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Your First Document

This page takes you from installing FlowBoard to a working board. Along the way you learn the handful of moves you’ll use every day.

Install FlowBoard

Section titled “Install FlowBoard”

FlowBoard is available from the App Store for Mac, iPad and iPhone. The buy page lists current platforms and pricing.

Create a document

Section titled “Create a document”

When FlowBoard starts, it shows the start screen:

  • Open Recent reopens the document you used last. The menu button beside it lists your other recent files.
  • Open File opens an existing Markdown file.
  • New File creates a new document.

To create your first document:

  1. Select New File.
  2. Choose a name and a location, then save. FlowBoard suggests flowboard.md.

FlowBoard creates the file and opens it. The new document contains one board, My Board, with four columns: To Do, In Progress, Done and Archive.

Everything you do from now on is saved to that one file, automatically. Put it in a folder you already back up. How FlowBoard saves your work explains the details.

Add a card

Section titled “Add a card”
  1. In the To Do column, select the + button at the top or bottom of the column.
  2. Type the card text, for example Outline chapter one.
  3. Press Enter.

The card appears in the column. To add a line break inside a card, press Shift+Enter. To discard a new card, press Escape.

Cards are written in Markdown, so **bold**, lists and headings work inside them.

Edit a card

Section titled “Edit a card”

Double-click a card to edit it. The cursor lands where you clicked. Make your changes and press Enter to save them, or Escape to cancel.

Move cards along

Section titled “Move cards along”

Drag a card to another column or to a new position in the same column.

From the keyboard, select a card and press Option+← or Option+→ to move it to the neighboring column. Press X to send it straight to Done.

When you no longer need a card, press Delete. The card moves to the Archive column instead of disappearing, so you can still get it back.

Add tags and a due date

Section titled “Add tags and a due date”

Type metadata at the end of a card’s last line:

Outline chapter one #draft #chapter/one !! 2026-10-15

When you save, FlowBoard turns #draft and #chapter/one into tags, !! into an importance level, and 2026-10-15 into a due date, and removes them from the visible text. Tags, importance, dates and tints covers all the options.

Add boards and columns

Section titled “Add boards and columns”
  • To add a board, select + Add new board at the bottom of the board list on the left.
  • To add a column, select + Add Column to the right of the last column.

Use boards for the large parts of your work, such as chapters, acts or subjects. Use columns for stages or groups within them.

Where to go next

Section titled “Where to go next”