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Bref

Bref is a fast, minimal note-taking app. Your notes are plain Markdown files in a folder you choose, styled as you type. It is written in Rust with GPUI, a GPU-accelerated UI framework.

New here? Install Bref, then read First steps.

What it does
FastThe window opens in about 75 ms. A keystroke costs about a millisecond, even in a note of 5,000 lines. See Performance.
Plain filesOne .md file per note, in a folder called the vault. An existing folder of Markdown notes works as is, front matter included. See Files on disk.
Styled as you typeHeadings grow, bold and italics render, markers stay visible but dimmed. The file stays plain Markdown. See Writing notes.
TablesCells wrap, Tab moves between them, pasting from a spreadsheet works, and a cell that starts with = computes. See Tables and formulas.
Linked notes[[links]], backlinks, tags, embedded sections and a graph. See Links, embeds and files.
CommentsAnnotate a passage without changing it, in a format other apps can read. See Comments.
Daily notesOne key for today's note, a calendar, templates, and a one-line capture window. See Daily notes, templates and capture.
Tabs and panesAs many tabs and split panes as the window holds. See Tabs, panes and docks.
Kanban boards and list pagesA note shown as a board, a folder shown as a table of its notes. See Kanban boards and list pages.
DiagramsShapes, arrows and UML drawn by hand, saved as SVG. See Diagrams.
CSV and TSVEdited in place, in a grid, up to a million rows. See CSV and TSV files.
SyncOne key commits, merges and pushes a vault kept in git. See Syncing a vault.
Keyboard firstOne palette for notes and commands. Every shortcut is listed in the app and can be changed. See Keyboard shortcuts.
Yours to dressA dozen themes, IBM Plex built in, any installed font, light and dark. See Settings and appearance.

Bref speaks English and French, following the language of your system.

Conventions in this guide

  • Keys are written for Linux and Windows. On macOS, read Cmd for Ctrl, and Alt for Ctrl when moving by word.
  • The keys shown are the defaults. The help panel (F1) always shows the ones in effect, and lets you change them.
  • Bold names a button, a menu entry or a palette command, as written in the app.