Contents
Welcome to OmniOutliner 6
The Outline
The Toolbar
The Inspector
Documents and Templates
Connecting OmniOutliner
Commands and Shortcuts
Settings
Integration and Automation
Support and Troubleshooting
Glossary

Welcome to OmniOutliner 6

Introducing OmniOutliner 6 for Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro.

Ready for the latest operating systems, OmniOutliner 6 features beautiful Liquid Glass design elements, smart Dynamic Themes, robust Omni Links, integration with Apple Intelligence, and more.

With new universal licensing and improved feature parity across platforms, your outlines are always available on the device you have at hand.

Backwards Compatibility: OmniOutliner 6 can be installed and run alongside previous versions of OmniOutliner for Mac, iPad, and iPhone. Outline documents created in OmniOutliner 6 can be opened and edited by previous versions of OmniOutliner, though new features may be discarded.

All Platforms

OmniOutliner 6 for Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro includes these new features:

Universal Purchase — A single purchase of OmniOutliner 6 unlocks access to OmniOutliner across all of your supported Apple devices.
Design Refresh — OmniOutliner has been visually refreshed, adopting beautiful Liquid Glass design elements and a modernized look and feel when run on macOS Tahoe 26, iOS 26, or iPadOS 26. With updated iconography throughout the application and a new app icon that adapts to clear and tinted on supported devices, OmniOutliner 6 feels right at home on the latest Apple operating systems.
Dynamic Themes — Theme colors can now automatically update when Dark Mode is turned on or off.
Dynamic Themes Customization — Override the automatic color conversion when desired, to create your own light or dark appearance.
Template Picker — New cross-platform Template Picker supports creating documents with Dynamic Themes, as well as documents with a light or dark appearance.
Omni Links — Create links to documents, or specific content within a document, which can be shared with other users. Omni Links work on any device running OmniOutliner 6.
Attachment Enhancements — Image attachments can now be resized to better fit your content. Additionally, attachment support, previously a Pro-only feature, is now available in the Essentials edition of OmniOutliner.
Saved Filters — Saved filters now support nested AND/OR/NOT rules, an expanded set of date-based rules, and rule comments.
Paste — New “Pasting from other apps” setting offers options for pasting styled text. Dedicated menu items are now available for “Paste and Merge Styles,” “Paste and Match Style,” and “Paste with Original Style” behaviors.
Omni Automation — On devices running macOS Tahoe 26, iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or visionOS 26 with hardware support for Apple Intelligence, OmniOutliner plug-ins can now consult Apple’s on-device Foundation Models. Omni Automation APIs have also been updated with support for automating Omni Link functionality, and a variety of smaller enhancements and bug fixes.
Essentials Mode — Pro customers who want to use the Essentials experience can now disable Pro features in the License window.

Mac

OmniOutliner 6 for Mac also includes these new features:

Multiple Windows — Open multiple windows for the same document to view different parts of your file at the same time.
Spotlight — OmniOutliner Shortcuts actions can be run directly from Spotlight on macOS Tahoe 26.
Hide-able Status Bar — The Status Bar can be turned off to get an even more distraction free experience.

And updates:

Saved Filters — Saved Filters can now be duplicated.
RTF Export — Improved RTF export to better match the source content.

iPad & iPhone

OmniOutliner 6 for iPad & iPhone improves feature parity with OmniOutliner for Mac, and includes these new features:

OS Compatibility — OmniOutliner 6 has been updated for compatibility with functionality introduced in recent operating system updates, including support for menus and flexible windowing on iPadOS 26.
Document Management — Updated document manager supports quick document creation and seamless iCloud Drive integration.
Document Styling — Advanced document styling features previously only available on Mac are now available on all devices.
- Style Attributes Inspector — Use the new Style Attributes Inspector view to see and remove the custom styling affecting your selection.
- Notes Span Columns — Row notes can now display across multi-column documents.
- Grid Lines — Horizontal and vertical grid lines are now displayed and can be customized on iPad and iPhone.
- Row Indentation — Child row indentation can now be turned on or off on iPad and iPhone.
Saved Filters — Saved Filters can now be created and edited on iPad and iPhone.
Attachments — Easily add attachments from your Photo Library, camera, or Files, with the new Attachment button.

Apple Vision Pro

OmniOutliner 6 for Apple Vision Pro is a brand new application, developed natively for visionOS.

The Outline

The Outline is the center of everything you do in OmniOutliner. It allows you to create and organize your content, offers a hierarchy of rows to create the structure you seek, and can be easily updated using Template Themes and Styles.

An OmniOutliner Essentials outline is composed of one or more Rows and a single Topic Column, with editable cells available at each intersection of row and column. Rows are displayed in a Hierarchy, allowing you to create simple lists, complicated outline structures, or something right in the middle.

Rows

When working in the Outline, rows are the building blocks of your content. rows may be as simple as a line of text; or they may include row handles for moving, collapsing, or expanding sections; status checkboxes for managing lists and tasks; or notes for adding anything relevant to your work.

Editing Rows

Tap or click a row cell to begin editing. A cursor will appear in the cell, and you can add text or attachments.

Row Handles

Row Handles can be used to move rows, along with any indented (child) rows, or can be used to hide or show indented rows. The style of the row handle indicates whether there are any indented rows.

Row Handles will display as:

Bullet — Does not contain any indented rows.
Collapsed Disclosure Arrow — An arrow pointing to the row indicates that the row contains indented rows, which are currently hidden. Click or tap this handle to show the next level of indented rows. On Mac, Option + click on the handle to expand all indented rows.
Expanded Disclosure Arrow — An arrow pointing down indicates that the row contains indented rows, which are currently displayed. Click or tap this handle to collapse indented rows. On Mac, Option + click on the handle to collapse all indented rows.

In addition to clicking or tapping the arrows, you can use keyboard shortcut keys for the Expand and Collapse–related commands.

Status Checkboxes

If you would like to track the status for items in your outline, you can display a Status Checkbox next to each row.

Turn the display of Status Checkboxes on or off for your document using the Show Status Checkboxes menu command on Mac, or the Row Status toggle in the Document Inspector on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro.

The state of each checkbox is saved, even when they are hidden, allowing you to quickly update the appearance without losing information.

On Mac, there are additional options for setting status on a given row. Read about the Set Status submenu to learn more.

Notes

OmniOutliner supports adding notes to individual rows. On the leading edge of the Outline is a narrow Note column. This column may appear empty, but hovering the cursor over it will reveal a Note icon next to the row.

Click or tap this icon to add note text to the row, or drag in attachments. Once text or attachments have been added to a note, the icon will display all the time, instead of only when hovering a cursor.
Selecting the icon will expand or collapse the note for that row.

Topic Column

Every document contains a Topic Column, with a narrow Notes indicator on the leading edge.

The Topic column can be hierarchically organized.

If you would like your document to use multiple columns, each supporting a variety of column types, you may want to consider OmniOutliner Pro.

Hierarchy

Every document has a structure, derived from the placement of rows: above or below, indented or outdented, individual or grouped.

We refer to this structure as the hierarchy of your document; keep reading to learn more about:

Levels and Sections
Selecting Rows
Organizing Rows
- Copying and Pasting Rows
- Dragging and Dropping Rows

Levels and Sections

The first row you add to your document lives at the top level, and creates the first section of your outline; we refer to this row as a Level 1 row. Creating another row at the same level will result in your document having two Level 1 rows, and therefore two sections; we refer to these rows (and sections) as peers (or siblings).

Indenting a row makes it a Level 2 row, and creates a subsection; indenting the row below makes it a Level 3 row, and creates a subsubsection; and so forth.

Specific levels can have consistent, document-wide styling applied, using Structural Styles.

Selecting Rows

To select a single row, click or tap the Gutter, the space between the Row Handle and note Note icon.

To select multiple rows using a hardware keyboard:

Shift + click to select a range of rows
Command + click to select individual rows
Shift+Up arrow or Shift+Down arrow to change your selected range

To select multiple rows on iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro, use Select Mode.

