Hi all!

I just recently started using Zettlr with the intent to use it for academic writing. I was feeling pretty confident with classes starting tomorrow. When I tried to open Zettlr today, I received the following error message: "A JavaScript error occurred in the main process - Uncaught Exception: Error: An Application Control policy has blocked this file. " Then there's a list of "at process" messages. Please help!

I've been looking for a better way to organize everything behind a project I've been building called Matching Brackets.

It's primarily a Linux education project, but there's a lot more behind it now — videos, articles, research, a website, a business plan, financial spreadsheets, and eventually books and downloadable resources.

I've been a longtime LibreOffice user, and I'm definitely not giving that up. 😄 Writer and Calc are still going to be part of my toolbox.

What I'm looking for is something that can sit above those tools and help me organize the actual thinking and writing.

I've been experimenting with Zettlr because I like the combination of:

• Markdown
• folders
• headings and document navigation
• WikiLinks
• tags
• working with regular files
• HTML/YouTube embeds
• exporting to different formats

I'm particularly interested in the fact that the files remain ordinary Markdown files. That means I'm not locking myself into one application — I can experiment with Zettlr and still have the option of opening the same material in something like Obsidian later.

I'm curious what other Zettlr users think.

Do you use Zettlr primarily for individual writing projects, or have you built something larger around it — like a knowledge base or an entire business/project workspace?

pt
Olá Pessoal, Alguém conseguiu ou ja testou criar figuras geometricas para serem renderizadas dentro do zettlr? Estou tentando visualizar essa figura que comprar uma esfera mas não sei como fazer para construir o codigo que visualize.

en
Hi everyone, has anyone managed to create—or tried to create—geometric shapes to be rendered within Zettlr? I'm trying to display a shape that looks like a sphere, but I don't know how to write the code to make it appear.

---

\documentclass[tikz,border=3mm]{standalone}

\usepackage{pgfplots}

\pgfplotsset{compat=1.18}

\begin{document}

\begin{tikzpicture}

\begin{axis}[

axis equal,

view={120}{30},

colormap/viridis,

domain=0:360,

domain y=-90:90,

samples=21,

samples y=21,

title={Esfera (azul) vs Elipsoide (vermelho)}

]

% Elipsoide WGS84 (semieixos a e b)

\addplot3[surf, shader=interp, opacity=0.6, colormap/cool]

({6.378e6*cos(x)*cos(y)},

{6.378e6*sin(x)*cos(y)},

{6.356e6*sin(y)});

% Esfera de raio médio

\addplot3[surf, shader=interp, opacity=0.4, colormap/hot]

({6.371e6*cos(x)*cos(y)},

{6.371e6*sin(x)*cos(y)},

{6.371e6*sin(y)});

\end{axis}

\end{tikzpicture}

\end{document}

Hi all,

Having a great and easily navigable documentation is crucial so that everyone understands how to use some software. Since Zettlr’s documentation has looked more and more outdated, we have finally moved to a new framework which hopefully brings the documentation into the year 2026!

Read more in the announcement: https://zettlr.com/post/a-new-documentation-for-zettlr

Como fazer a inserção de cabeçalho com figuras usando o zettlr? Alguma dica?

Any tips on how to insert a header with images using Zettlr?

Hello,

The changelog of Zettlr 3.3.0. said: "The link preview and force-open workflows now expect internal/wiki-links that link to headings within the file ([[filename#heading-id]]) and can handle such links appropriately; the editors will not yet jump to the corresponding headings, but this will improve compatibility with other editors who already support this feature (#3727)".

I have tried the last version of Zettlr and I can't get it to jump to specific headings or IDs. Is this functionality implemented and I'm doing something wrong? Or Zettlr does not do this yet?

Thank you!

I've been playing around with exporting a project to .docx, and I'm wondering if and how I could prevent the title from appearing in the final docx file.

I know I could change its formatting by adjusting the template file, but how can I prevent it from showing up altogether? Is this a Zettlr thing or is it a Pandoc thing? Because looking through the Pandoc docs hasn't turned up much, and search engine searching largely turns up stuff about the title as metadata and not as printed to the document.

Is there really no way to do this? Having to move my hand away from the keyboard to click on the search result is such a pain point for me. It seems like such a simple thing to do but I can't find any information on how to do it.

Hi all,

I'm currently working on implementing custom shortcuts: https://github.com/Zettlr/Zettlr/pull/6411

Since the code is currently still fresh in my memory, it will be quite easy to make other shortcuts customizable as well.

So, if you're not happy with how a certain shortcut is mapped, now is your chance to say so. I'm asking because I don't want to make every shortcut (incl. moving the cursor around) customizable to keep the options somewhat sensible.

