A few months ago, Automattic launched Radical Speed Month: a company-wide sprint during which teams picked a passion project and built something real. Here at Simplenote, one of those projects focused on the editor. Could we make Markdown feel more immediate in Simplenote? Still plain text at its core, but easier to read and write? The result is a “What You See Is What You Get” (WYSIWYG) Markdown editor prototype for the Simplenote desktop app, and we’re ready for you to try it!

Simplenote isn’t changing what a note is. Your notes are still Markdown (or plain text). They still sync everywhere. What’s new, however, is how writing feels on desktop. Headings, bold, italic, strikethrough, and list markers appear styled inline as you type Markdown. **bold** becomes bold, # heading becomes a large heading. Need help with Markdown syntax? The new toolbar is there to help.

Now it’s your turn! Give us your feedback and help us shape the future of the Simplenote editor.

This build is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux as a pre-release desktop download:

• Download for Windows (64-bit)
• Download for macOS
• Download for Linux (AppImage) – (arm64 AppImage)

Or browse all files on the GitHub release page.

One app at a time: Quit any open copy of Simplenote before installing or launching this build.

Returning to the official app: Your notes stay in your account no matter which build you’re running. If you replaced your usual Simplenote install, you’ll be prompted to switch back when a new release is available — or simply reinstall the latest version anytime from simplenote.com.

If this editor makes writing easier, we want to hear about it. If something doesn’t feel quite right, we want to hear about that too. Please drop us an email at support@simplenote.com.