Organizing Rows

OmniOutliner 6 has several options for organizing rows:

Sorting Rows
Indenting and Outdenting Rows
Copying and Pasting Rows
Dragging and Dropping Rows

Sorting Rows

The fastest way to organize your rows is using the Sort Outline/Sort Selected Rows command:

Sort Outline — With no rows selected, this command changes the order of all rows in your document.
Sort Selected Rows — With two or more rows selected, this command changes the order of only the selected rows.

Indenting and Outdenting Rows

You can organize rows by indenting selected rows under another row in order to create a Group.

Depending on the platform, you can indent by selecting one or more rows, and:

Pressing Tab
Pressing Command+]
Using the Indent command (Mac, iPad)
Tapping the Indent button (iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro)

The Row Handle updates to a Disclosure Arrow to indicate that the new group contains rows. Tap the disclosure arrow to collapse and expand the group. When expanded, a vertical line descending from the disclosure arrow shows which rows are part of the group.

You can also outdent selected rows from a group, restoring their positions as peers of the enclosing row.

Depending on the platform, you can outdent by selecting one or more rows, and:

Pressing Shift+Tab
Pressing Command+[
Using the Outdent command (Mac, iPad)
Tapping the Outdent button (iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro)

Copying and Pasting Rows

Copying and pasting is another way of organizing rows, and can be handy when your original rows are in different parts of your document.

On Mac or iPad:

Select one or more rows to copy.
Use the Copy command or shortcut.
Select your destination row.
Use the Paste command or shortcut.

On iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro:

Touch and hold a row until the shortcut menu appears.
Select the Copy command.
Touch and hold your destination row.
Select the Paste command.
Choose to paste Above, Below, or Inside the destination row.
If you want to copy multiple rows, use Select Mode before copying.

Copying and pasting a Group will include all contained rows.

Dragging and Dropping Rows

You can also drag rows to organize them.

On Mac:

Select one or more rows you would like to move.
Drag one of the Row Handles to move your selected rows, and drop them in the new location.

On iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro:

Touch and hold on a row to pick it up.
Drag it to the new location, and remove your finger to drop them.
If you want to move multiple rows, use Select Mode before dragging.

As you drag rows over other rows, they will either highlight (on Mac) or move out of the way (on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro) to indicate where the dropped rows will land.

Dragging and dropping a Group will include all contained rows.

Filtering the Outline

If you have a long document, filtering your outline can quickly surface what you’re looking for, no matter where it is located in your document.

Use the Filter/Go to Filter Field command or select the Filter button to show the Filter bar at the top of your document.

Once the Filter bar displays, you can:

Enter search terms to filter the outline, so that only rows and notes containing those terms display.
Select the button to clear the field, and close the Filter bar.

Styles

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials includes a selection of Template Themes, each of which includes pre-defined Structural Styles, and nine selected Named Styles available in the Format Menu (Mac, iPad) or Apply Styles Inspector (iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro).

Structural Styles

Structural Styles are sets of style attributes that apply to elements of the document, based on the structure of the document.

Structural Styles always include:

Whole Document — Properties that apply to all rows in the document.
Level 1 Rows — Properties that apply only to top-level rows.
Notes — Properties that apply to all notes.

Structural Styles may include:

Level 2 Rows — Properties that apply only to second-level rows.
Level n Rows — Properties that apply only to n-level rows.

Since Structural Styles are applied based on how you structure your outline, the style for a row may change as you reorganize your document.

Named Styles

Named Styles are saved sets of style attributes that can be applied to rows, and which adjust any styling applied by Structural Styles. For example, you could apply a Heading style on top of a Level 1 Row style, in order to make the text bigger or change the font.

Using Named Styles on Mac or iPad:

Named Styles are in the Format Menu.
Select one or more rows in the Outline, then select an option from the Format menu.

Using Named Styles on iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro:

Named Styles are in the Apply Styles Inspector.
Select one or more rows in the Outline, then tap the Named Style row to apply it to your selection.

The Inspector

The Inspector is located on the trailing edge of the window on iPad and Apple Vision Pro, and at the bottom of the screen on iPhone. It contain tools for editing the style, layout, and formatting of your document.

To show the Inspector, tap or click the Inspector Button in the Toolbar

If you have a row or text selected, changes will apply to only that selection; if you do not have anything selected, changes will apply to the whole document.

Document Inspector

The Document inspector allows you to adjust the overall appearance of your document.

Zoom

The Zoom setting controls the magnification of text in the outline. Tap the plus and minus buttons to increase or decrease the zoom by ten percent.

This setting does not affect the actual size of the text in the outline; only the display size. This is useful for improving the visibility of small text, or fitting more of the outline onto the screen.

Row Status

Choose this option if you want to display Status Checkboxes along the left side of every row.

Apply Template Theme

Open the Template Picker and select a Template Theme you would like applied to the current document.

Unlike choosing a template when Creating a Document, where the document you create contains sample content from the template, applying a template to an existing outline overwrites the document’s style properties, but not any of its content.

Note that applying a template theme will overwrite both Structural Styles and Named Styles., but styles applied directly to text will not be affected.

Selection Inspector

The Selection inspector provides controls for changing the appearance of text in your document:

Bold — Apply or remove the bold style to the selected text, row, or document.
Italic — Apply or remove the italic style to the selected text, row, or document.
Underline — Apply or remove the underline style to the selected text, row, or document.
Strikethrough — Apply or remove the ~~strikethrough~~ style to the selected text, row, or document.

Apply Styles Inspector

The Apply Styles inspector provides controls for applying or removing Named Styles from the currently selected text, row, or document.

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials includes a selection of Template Themes, each of which includes nine Named Styles:

Heading 1
Heading 2
Heading 3
Heading 4
Heading 5
Heading 6
Highlight 1
Highlight 2
Highlight 3

With (or without) a selection in the Outline:

Tap a Named Style to apply it to your selection or whole document.
Tap the Named Style again to remove it from the selection or whole document.
Multiple styles can be applied, with styles lower in the list taking priority over those higher in the list, depending on the contents of each style.
Tap Clear Custom Styles to remove any applied styles from your selection or whole document, reverting to only Structural Styles.

These styles are also available in the Format Menu on Mac and iPad.

Documents and Templates

Whether you are creating reference materials, working on your next novel or paper, or simply gathering your thoughts, Documents are the foundation of your next project, and Templates are the foundation for all your documents.

Documents

Documents allow you to quickly capture your thoughts, organize them into a logical structure, import existing material, export to other formats, or print your latest project.

Creating a Document
- Document-Specific Settings
Opening a Document
- Importing Files
Saving a Document
- Exporting Files and Documents

Creating a Document

To start capturing your thoughts, you will need to create a new document.

On Mac, use the New or New from Template commands in the File Menu.

On iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro, tap the New Outline or Create Document button in the Document Manager, and then select New Outline or New from Template.

If you choose New from Template, the Template Picker opens.

Document-Specific Settings

In addition to text, images, and attachments, there are a few document-specific settings which are not visible in Settings, but which affect your documents.

One is obvious:

Show/Hide Status Checkboxes

While others are not:

Check Spelling While Typing
Check Grammar With Spelling
Correct Spelling Automatically

These can be updated using the related commands, while editing the document.

Opening a Document

Documents are files that OmniOutliner can open, edit, save, and print.

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports the following document types:

OmniOutliner Document
OmniOutliner 3 Document
OPML Document

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials is not able to edit or save templates:

OmniOutliner Template
OmniOutliner 3 Template

But after importing them, they can be used to create new documents.

On Mac, use the Open or Open Recent commands in the File Menu, and select a document to open.

You can also open documents from the Finder by:

Double-clicking on an OmniOutliner Document, OmniOutliner 3 Document, or OPML Document.
Selecting a document, and choosing Open in the File menu.
Control + clicking on a document, and choosing Open or Open With > OmniOutliner from the shortcut menu.
Dragging the document on top of the OmniOutliner app in the Dock or Applications folder.

On iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro, tap a document in the Document Manager.

