps.
Documentation
The user guide covers everything. It is also published as a website: alarboulletmarin.github.io/bref/guide.
| Page | What it covers |
|---|
| Writing notes | Markdown, styles, lists, slash commands, blocks, several cursors |
| Tables and formulas | tables in notes, grips, formulas, very large tables |
| Links, embeds and files | links, backlinks, tags, embedded sections, pictures, dropped files |
| Comments | annotating a passage, in a format other apps read |
| Daily notes, templates and capture | today's note, the calendar, templates, quick capture |
| The palette and the panel | the tree, the graph, the trash, icons |
| Tabs, panes and docks | arranging the window |
| Search and replace | in a note, and in the whole vault |
| Kanban boards and list pages | a note as a board, a folder as a table |
| Diagrams, UML diagrams |
Contributing
Bug reports and small fixes are welcome. For a feature, open an issue first. Read CONTRIBUTING.md and the map of the code, ARCHITECTURE.md. For a security problem, see SECURITY.md.
License
MIT
