Sync and devices

MemNote is local-first. Every note you write is saved to a database on the device you wrote it on, and everything you read comes from there. Sync then copies changes to the cloud and back in the background.

That ordering is the whole point: the app is fast and works with no network, because the network is never on the path between you and your notes.

Sync just runs

There is nothing to turn on. As soon as you are signed in with a verified email address, MemNote starts listening for changes from your other devices and pushing up your own.

• Offline edits are kept and pushed later. Write on a plane; it syncs when you land. You do not have to reopen the app.
• Reconnecting flushes promptly rather than waiting for the next scheduled attempt.

What syncs: your notes, the images inside them, your tags and which notes they are on, your notes’ version history, and your device list. Permanently deleting a note syncs too, so it disappears everywhere.

There is no sync status indicator, spinner, or last-synced timestamp in the app — sync is meant to be something you never think about.

Forcing a full sync

If you do want to think about it, Settings → Data & Sync → Full Sync pushes everything local up and pulls everything remote down. It confirms first, since it may take a while on a large account, and reports Full sync completed when it is finished.

You should not need this in normal use. It is the thing to try when a device looks out of date.

When two devices edit the same note

The most recent edit wins — but the version that lost is not thrown away. It is written into that note’s version history first, so you can open History on the note and restore it.

In practice this means an offline edit that gets overwritten while you were away is always recoverable. It is worth knowing where to look.

Your devices

Every device you sign in on registers itself, and its name is stamped on the notes you write there. That is what makes device:laptop searches work, and why the note list can tell you at a glance that a note came from your phone.

Settings → Manage Devices lists them, each with a platform icon and a coloured badge.

Renaming a device

Tap the pencil next to a device. Edit Device lets you set:

• Display Name — what shows on notes and in device filters.
• Device Color — the badge colour, so devices are distinguishable at a glance in a list.

Renames sync, so the new name shows up on your other devices too.

There is currently no way to remove a device from the list.

Your data elsewhere

Sync is a convenience, not a lock-in. Everything is plain markdown and you can take it out at any time with Settings → Data Management → Export all notes (Markdown) — see Notes and the editor.

Related

• Getting started — the verified-email requirement sync depends on.
• Trash — how deletes propagate.
• Settings — where Manage Devices and Full Sync live.