You can also open documents from Files:

Tap to select, or touch and hold, on an OmniOutliner Document, OmniOutliner 3 Document, or OPML Document.
Tap Open With.
Choose OmniOutliner.

If OmniOutliner isn’t listed in the Open With menu, make sure that the file you are trying to open has a file extension of .ooutline, .otemplate, .oo3, .oo3template, or .opml.

Importing Files

In addition to opening OmniOutliner documents, OmniOutliner 6 can import a range of file types. Importing leaves the original file in place, while creating a new OmniOutliner Document.

On Mac, use the Open command in the File Menu to import one of the following file types:

Plain Text (TXT)
Rich Text Format (RTF)
Rich Text Format Directory (RTFD)
Symantec MORE 3.1

You can also open files from the Finder by:

Dragging the document on top of the OmniOutliner app in the Dock or Applications folder.

This is currently supported for RTF and RTFD files, but is not supported for TXT or MORE files.

On iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro, tap a file in the Document Manager to import one of the following file types:

Plain Text (TXT)
Rich Text Format (RTF)

You can also import files using Files:

Touch and hold on a Plain Text (TXT) or Rich Text Format (RTF) file.
Tap Open With.
Choose OmniOutliner.

If OmniOutliner isn’t listed in the Open With menu, make sure that the file you are trying to open has a file extension of .txt or .rtf.

Saving a Document

Make sure to save your document, so that you don’t lose any of your work.

When first Creating a Document, use the Save command on Mac. On iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro, the document will automatically save.

If you would like to change your document format, use the Save as… command on Mac. This creates a copy of your document, allowing you to choose between saving it as an OmniOutliner Document, or OPML Document. On iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro, you can use Export As; on iPhone, you can use Share As.

If you would like a duplicate of your document, use the Duplicate command on Mac. On iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro, you can use Export As; on iPhone, you can use Share As.

Exporting Files and Documents

If you need to share your OmniOutliner Document with somebody who doesn’t use OmniOutliner, you can select from a wide range of file types.

On Mac, use the Export… command in the File Menu to export one of the following file types:

CSV
HTML
HTML (Dynamic)
Microsoft Word (indented)
Microsoft Word (outline)
OmniOutliner Document
OmniOutliner 3
OPML Document
Plain Text (Symantec MORE 3.1)
Plain Text (with tabs)
PowerPoint 2012 Format (pptx)
Rich Text Format (RTF)
Rich Text Format with Attachments (RTFD)

OmniOutliner 6 for Mac does not include PDF as an export option, as it is available from the standard Print dialog. See Printing to PDF to learn more.

On iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro, there are several ways to export:

With an open document, use the Export As… command in the Document Title Menu (iPad, Apple Vision Pro), or the Share As… command in the Share Menu (iPhone).
From the Document Manager, touch and hold a document (or use Control + click), tap Share, then tap Share As….
From the Document Manager, tap the Select button, select one or more documents, tap Share, then tap Share As….

You can then select one of the following file types, and choose a destination for the export:

OmniOutliner Document
OmniOutliner 3 Document
OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language)
PDF Document
Dynamic HTML
Simple HTML
Plain Text
CSV (Comma-Separated Values)
DOCX
DOCX (indented)
PPTX
Rich Text Format

Templates

Templates are OmniOutliner documents saved with a filename extension of .otemplate, which can be used to create new documents from a common starting point.

Template Picker
Custom Templates
Importing Templates
- OmniOutliner 4 and 5 on Mac
- OmniOutliner 3 on iPad and iPhone
Template Themes

Templates are available from the Template Picker when Creating Documents.

On Mac, templates can also be used from the Finder by:

Double-clicking on a template.
Dragging the template on top of the app icon in the Dock.

All new documents will be created with these attributes from the template:

Text
Images
Attachments
Document-Specific Settings
Template Theme

Template Picker

The Template Picker presents each time you use the New or New from Template… commands on Mac, or tap the New from Template button on iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro.

The center part of the Template Picker displays a collection of Built-in templates, in addition to any Custom templates you have stored in a Connected Folder which is configured to use for templates.

The sidebar contains options for filtering the available templates:

All Templates — All available templates.
Custom — Templates from your Connected Folders. Select Custom to display all templates, or select a folder to limit the display.
Built-In — Templates from Omni. Select Built-In to display all available templates, or select a category to limit the display.

The toolbar contains additional options:

Menu — Manage Connected Folders.
Sidebar — Shows or hides the Template Picker sidebar.
Palette — Filters templates to display only Dynamic, Light, or Dark–themed templates. Note that Built-in Templates support all three options, so your selection will determine the new document’s Dynamic Theme setting.

Touch and hold or Control + click on a template to display a menu containing one or more of these options:

Show in Files — Display the selected template in Files app on iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro. Only available for Custom Templates.
Show in Finder — Display the selected template in the Finder on Mac. Only available for Custom Templates.
Make Default — Use this template for documents created using the New command on Mac or iPad, or by tapping on the New Outline button on iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro.

Custom Templates

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials is not able to edit templates, but can create new documents using custom templates created with OmniOutliner 6 Pro.

Custom templates are visible in the Template Picker if they are saved in a Connected Folder configured to use for templates.

Importing Templates

If you have a template you would like to use, which is not yet available from the Template Picker, you can add it to any of your Connected Folders.

Two items to keep in mind, if the added templates don’t display:

Make sure the Connected Folder is configured to use for templates.
If you are using the iCloud Drive Connected Folder, make sure you save the template in the correct location. Read Configuring the iCloud Drive Folder to learn more.

OmniOutliner 4 and 5 on Mac

On Mac, OmniOutliner 4 and OmniOutliner 5 stored Custom templates inside of the OmniOutliner app bundle, unless you were using a Linked Folder.

If you used a Linked Folder, OmniPresence, or iCloud Drive with earlier versions of OmniOutliner, configuring any of those locations as Connected Folders will present all of the contained templates in OmniOutliner 6.

To find templates in a previous Mac version which were saved inside of the OmniOutliner app bundle:

Launch OmniOutliner 4 or OmniOutliner 5.
Select Resource Browser in the File menu.
Select Templates in the Resource Browser sidebar to view all templates, or select a category or Linked Folder to view a subset of templates.
Select a template.
Click the Gear menu, then select Show in Finder.

Once you have located your templates in the Finder, you can copy or move them into a Connected Folder. As long as OmniOutliner 6 is configured to use that Connected Folder, your imported templates will display in the Template Picker.

OmniOutliner 3 on iPad and iPhone

On iPad and iPhone, OmniOutliner 3 stored Custom templates inside the OmniOutliner folder in iCloud Drive or On My Device, or in a configured OmniPresence folder.

If you used OmniPresence or iCloud Drive with earlier versions of OmniOutliner, configuring any of those locations as Connected Folders will present all of the contained templates in OmniOutliner 6.

To find templates in a previous iPad or iPhone version which were stored on your device:

Launch Files app.
Navigate to On My Device > OmniOutliner.

Once you have located your templates in Files, you can copy or move them into a Connected Folder. As long as OmniOutliner 6 is configured to use that Connected Folder, your imported templates will display in the Template Picker.

If this is your first time moving or copying files in Files, you may find these Apple User Guide articles helpful:

Template Themes

Templates always contain a theme: the set of Structural Styles and Named Styles in a document.

When Creating a Document using the Template Picker, the theme of the selected template is applied to the new document. You can also update an existing document using the Apply Template Theme command; the Apply Theme toolbar button; or Apply a New Theme… in the Document Inspector on iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro.

Printing

There are times that nothing beats a paper copy of your document, so OmniOutliner supports printing from Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro.

On Mac:

Select Print from the File Menu, or press Command+P.

You can customize your printout when Printing from Mac.

On iPad, Apple Vision Pro:

Tap the Document Title Menu.
Select Print.

On iPhone:

Tap the More button.
Tap the Share Menu button.
Select Print.

The Print window displays a preview of your document.

