Blogging Tools

Ulysses Editor Markup Cheat Sheet

T Jackson

30 Oct 2025 — 2 min read

Text Formatting

Markup	Result
`bold`	Bold text
`italic`	Italic text
`_italic_`	Italic text (alternative)
`__underline__`	Underlined text
`\|\|highlight\|\|`	Highlighted text
`~~strikethrough~~`	~~Strikethrough~~
`code`	Inline code
`%comment%`	Comment (hidden in export)
`++markup++`	Raw markup (shown as-is)

Headings

Markup	Result
`# Heading`	Heading level 1
`## Heading`	Heading level 2
`### Heading`	Heading level 3
`#### Heading`	Heading level 4
`##### Heading`	Heading level 5
`###### Heading`	Heading level 6

Lists

Markup	Result
`- Item`	Unordered list item
`* Item`	Unordered list item (alternative)
`+ Item`	Unordered list item (alternative)
`1. Item`	Ordered list item
Use Tab	Indent list item
Use Shift+Tab	Outdent list item

Text Expansion Shortcuts

Type This	What You Get
`(tbl)`	Creates a table automatically
`(img)`	Adds an image placeholder
`(fn)`	Adds a footnote

Links & Images

Markup	Result
`[link text](URL)`	Hyperlink
`[link text]`	Link (opens popover to add URL)
`![alt text](image.jpg)`	Image with alt text
`[link text]` + `[link text]: URL`	Reference-style link

Block Elements

Markup	Result
`> Quote`	Blockquote
`----` (four dashes)	Divider / Horizontal rule
`@@Comment block@@`	Block comment

Code Blocks

Create a code block with three backticks:

code here

Or specify a language for syntax highlighting:

```javascript
let x = 10;

## Footnotes

| Markup | Example |
|--------|---------|
| Create footnote | Type `(fn)` and press Enter |
| Inline footnote | `Text with a footnote[^1]` |
| Footnote content | `[^1]: Footnote text here` |

## Tables

### Quick Method
Type `(tbl)` on a new line and press Enter to auto-create a table.

### Manual Table Syntax

|Header 1|Header 2|Header 3|

|--------|--------|--------|

|Cell 1 |Cell 2 |Cell 3 |

|Cell 4 |Cell 5 |Cell 6 |

```

Annotations

Markup	Result
`{annotation text}`	Creates an annotation (note attached to text)

Special Characters & Formatting

Markup	Result
`\`	Escape character (e.g., `\*` shows literal asterisk)
`---`	Em dash (—)
`--`	En dash (–)
`...`	Ellipsis (…)
`<<` and `>>`	Guillemets (« »)

Raw Source & Escaping

Markup	Purpose
`++text++`	Display markup as raw text (not formatted)
`\*`	Escape special characters to show literally
`~~raw code~~`	Raw source block (advanced)

Tags & Keywords

Markup	Purpose
`#keyword`	Add tag/keyword in text
`@keyword`	Add tag/keyword in text (alternative)

Quick Tips

Combining Formats

Combine formats: ***bold italic***
Nest formats: **bold withcode**
Nested lists work by indenting with Tab

Smart Punctuation

Ulysses automatically converts (when enabled):

Straight quotes → curly quotes
Three periods → ellipsis (…)
Two dashes → en dash (–)
Three dashes → em dash (—)

Markup Visibility

Ulysses shows markup symbols by default
Toggle visibility in the View menu
Preview mode hides all markup

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Remember: In Ulysses, you write in plain text with markup, and formatting is applied during export. This keeps your writing environment clean and focused.

Save this cheat sheet for quick reference while writing in Ulysses!