Zettlr – A Tool for Writing and Organizing Notes
Zettlr is a free, open-source application for writing in Markdown format and organizing notes, particularly geared towards research and academic work. It’s available for Windows, macOS, and various Linux distributions. The name Zettlr comes from the German word “Zettel,” meaning “slip” or “note.”
Zettlr – Features
Zettlr uses Markdown, an elegant and minimalist text formatting language. Text is easily and quickly formatted without using complex and expensive tools. Markdown resembles a reduced version of HTML. Documents are simply and accurately converted into various formats (PDF, HTML, Word, etc.). This allows for easy sharing or publishing of documents without the need for additional applications.
Zettlr has a special method for organizing notes, which it calls “Zettelkasten“. This method connects information in notes, creating a network of ideas. Each note can be linked to others. Notes are connected through unique identifiers and tags. Later, this information is easier to find, which is especially important when working with large amounts of data.
Zettlr allows you to organize notes using tags and metadata. Tags quickly categorize notes, while metadata (such as creation date or keywords) facilitates their search. The application has a quality search engine that finds notes by tags, content, and keywords. Notes can be grouped into folders and projects for better organization.
Zettlr is very useful for researchers and academic authors, as they can easily add references and citations to their work. It can be integrated with applications such as Zotero, which manages references and automatically generates sources and bibliographies, or LanguageTool for spell and grammar checking. The settings offer many options for customizing the user interface appearance. There’s also a dark theme for more comfortable night work.
Zettlr – Usage
The application has a simplified user interface. Projects and folders are displayed on the left, and the central part is used for writing and organizing notes. Entering notes in Markdown format is easy. For example: use “#” for headings, “-” for lists, and “**text**” for bold text. Zettlr automatically interprets this format and displays formatted text as you write. Backlinks are a way to create connections between notes. Tags can be added to each note for easier grouping and filtering. Although working in this application doesn’t seem complicated, new users will need time to get used to the Markdown format and the special way of connecting notes.
The application is available for all three major desktop platforms. We think it would now be useful to have versions for Android and iOS, as there are more and more large, high-quality tablet screens on which text can be comfortably edited with suitable keyboards.
We’ve previously reviewed note-taking and long-form text editing applications. If you’re interested in this area, read some of the following posts: Typora, TiddlyWiki, LivingWriter, Manuskript, Markor, FocusWriter. In terms of capabilities, Zettlr is between applications like Evernote and Scrivener.
Besides being free and open-source, Zettlr is also a very flexible application for writing and organizing notes. There are no hidden costs or options to purchase. Zettlr is designed to meet the needs of researchers, writers, students, professors, and anyone who works with large amounts of text, as well as those who prefer a minimalist user interface.
Platform:
Windows, macOS, Linux