If you would like to learn more about printing from Apple devices, read these Apple User Guide articles:

Printing from Mac

On Mac, additional options are available under the Content sections of the Print dialog.

The preview of your document will update as you modify options in the Print dialog, providing an easy way to see what happens as you change settings. If you would like to see a larger preview, click the PDF pop-up menu, then select Open in Preview.

Printing to PDF

If you would like a PDF of your document:

Click the PDF pop-up menu.
Select Save as PDF.
Select a location for your new PDF.
Add any relevant metadata.
Click Save.

Printing to PDF is not available from iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro, but exporting to PDF is supported.

Content Options

Content options allows you to configure which information is printed, as well as how it is displayed.

Options that control which rows (and notes) are included in your printout:

Print selected rows only — Only currently selected rows are included.
Expand to show all descendants — Automatically expand groups, so all contained rows are visible in the printout.
Include notes — Choose between printing notes that are currently visible as shown in document, or print all notes in the document by selecting expanded.

Options that control how the entire document displays:

Print alternate row colors — If the template theme includes an alternate row color, it will be included.
Print other background colors — Other background colors will be printed, such as those applied by a Highlight style.
Print headers & footers — Adds a simple set of header and footer information to each page, including the document title, print date, and page number.

Document Manager

When you first launch OmniOutliner on iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro, you see the Document Manager, where you can create, open, import, and export documents.

To learn more about the Document Manager (part of Files) please review these Apple User Guide articles:

Files basics for iPad
Files basics for iPhone
View, modify, and organize files and folders in Files on Apple Vision Pro

The Document Manager provides access to the OmniOutliner folder in iCloud Drive, On My Device (iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro), OmniPresence, Other Cloud Services, and folders and files from select applications.

There are three primary areas of the Document Manager:

Recents
Shared
Browse

With Browse having additional areas:

Locations
Tags

Browsing a Location:

Toolbar
File Details
Shortcut Menu

Recents

Recents displays your recently opened documents sorted by date, from most to least recently opened, across all available locations. If you are looking for a document that does not display in Recents, tap the Search button to search your device, or switch to the Browse view.

Shared

Shared displays files and folders that you have shared with other people, using iCloud Drive.

To learn more about sharing files and folders, please see these Apple User Guide articles:

Browse

Browse displays Locations on your device, or in any connected cloud services.

In Regular View, the Sidebar contains Recents, Shared, Locations, and Tags. Tap the Sidebar button to show or hide the Sidebar.

In Compact View, the Sidebar is visible by tapping the Back button or the Browse button.

The top toolbar contains a More menu. Tap the button to show:

Connect to Server — Choose a server to connect, adding it as a location in a separate Shared section below Locations.
Edit — Rearrange locations and tags, and choose which locations you want visible in the list. Changes made here apply to the Locations list everywhere it appears, including Files and other apps that use the Document Manager.

Locations

Locations displays storage locations on your device, and may include:

iCloud Drive
On My Device
Cloud Services
Recently Deleted,

iCloud Drive

If your iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro is signed in to your Apple Account, this section provides access to all the contents of your iCloud Drive.

When first installed, OmniOutliner creates a folder at iCloud Drive > OmniOutliner. You can use this folder to sync documents between your devices, or configure the iCloud Drive Connected Folder.

On My Device

By default, the On My iPad, On My iPhone, or On My Apple Vision Pro section contains folders and files which are stored on your device, rather than in the cloud.

If you Configure OmniPresence, the default location for OmniPresence folders is On My Device > OmniOutliner.

Cloud Services

Any Other Cloud Services you configure in Files, such as Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, or Microsoft OneDrive, will also show in Locations.

Read Apple’s Use third-party cloud apps in the Files app article to learn more.

Recently Deleted

Recently Deleted contains any documents or files you have deleted, sorted from most to least recently deleted.

To manage these items:

Tap Select (in the More menu on compact devices).
Tap items to select them.
Tap the Recover button to return items to their original location.
Tap the Delete button to permanently delete items.

Please note that some cloud service providers permanently delete files, instead of moving them to Recently Deleted.

Browsing a Location

Once you have selected a Location, its contents are visible to the side (on iPad and Apple Vision Pro), or slide into view (on iPhone).

If you need to find a specific item, the top of the screen contains a Search field. Once you have started searching, you can choose between searching Recents, the current Location, or the current folder.

When viewing a location, the toolbar across the top of the screen will include some or all of these buttons, depending on the device, window size, and orientation:

Tap the Back button to return to your previous location, typically navigating up in the folder hierarchy, or returning to the Locations list.
Tap the Forward button to reverse the path taken by tapping the Back button.
The name of the current cloud service provider (such as Box) or folder (such as Templates) is displayed. If you are viewing a folder, there is a down arrow which can be tapped to show options from the operating system.
— Open the Toolbar OmniOutliner Menu.
— Create a New Outline.
Open the OmniPresence panel.
Some devices will include a More menu, with additional buttons or settings from the operating system.

File Details

Each file is represented by a thumbnail image, along with its name, size, and date it was last modified.

You can tap a document to open it, or tap the name of a document to rename it. As you edit the document, OmniOutliner will update the image based on your changes.

Tap and hold an item to open a menu containing a selection of commands, based on item type and location:

Copy — Copies the selected item, and makes it available for pasting.
Move — Opens another Document Manager view, where you can choose a new destination for the item.
Share — Opens the Share Menu.
Download Now — Downloads a local copy of an item from the cloud.
Remove Download — Removes the local copy of an item from the cloud.
Keep Downloaded — Items from the cloud can be automatically removed by the operating system. This option prevents automatically removal.
Get Info — Presents detailed information about the item, including a larger preview, item kind, size, created and modified dates, last opened date, which application will open it by default, and location on your device, along with any tags you have assigned.
Rename — Selects the item name, for ease of renaming.
Duplicate — Creates an exact copy of the selected item.
New Folder with Item(s) — Creates a new folder, and moves the selected item(s) inside.
Open in New Window — Opens the selected item in a new window. (iPad and Apple Vision Pro only.)
Show in Enclosing Folder — Opens the folder on your device which contains the item.
Manage Shared File — Change settings for an item you have already shared.
Delete — Deletes the selected item. You may be able to recover the item from Recently Deleted.
Tags — Presents the list of available tags, along with the option to create a new tag. Tap a tag in the list to assign it to or remove it.

Document Formats

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports working with many document formats and file types.

Documents are types of files which OmniOutliner can open, edit, save, and print:

OmniOutliner Document
OmniOutliner Template
OmniOutliner 3 Document
OmniOutliner 3 Template
OPML Document

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials also supports exporting these document formats, for ease of sharing with others or running in older versions:

OmniOutliner Document
OmniOutliner 3 Document
Outline Processor Markup Language (OPML)

OmniOutliner Document

Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports editing and exporting OmniOutliner documents.

This is the default format for documents created with OmniOutliner 6 for Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro; OmniOutliner 5 for Mac; and OmniOutliner 3 for iPad and iPhone.

Documents created in OmniOutliner 6 can be opened, edited, and saved by OmniOutliner 5 for Mac and OmniOutliner 3 for iPad and iPhone, but saving in the earlier version of the app may discard Dynamic Theme information.

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports opening OmniOutliner documents with OmniOutliner Pro features, but will present a notice bar indicating that the document is Read Only.

On Mac, you can:

Select the button to learn more.
Select the Import button to remove Pro features from the document.

On iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro, you can:

Select the Learn More button, then choose whether you want to Unlock Pro or Import to remove Pro features from the document.
Select the button to hide the notice bar this time only.

OmniOutliner document files are saved with a filename extension of .ooutline.

From OmniOutliner to OmniGraffle

You can use OmniGraffle to create visual representations of your OmniOutliner document, based on your original styled text layout.

Open OmniGraffle.
Select File > Open.
In the Open dialog, choose any OmniOutliner Document with a filename extension of .ooutline.
Click Open.
OmniGraffle presents an Import Outline dialog.
Use the default OmniOutliner Import Template, or select another template from the pop-up menu.
Click Open, and start diagramming!