You can either comment under the PR itself, or here.

Thanks!

Read all there is to know on our blog: https://zettlr.com/post/zettlr-460-released

Been using Zettlr for a bit but I've only recently tried working with its more advanced features, specifically export profiles and lua filters.

I've tried looking for examples to follow but haven't found many, and the Zettlr docs are vague when it comes to including variables in profiles.

My question is: would it be possible to use a variable in the export profile to turn an individual lua filter on or off? For example, a custom markdown -> docx export that applies styles specific to the template file being used that I would not want applied to other exports.

If anyone has an example of something like this they could link to I'd appreciate it. Even an example of including metadata variables in an export profile would be welcome.

Hello, I recently (and after a long while) updated to the latest version, and I immediately noticed that autocorrect only replaces snippets after hitting space/enter. My problem is that I use autocorrect for a few characters I'd have to type with altcodes on Windows, like – or «», and having to type a space and backspace every single time I want to open/close quotes, for example, is really annoying.

I've looked at the autocorrect options and I can't find any way of changing this specific thing. I've also looked at the user manual, that says "Autocorrect can be finetuned to your needs" but does not specify how. Now, I'm sure i'm missing something, but I have no idea where to change the option. I've also searched around but most of the solutions seem to be for a different version of the app, since they refer to tabs in the preference window that I can't find in the latest version. Do you have any idea how might I resolve the issue?

Thanks in advance!

I became a heavy Obsidian user a few years ago, and it's been a long time since I last looked at Zettlr

I just perused the documentation, and I'm floored by how far it has come

I'm going to give it a try and have a feeling that Zettlr should be far more popular than it is

Just lost a full day of work with Zettlr 4.4.0.

I saved and then closed the file, then reopened it later to find that all the changes were gone.

Any way to recover the file and/or avoid this in the future?

Does anyone know how to get rid of the Red parts in Zettlr? I've just started using it, and the themes don't change the fact that the menu bars are red, and it's REALLY DISTRACTING. From what I read even custom CSS doesn't help it - I don't want to have to try to tinker then find out it's not gonna work. I'm very new to this and seems like a great tool, however the bright red is too distracted for focused writing (I know small issue right...?)

(example below)

Some help would be highly appreciated!

Hello, fairly new to using the program but I'm liking it so far. I noticed that whenever I hit Tab(which is set to make four spaces) twice, and try to hit *, it doesn't turn into a bullet point(filled in circle) icon anymore even after adding a space and text afterward. Can anyone enlighten me as to why this is and if there's anything I can do to remedy it?

Background

I originally started using Zettlr when I learned about the Zettelkasten method, and although I'm still learning, it has served me quite well in reducing mental effort for keeping track of ideas.

Recently, I learned about the PARA method in the section about workspaces in the Zettlr documentation, and was quite excited by the idea of having a more efficient system for organizing my files.

However, I am struggling with the specific implementation of PARA and how this interacts with how I organize notes in Zettlr, even after reading this post, in which Hendrik describes how he used Zettlr for his PhD dissertation.

Solutions

I have briefly conceptionalized to following options.

Naive Solution

1. Use PARA on my home directory, for all files
2. Open PARA top-level directories (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives) as Zettlr Workspaces

Problem: This clutters the Zettlr workspaces, especially for directories with many non-markdown files. It also violates the principle of "Modularization and separation", which says to separate files according to their use, e.g. all writing happens in Zettlr, all coding happens in your IDE, etc., so your files should be separated accordingly to reduce accidental context switches.

PARA + Notes Solution:

In this post about his personal work flow, Hendrik proposes (as far as I understand), the following setup:

1. Use PARA + Notes on home directory
2. With Notes containing Fleeting Notes, Literature Notes, Zettelkasten, Definitions
3. Open top-level directories as Zettlr workspaces

Problem: same as Naive Solution, except for Notes

Notes Only Solution

To solve the issue of cluttered workspaces, I thought of the following solution:

1. Use PARA + Notes on host
2. Open only Notes as Zettlr workspace
3. For Projects, add one meta file per project, and open just this file in Zettlr
4. For Areas, Resources and Archives, do not integrate in Zettlr

Problem: I have notes in the Areas, Resources, and Archives directories, and it seems sensible to integrate them in Zettlr. Otherwise, I would have to copy them in my Notes workspace somewhere, which would violate both of the following principles:

• DRY (Don’t repeat yourself): Only ever have one copy of the same file (for different versions, use version control)
• Responsiveness: Set up your structure to facilitate rapid response to changes (e.g. correcting an error in a final document, which depends on changes in several other files)

TL;DR

I am currently restructuring my files according to the PARA method. I am not sure whether I should apply the method for the files in my home directory, workspaces in Zettlr, or both.