You can also select View > Show Contents > Outline to use the OmniGraffle Outline Editor to continue building your outline.

OmniOutliner Template

Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro

This is the default format for templates created with OmniOutliner 6 for Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro; OmniOutliner 5 for Mac; and OmniOutliner 3 for iPad and iPhone.

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports using OmniOutliner templates to create new documents, but is not able to open, edit, or save them.

Templates which are stored in a Connected Folder are available when using the Template Picker.

If a template contains multiple columns, only the first column will be used when creating a new document.

OmniOutliner templates are saved with a filename extension of .otemplate.

OmniOutliner 3 Document

Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports editing and exporting OmniOutliner 3 documents.

This was the format for documents created with OmniOutliner 4 for Mac; OmniOutliner 3 for Mac; OmniOutliner 2 for iPad and iPhone; and OmniOutliner 1 for iPad. These documents can be opened, edited, and saved by OmniOutliner 6, but do not support all current features.

When opening an OmniOutliner 3 document, a notice bar appears at the top of the window indicating that you are using an older file format, which does not support the full set of OmniOutliner 6 features.

On Mac, you can:

Select the button to learn more.
Select the Convert… button to update to the newest format.
Select the button to hide the notice bar.

On iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro, you can:

Select the Learn More button, then choose whether you want to Convert to the newest format, Hide Warning this time, or Don’t Warn Again for all OmniOutliner 3 documents.
Select the button to hide the notice bar this time only.

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports opening OmniOutliner documents with OmniOutliner Pro features, but will present a notice bar indicating that the document is Read Only.

On Mac, you can:

Select the button to learn more.
Select the Import button to remove Pro features from the document.

On iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro, you can:

Select the Learn More button, then choose whether you want to Unlock Pro or Import to remove Pro features from the document.
Select the button to hide the notice bar this time only.

OmniOutliner 3 documents are saved with a filename extension of .oo3.

OmniOutliner 3 Template

Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro

This was the format for templates created with OmniOutliner 4 for Mac; OmniOutliner 3 for Mac; OmniOutliner 2 for iPad and iPhone; and OmniOutliner 1 for iPad. These templates can be opened, edited, and saved by OmniOutliner 6, but do not support all current features.

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports using OmniOutliner 3 templates to create new documents, but is not able to open, edit, or save them.

Templates which are stored in a Connected Folder are available when using the Template Picker.

If a template contains multiple columns, only the first column will be used when creating a new document.

OmniOutliner 3 templates are saved with a filename extension of .oo3template.

Outline Processor Markup Language (OPML)

Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports editing and exporting Outline Processor Markup Language (OPML) documents.

OPML documents can be edited in OmniOutliner, and are also supported by many other apps, making them useful for transferring and sharing your outline.

The OPML format supports your outline structure, but many OmniOutliner features, such as Styles and Attachments, are not supported by this format. If you would like to use these features, you can use Export or Save As to create an OmniOutliner Document.

When opening an OPML Document, a notice bar appears at the top of the window indicating that some OmniOutliner features are not available.

On Mac, you can:

Select the button to learn more.
Select the Don’t Show Again button to hide this notice for all OPML Documents.
Select the button to hide the notice bar this time only.

On iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro, you can:

Select the Learn More button, then choose whether you want to Hide Warning this time, or Don’t Warn Again for all OPML Documents. If you change your mind about no longer warning, you can reset the Warnings setting.
Select the button to hide the notice bar this time only.

While OPML documents do not support styles, you can choose one of your Template Themes to use as an OPML Display Theme.

OPML Documents are saved with a filename extension of .opml.

File Types

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports importing these file types:

Plain Text (TXT)
Rich Text Format (RTF)
Rich Text Format Directory (RTFD) (Mac only)
Symantec MORE 3.1 (Mac only)

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports exporting these file types:

Comma-Separated Values (CSV)
HTML
HTML (Dynamic)
Microsoft PowerPoint (PPTX)
Microsoft Word Indented (DOCX)
Microsoft Word Outline (DOCX)
Plain Text (TXT)
Plain Text (Symantec MORE 3.1) (Mac only)
Portable Document Format (PDF)
Rich Text Format (RTF)
Rich Text Format Directory (RTFD) (Mac only)

Comma-Separated Values (CSV)

Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports exporting Comma-Separated Values files. It is also possible to import CSV files, once they have been updated to use tabs instead of commas.

Exporting a document with a single creates a CSV file with each row on a separate line, and text containing spaces within quotation marks.

CSV files are saved with a filename extension of .csv.

HTML (Simple and Dynamic)

Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports exporting either Simple or Dynamic HTML websites.

Simple HTML export creates a folder with the same name as your document, containing an index.html file, along with any images or other attachments included in your document.

Dynamic HTML export also includes an outliner.js file, which adds support for expanding and collapsing sections of the outline when viewed in a web browser.

Styles are converted to CSS.

Microsoft PowerPoint (PPTX)

Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports exporting Microsoft PowerPoint (PPTX) files.

Exporting creates a Microsoft PowerPoint file which can be edited with Microsoft PowerPoint 2010, or other versions of PowerPoint which support the format.

Each Level 1 row is exported as a separate slide, with each contained row listed on that slide, while notes become presenter notes. Image attachments are placed on slides corresponding to their level in the hierarchy, but must be manually repositioned to the desired location on the slide. OmniOutliner and PowerPoint styles have different structures, so most OmniOutliner styles are removed during export.

In addition to opening the file in PowerPoint, you can also import the file into Keynote. This provides you a quick start to building out a full Keynote presentation.

Microsoft PowerPoint (2012 Format) files are saved with a filename extension of .pptx.

Microsoft Word (DOCX)

Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports exporting Microsoft Word (DOCX) files.

There are two options for exporting to DOCX.

Both options:

Include the Topic Column.
Convert Level Styles to Word heading styles.
Flatten other styles, and applies them directly to text.

Each option represents structure in a different way:

DOCX (Indented) creates a file which retains the outline structure using indentation, and is useful for transitioning from your outline into a final document.
DOCX (Outline) creates a file which retains the outline structure when viewed in Word’s Outline view, and is useful for continuing to build your outline in Word.

Microsoft Word files are saved with a filename extension of .docx.

Plain Text (TXT)

Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports importing and exporting plain text (TXT) files.

Importing from TXT converts each line of text into a new row, using tabs to preserve indentation.

Plain text files are saved with a filename extension of .txt.

Portable Document Format (PDF)

Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports exporting Portable Document Format (PDF) files.

On Mac, the PDF file format is not included as an export option, as OmniOutliner supports the Save as PDF option available in the Print panel. See Printing from Mac to learn about configuring the appearance of your document, and Printing to PDF for guidance on creating a PDF.

PDF files are saved with a filename extension of .pdf.

Rich Text Format (RTF)

Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports importing and exporting rich text format (RTF) files.

Rich Text Format (RTF) is a file type that many word processors, such as TextEdit, Pages, and Microsoft Word, can open and edit.

Importing from RTF creates a document which includes the text, text styles, and colors from the original RTF file.

Exporting to RTF creates a file which includes Styles applied in OmniOutliner.

RTF is a good choice if your document contains text, numbers, and styles; if it contains attachments and images, consider exporting to RTFD.

Rich text format files are saved with a filename extension of .rtf.

Rich Text Format Directory (RTFD)

Available on Mac

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports importing and exporting rich text format directory (RTFD) files.

Rich Text Format Directory (RTFD) is a file type that many word processors, such as TextEdit, Pages, and Microsoft Word, can open and edit.

Importing from RTFD creates a document which includes the text, text styles, colors, and images from the original RTFD file.

Exporting to RTFD creates a rich text format directory file which includes Styles applied in OmniOutliner, as well as any attachments.

RTFD is a good choice if your document contains attachments and images; if it contains only text, numbers, and styles, consider exporting to RTF.

Rich text format directory files are saved with a filename extension of .rtfd.

Symantec MORE 3.1

Available on Mac

OmniOutliner 6 Essentials supports importing Symantec MORE 3.1 files (which have a filename extension of .more), and exporting to MORE-compatible Plain Text (TXT) files.

Importing from MORE creates an OmniOutliner document, with the outline contents from the file.

Exporting to MORE creates a TXT file structured for easy import into Symantec MORE 3.1.

MORE–compatible TXT files are saved with a filename extension of .txt.

Connecting OmniOutliner

OmniOutliner documents can be used on your Mac, iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro. For extra planning power and focused flexibility, documents can easily sync between devices, and be edited anywhere. You can sync OmniOutliner documents using iCloud Drive, OmniPresence, and other cloud services that are supported by the operating system.

You can also expand the reach of OmniOutliner by using Connected Folders and Omni Links to pull together a range of resources.

iCloud Drive

iCloud Drive supports syncing OmniOutliner documents between your Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro devices.

If you need to set up iCloud Drive, start with this Apple Support article:

Set up iCloud Drive

Once you have iCloud Drive set up, open System Settings, and navigate to Apple Account > iCloud > Drive > Apps syncing to iCloud Drive, and turn on OmniOutliner.

OmniPresence

If you would rather not use iCloud Drive, you may be interested in a sync solution we created.

OmniPresence runs in the background, watching a folder that you select, and makes sure that the files inside are in sync with files in the cloud, as well as with your other devices which are configured to use OmniPresence.

On Mac:

Download OmniPresence for Mac from our Downloads page.
Open the Disk Image, and drag OmniPresence to your Applications folder.
Double-click the OmniPresence icon to launch the app.
Click on Set Up Syncing, and follow the instructions to configure your own sync folder.
If you need additional help, select OmniPresence Help from the menu.

On iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro:

Select Configure OmniPresence from the Toolbar OmniOutliner Menu.
Select Add OmniPresence Account.
Choose from Add Omni Sync Server Account or Add WebDAV Server.
Enter your cloud service credentials.

As part of configuring OmniPresence, you will need to select a cloud services provider. You can use our Omni Sync Server, or your own WebDAV server.

Omni Sync Server

Omni maintains the Omni Sync Server, which is designed to work well with OmniPresence. We recommend this as the best sync solution for most users using OmniPresence, since it’s the one for which we can provide support, and it also happens to be free!

If you choose to entrust your data with the Omni Sync Server, we’ll treat it with utmost care and responsibility. Please see our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, to learn more.

If you have an Omni Account, you can use our sync service. If you don’t yet have an account, and want to use the Omni Sync Server, get started by creating a new Omni Account.

WebDAV Server

Omni Sync Server is a great solution for most OmniPresence users, but if your sync needs require that your data be kept completely within a system you control, you can configure OmniPresence to sync using another WebDAV server.

We are not able to provide support for third party servers, so this option is not recommended unless you have a specific need, and you have the technical knowledge for server configuration and administration.

OmniPresence sync is compatible with any WebDAV standards-compliant server, whether remote (there are many fine providers available) or hosted on your own Mac.

If you choose to use your own WebDAV server, please read our support article about Configuring a WebDAV server for OmniPresence sync.

Other Cloud Services

You can also use OmniOutliner with cloud services other than iCloud Drive or OmniPresence.

There are two different ways of using cloud services with OmniOutliner:

Syncing Documents
Connecting Folders

Some cloud services support both ways of working, while others support syncing documents, but do not support using Connected Folders.

If you need help configuring cloud services on iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, start with this Apple Support article:

Use third-party cloud apps in the Files app

Syncing Documents

By default, OmniOutliner stores documents as flat files, which are compatible with common cloud storage services such as Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive.

Connecting Folders

Folders synced using other cloud services can be used as Connected Folders, as long as the cloud service is fully supported by the operating system. This requires a higher level of integration than simply syncing documents, and therefore may limit which cloud service you decide to use.

macOS supports using Connected Folders with most cloud services, so if you are using Connected Folders only with Macs, you will have many options. Please email Support if you encounter any issues, or have questions.

iPadOS, iOS, and visionOS currently support using Connected Folders with iCloud Drive, OmniPresence, and Dropbox. They do not currently support Box, Google Drive, OneDrive, or Proton Drive.

You can check other cloud services, or see if updates from Apple or the cloud services have added support for your device, by either:

Connecting a Synced Folder or Reconnecting a Synced Folder on iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro. If the Open button can’t be selected, the service cannot be used for Connected Folders.
Open Apple’s Shortcuts app, and create a new shortcut with the operating system Select File action. Switch from Select File to Select Folder, and run the shortcut. If a service can’t be selected for this shortcut, the service also cannot be used for Connected Folders.

Connected Folders

New in OmniOutliner 6, Connected Folders support jumping directly to OmniOutliner documents or rows using Omni Links, as well as syncing Custom Templates between devices.

OmniOutliner creates a default Connected Folder in iCloud Drive:

Configuring the iCloud Drive Folder

You can also add Connected Folders from OmniPresence or other cloud services:

Connecting a Synced Folder
Reconnecting a Synced Folder

iCloud Drive Connected Folder

By default, OmniOutliner uses the OmniOutliner folder inside iCloud Drive as the default Connected Folder, as long as you have already configured iCloud Drive to support OmniOutliner. Please see the iCloud Drive section, if you need help.

Configuring the iCloud Drive Folder

The default Connected Folder has support for Omni Links turned on by default. To turn on support for additional item types, select the Connected Folders command:

From the OmniOutliner Menu on Mac and iPad.
From the Toolbar OmniOutliner Menu on iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro.

Once the Connected Folder window opens:

Select OmniOutliner in the Sidebar.
Select Omni Links to turn support for Omni Links on or off for documents stored anywhere in the OmniOutliner folder.
Select Templates to turn support for Templates on or off for templates stored in the OmniOutliner > Templates folder.

Once you have updated the settings you can either close the window, or connect additional folders by selecting the add button.

Please note that the default Connected Folder will only display templates which are stored in specific folders. This allows you to store additional templates in the OmniOutliner folder, without having them show in-app. To create those folders, you can either select the magnifying glass button next to the Location field, or:

On Mac, open Finder and choose Go > iCloud Drive from the menu bar, then open the OmniOutliner folder.
On iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro, open Files, tap on iCloud Drive in the left sidebar, then open the OmniOutliner folder.

You can now create the required folder, if it does not exist:

iCloud Drive > OmniOutliner > Templates

Connecting a Synced Folder

If you are connecting a folder which has previously been configured on any device (either by you or somebody else) please jump directly to Reconnecting a Synced Folder.

In addition to the default Connected Folder in iCloud Drive, you can connect as many synced folders as needed, using either OmniPresence or other cloud services which are supported by the operating system.

To connect a new folder, select the Connected Folders command:

From the OmniOutliner Menu on Mac and iPad.
From the Toolbar OmniOutliner Menu on iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro.

Once the Connected Folder window opens:

Select the button.
On Mac, navigate inside of the folder you would like to configure, and click the Connect Folder button.
On iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro, navigate inside of the folder you would like to configure, and tap the Choose or Open button.

The Connected Folder is automatically selected for editing, with the following attributes set to their default values:

Display Name
Location
Use For
Omni Links Folder ID

The window also contains a Settings menu, which contains commands to:

Disconnect Folder
Show in Finder

Reconnecting a Synced Folder

To use existing Omni Links on different devices, or when reinstalling OmniOutliner on the same device, you must ensure that OmniOutliner is using the same Omni Links Folder ID everywhere you want to use the Omni Links.

The easiest way to reconnect is:

Sync the folder you would like to use to your current device.
Click or tap the Omni Link to a document in that folder.
OmniOutliner will prompt you to select the synced folder which matches the Folder ID in the existing Omni Link.
Navigate to the requested folder, and select the Connect Folder button.
The link should successfully resolve, and show you the document you were trying to access.

If you have already connected a synced folder, and are still being prompted to connect it after selecting an Omni Link, you can either:

Remove the existing synced folder, and add it again using the steps described above.
Edit the existing Folder ID to match the requested ID; read the Omni Link Folder ID section to learn more.