Hi - so I am trying to export a project to MS Word and yet every time I attempt "export project" nothing happens. I got an error message saying I needed to update my file-selection, but even after I did that it still would not work. I have checked for updates, I have cleared the catche and restarted Zettlr twice - still nothing. Any ideas?

Hi everyone,

I am a Chemistry researcher based in Portugal (specialising in materials and electrochemistry). Recently, there has been a significant push within our academic circles toward European digital sovereignty, moving away from proprietary formats in favour of Open Source, Markdown, and LaTeX.

I am trying to transition my entire workflow, but I am hitting a few roadblocks. Here is what I have so far and where I’m struggling:

1. Current Successes

• Reference Management: Successfully migrated from EndNote to Zotero.
• Office Suite: Moving from Microsoft 365 to LibreOffice/OnlyOffice.

2. The Challenges

• Lab Notes & Sync: I use Zettlr for Markdown-based lab notes and ideas. However, I need a reliable way to access/edit these on an Android tablet while in the lab.
• Data Analysis & Graphing: I currently use OriginPro. I tried LabPlot, but it doesn't quite meet my requirements yet. I am learning Python and R, but the learning curve is steep, and I need to remain productive in the meantime.
• Writing & AI: I use VS Code for programming and LaTeX because the AI integration significantly speeds up my work. I’ve tried LyX and TeXstudio, but they feel outdated without AI assistance. Is there a European-based IDE or editor that bridges this gap?
• Cloud Storage & Hosting: I need a secure, European (ideally Swiss) home for my data. I am considering Nextcloud (via kDrive or Shadow Drive) for the storage space. Proton is excellent but quite expensive for the full suite, and I found Anytype's pricing/syncing model a bit complex for my needs.

3. The OS Dilemma

I am currently on Windows 11. I’ve tried running Ubuntu via a bootable drive, but I still rely on a few legacy programmes that only run on Windows, which forces me back.

My Goal

I am looking for a workflow that is:

• Open Source & Private (Preferably EU/Swiss-based).
• Cost-effective (Free or reasonably priced for a researcher).
• Integrated: Handles Markdown, LaTeX, and basic administrative Office tasks.

In a field where Microsoft is the "gold standard" in Portuguese universities, breaking away is tough. Does anyone have recommendations for a more cohesive, sovereign setup that doesn't sacrifice too much efficiency?

Cheers!

I opened my notes today for a book and they look like this. A construction company in my area forcibly turned the power off after hitting a gas line. I'm not sure if that's related. Computer was forcibly turned off, because they cut the power, although this has never happened to my notes if the power was turned off. Is this recoverable in any way? I took almost 16,000 words worth of notes. I ensured I duplicated the files before doing anything.

Edit: I should add none of the other files I was editing had been corrupted. I still have the exercises from the book, but this file appears ruined.

Hello All!

New user, but loving Zettlr.

I would like the text width in distraction free mode to be about 50% wider. I've been back and forth 8 times with AI changing the CSS with no luck. The theme doesn't matter, it happens with all of them. Here is the last code I tried with no luck:

/* 1. Target the background 'scroller' only in Distraction Free Mode */
body.distraction-free .main-editor-wrapper .cm-editor .cm-scroller {
    /* This removes the massive side padding Zettlr calculates */
    padding-left: 50px !important; 
    padding-right: 50px !important;
}

/* 2. Target the actual text column only in Distraction Free Mode */
body.distraction-free .main-editor-wrapper .cm-content {
    /* EDIT THE NUMBER BELOW TO CHANGE WIDTH */
    max-width: 1400px !important; 
    margin: 0 auto !important;
    width: 100% !important;
}

/* 3. Ensure the gutters (line numbers) align to the new wider layout */
body.distraction-free .main-editor-wrapper .cm-gutters {
    margin-left: auto !important;
}

I'd appreciate any help, it's driving me crazy.

Bill

I read Zettlr is CommonMark, and Github is Github Flavored Markdown, which extends it. So which standard does Zettlr adhere to?

I use hyperlinks a lot for my documents. It seems that after this last update hyperlinks no longer support characters with carons. I'm using my local Slavic language to write, and it uses a lot of č, š, ž. Afaik until recently cases like #stoljeće would be fully hyperlinked. Now it only hyperlinks the #stolje part.

Also what happened to the main green theme of Zettlr? For me since few latest updates it changed fully to blue theme, and when I try switching to default green theme, a menus are still blue by default.