Connected Folder Attributes

Once you have finished Connecting or Reconnecting a synced folder, you can edit the following attributes:

Display Name
Location
Use For
Omni Links Folder ID

You can also:

Disconnect Folder
Show in Finder

Display Name

When you connect or reconnect a synced folder, the Display Name is based on the name of the folder.

To change the Display Name:

Select the folder in the sidebar.
Tap or click into the Display Name field.
Edit the name.
Press Return or exit the field to save changes.

This updates the name displayed in this window, but does not change the name of the synced folder.

Location

The Location field shows where the synced folder is located on your device.

To view the local copy of your synced folder, you can either:

Select the button next to the Location field.
Select Show in Files or Show in Finder from the Settings menu.

Use For

When you connect or reconnect a synced folder, support for Omni Links is turned on, with the rest of the supported types turned off.

To update the Use For section:

Select the folder in the sidebar.
Select Omni Links to turn support for Omni Links on or off.
Select Templates to turn support for Templates on or off.

The default iCloud Connected Folder looks for templates stored in specific folders inside of the iCloud OmniOutliner folder:

Omni Links are available for documents stored anywhere in iCloud Drive > OmniOutliner.
Templates are available if they are stored in iCloud Drive > OmniOutliner > Templates.

Connected Folders that have been added by Connecting a Synced Folder or Reconnecting a Synced Folder display templates from anywhere inside that folder.

Omni Links Folder ID

When you connect a new folder, a unique Omni Links Folder ID is generated, by combining the name of the synced folder with a random number. This Folder ID is used as part of any Omni Links you create. Using a random number ensures that different synced folders with the same name will have unique Omni Links, so you can consistently access the documents you intend.

Once generated, the Folder ID is stable, unless you intentionally change it; it will not change if you update the name of the synced folder or the Display Name.

A different Folder ID will be generated if you connect the same synced folder on different devices, or connect a synced folder multiple times on the same device.

To update the Omni Links Folder ID:

Select the folder in the sidebar.
Select the button.
Enter your preferred ID.
Select Update to save your changes, or Cancel to discard your changes.

Updating the Omni Links Folder ID will break any existing Omni Links, so please carefully consider the warning before making any changes. You may need to manually update existing links, or create new links.

Disconnecting a Folder

To disconnect a folder:

Select the folder in the sidebar.
Select Disconnect Folder from the Settings menu.

Omni Links

You may be familiar with the Copy as Link command from earlier versions of OmniOutliner, which allowed linking to specific rows in an open document. This command is still available in OmniOutliner 6, though it has been renamed to Copy Legacy Link.

OmniOutliner 6 introduces a more powerful version of this command: Copy Omni Link, which allows you to link to specific rows in any OmniOutliner document that is stored in a Connected Folder. These links can be used on any device where you are using OmniOutliner, as long as your devices are configured to use the same Connected Folder.

To use Omni Links:

Select one or more rows.
Select the Copy Omni Link command from the Edit Menu or Row Shortcut Menu.
Navigate to another location, and Paste the link.
Select the pasted link to jump back to your original location.

In OmniOutliner for Mac, you can either select the link and replace the text, or Option + click on the link and edit the Display title.

You also have the option to Show URL, or Remove Link.

When you have finished editing the link, click Done.

Configuring Omni Links

Omni Links are easy to use, but need to be carefully configured. Please select one of these options:

If you are using the default iCloud Drive Connected Folder, see Configuring the iCloud Drive Folder.
If you are adding a non–iCloud Drive Connected Folder which has never been used (on any device), see Connecting a Synced Folder.
If you are adding a non–iCloud Drive Connected Folder which has been used (on any device), see Reconnecting a Synced Folder.

Structure of Omni Links

There are several required components of an Omni Link.

In order of appearance, they are:

Omni App Name — Name of the Omni application, in lowercase, followed by a colon (:) and three forward slashes (///).
Link Type — The link type, in lowercase. Currently, only document (doc) links are supported.
Path — Folder path to the location of your document, with Percent-encoding used for spaces and other special characters.
Document Name — Name and file extension for your document, with Percent-encoding used for spaces and other special characters.
Omni Links Folder ID — Unique Folder ID generated when Connecting a Synced Folder, preceded with ?folder=.

What do these components look like, when combined in an Omni Link? Let’s start with a simple example, from the default iCloud Drive Connected Folder:

omnioutliner:///doc/My%20Outline.ooutline?folder=iCloud%20Drive

We can see that this Omni Link has the following components:

Omni App Name of OmniOutliner (omnioutliner:///)
Link Type of Document (doc)
Path is empty (/)
Document Name of My Outline (My%20Outline.ooutline)
Omni Links Folder ID of iCloud Drive (iCloud%20Drive)

Reading this Omni Link, you can see that it will use OmniOutliner to open a Document named My Outline (with a file extension of .ooutline, indicating that it is an OmniOutliner Document, rather than an OmniOutliner Template), located directly inside the iCloud Drive Connected Folder.

Adding a little more complexity, an Omni Link may also contain an optional Element.

OmniOutliner currently supports:

Row Selection — Element type and ID for the selected row, such as row=fh4Q0jgg5iB.

Looking at another example, from a non–iCloud Drive Connected Folder:

omnioutliner:///doc/foo/bar/My%20Outline.ooutline?folder=Work%20Server%209070&row=fh4Q0jgg5iB

We can see that this Omni Link has the following components:

Omni App Name of OmniOutliner (omnioutliner:///)
Link Type of Document (doc)
Path of foo > bar (/foo/bar/)
Document Name of My Outline (My%20Outline.ooutline)
Omni Links Folder ID of Work Server 9070 (Work%20Server%209070)
Element of Row Selection (row=fh4Q0jgg5iB)

Reading this Omni Link, you can see that it will use OmniOutliner to open a Document named My Outline (with a file extension of .ooutline), located inside of foo > bar, in the Work Server 9070 Connected Folder. Once the document has been opened, it will add a Row Selection on a row with an id of fh4Q0jgg5iB.

Troubleshooting Omni Links

Now that you understand how Omni Links are structured, and can read a link to learn more about it, let’s complicate things a touch.

Here are a few ways that a link can stop working, and how you can resolve the issue:

Changing the name of a document — To resolve this you can change the document name back to the original name, use Copy Omni Link to create an updated Omni Link, or manually edit your existing Omni Link to use the new name.
Changing the location of a document — To resolve this you can move the document back to the original location, use Copy Omni Link to create an updated Omni Link, or manually edit your existing Omni Link to use the new location.
Removing a document from the Connected Folder — To resolve this, you need to return the document to its original location in the Connected Folder.

We will continue to add examples to this section; please Email Support to let us know what you would like to see.

Templates

Templates stored in a Connected Folder are available to all devices with the same folder configured.

To make sure templates are available, you may need to configure the Use For attribute for a given folder.

If you need to configure a Connected Folder, please select one of these options:

iCloud Drive Connected Folder
Connecting a Synced Folder
Reconnecting a Synced Folder

Legacy Links

Legacy Links are the same type of link found in OmniOutliner 5 and earlier, which allowed you to jump quickly between rows in the same document, with a new name.

Omni Links support more powerful workflows, but they can only be used with documents stored in a Connected Folder. In contrast, Legacy Links work as long as the document is open, which makes them ideal for linking within the same document, or building folder-independent Templates.

To use Legacy Links:

Select one or more rows.
Select the Copy Legacy Link command from the Edit Menu or Row Shortcut Menu.
Navigate to another location in the outline, and Paste the link.
Select the pasted link to jump back to your original location.

In OmniOutliner for Mac, you can either select the link and replace the text, or Option + click on the link and edit the Display title.

You also have the option to Show URL, or Remove Link.

When you have finished editing the link, click Done.

Structure of Legacy Links

There are two required components of a Legacy Link.

In order of appearance, they are:

Omni App Name — Name of the Omni application, in lowercase, followed by a colon (:) and three forward slashes (///).
Link Type — The link type, in lowercase. Legacy Links only support open (open) links.

The simplest possible Legacy Link is:

omnioutliner:///open

This link will open OmniOutliner, which isn’t often useful by itself, so let’s add a little complexity.

A Legacy Link may also contain an optional Element. OmniOutliner currently supports:

Row Selection — Element type and ID for the selected row, such as row=j3NzslZpCi8.

Looking at another example:

omnioutliner:///open?row=j3NzslZpCi8

We can see that this Legacy Link has the following components:

Omni App Name of OmniOutliner (omnioutliner:///)
Link Type of Open (open)
Element of Row Selection (row=j3NzslZpCi8)

Reading this Legacy Link, you can see that it will open OmniOutliner, as above. If the document containing the destination for these links is also open, it will add a Row Selection on a row with an id of j3NzslZpCi8.

Troubleshooting Legacy Links

Troubling Legacy Links tends to be easier than Troubleshooting Omni Links, as there is one primary reason a link stops working: the document containing the link is no longer open. This can be difficult to resolve, as the link doesn’t contain any information about the original document. Situations like this are part of the reason that we built Omni Links!

Commands and Shortcuts

This chapter gathers the commands and shortcuts found throughout OmniOutliner into a single reference.

This chapter is structured to help you easily find the information you need, with each section organized for a different purpose.

Menu Bar on Mac — Mac menu bar items and commands, in app order.
Menu Bar on iPad — iPad menu bar items and commands, in app order.
Shortcut Menus — Shortcut menu items and commands, grouped by category.
Menus by Category — All menus, grouped by category. This is a good place to start if you know the category of a menu, menu item, or menu command, and want to know more about it.
Commands Reference — All commands are listed in alphabetical order. This is a good place to start if you know the name of a menu item or menu command, and want to know more about it.

Commands are located in Mac and iPad menu bars, as well as in Shortcut Menus on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro.

The OmniOutliner menu contains commands related to the overall app. Check for updates, view and modify your settings, configure Connected Folders, or enter license information.

About OmniOutliner
License…
Check for Updates…
Settings…
Connected Folders…
Services
Hide OmniOutliner
Hide Others
Show All
Quit OmniOutliner
- Option for Quit and Close All Windows

The File menu contains options for creating, opening, renaming, exporting, and printing documents and templates.

New
New from Template…
Open…
Open Recent
Close
- Option for Close All
Save
Duplicate
- Option for Save As…
Rename…
Move To…
Share
Export…
Revert To
Page Setup…
Print…

The Edit menu contains commands related to modifying the contents of rows, text, and more. Cut, Copy, Paste, and Undo are all found here.

The Format menu contains options for formatting the contents of your document.

Heading 1
Heading 2
Heading 3
Heading 4
Heading 5
Heading 6
Highlight 1
Highlight 2
Highlight 3
Bold
Italic
Underline
Strikethrough
Apply Template Theme…

The View menu contains options for working within your OmniOutliner document.

Show/Hide Tab Bar
Show All Tabs/Exit Tab Overview
Expand All
Collapse All
Expand Row(s)
Expand Row(s) Completely
Collapse Row(s)
Collapse Row(s) Completely
Zoom In
Zoom Out
Zoom to Actual Size
Show/Hide Status Checkboxes
Show/Hide Note(s)
Show/Hide All Notes
Use Typewriter Mode
Enter/Exit Full Screen
Show/Hide Toolbar
Customize Toolbar…
Show/Hide Status Bar

The Organize menu contains options for adding, removing, and sorting the contents of your document.

Add Row
Add Inside
Add Outside
Keep Sorted
Sort Outline/Sort Selected Rows
Move
Indent
Outdent
Group
Ungroup

The Window menu contains options for working with OmniOutliner’s windows.

Minimize
Zoom
Fill
Center
Move & Resize
Full Screen Tile
Move to Display
Show Previous Tab
Show Next Tab
Move Tab to New Window
Merge All Windows
Bring All to Front
Remove Window from Set
OmniOutliner Windows

Contains a variety of support resources, including this documentation, release notes, and an easy way to contact our friendly Support Humans.

Search
OmniOutliner Help
Release Notes
News
Sign Up for the Omni Newsletter
Contact Omni

The OmniOutliner menu contains commands related to the overall app. View and modify your settings, configure Connected Folders, or enter license information.

Settings…
About OmniOutliner
License
Connected Folders
Hide OmniOutliner
Hide Others

The File menu contains options for creating, opening, renaming, exporting, and printing documents and templates.

Open…
Open Recent
Close Window
- Option for Close All Windows

The Edit menu contains commands related to modifying the contents of rows, text, and more. Cut, Copy, Paste, and Undo are all found here.

Undo
Redo
Cut
Copy
Copy Omni Link
- Option for Copy Legacy Link
Paste
Delete
Select All
Duplicate
Start Editing
Split Row
Insert Line Break
Edit Note
Filter
AutoFill
Dictation
Emoji
Show Keyboard

The Format menu contains options for formatting the contents of your document.

Font
- Bold
- Italic
- Underline
- Bigger
- Smaller
Heading 1
Heading 2
Heading 3
Heading 4
Heading 5
Heading 6
Highlight 1
Highlight 2
Highlight 3
Apply Template Theme…

The View menu contains options for working within your OmniOutliner document.

Expand All
Collapse All
Expand Row(s)
Collapse Row(s)
Expand Row(s) Completely
Collapse Row(s) Completely
Zoom Out
Zoom In
Show/Hide Note(s)
Show/Hide All Notes
Customize Toolbar…

The Organize menu contains options for adding, removing, and sorting the contents of your document.

Add Above
Add Inside
Add Outside
Move
Indent
Outdent
Group
Ungroup

The Window menu contains options for working with OmniOutliner’s windows.

Close
Minimize
Enter/Exit Full Screen
Center
Move & Resize
Slide Over
Move to Display
New Window
Show All Windows
OmniOutliner Windows

Search for menu items and commands.

Shortcut Menus

This menu is only available for attachments and images.

On Mac, Control + click an attachment to display a menu which may contain:

Open with Default.app
Quick Look Attachment
Open with
Reveal in Finder
Show as Icon
Show as Image
Edit Attachment Properties
Cut
Copy
Resize
Insert from iPhone or iPad

Without any text selected:

Cut
Copy
Paste
Split Row
Insert Line Break
Writing Tools
AutoFill
Format
- Bold
- Italic
- Underline
- More…
Look Up
Translate
Search Web

With text selected:

Paste
Select
Select All
Split Row
Insert Line Break
Writing Tools
AutoFill
Format
- Bold
- Italic
- Underline
- More…

This section of the manual is being updated.

Feel free to email us with questions, suggestions, or feedback.

With one or more rows selected:

Cut
Copy
Paste
Delete
Format
- Bold
- Italic
Copy Omni Link
Copy Legacy Link
Expand Completely
Collapse Completely

Menus by Category

This section groups menus into categories, listed in alphabetical order, so you can easily find all related commands, such as those used to Edit or Organize.

Some commands are available only on specific platforms, so each section links to information for each supported Platform.

Menu bar menus are only available on Mac and iPad, but the same commands are available on iPhone and Apple Vision Pro, when using a hardware keyboard.

Mac
iPad

iPad
iPhone
Apple Vision Pro

Mac
iPad

Mac
iPad

Mac
iPad

Mac
iPad

Mac
iPad

Mac
iPad
iPhone
Apple Vision Pro

Mac
iPad

Mac
iPad

Commands Reference

These are listed in alphabetical order, and link to where they may be found in OmniOutliner. That location may be different on Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro.

Some command names may update depending on your selection or recent actions, such as Undo (or Redo) becoming Undo Text, or Sort Outline becoming Sort Selected Rows.

Keyboard shortcuts are listed under each command.

If a keyboard shortcut is available only on specific Apple platforms, those platforms are listed. If a keyboard shortcut is available on any Apple device with an external keyboard, platform is not specified.

About OmniOutliner
Add Above
Add Inside
Add Link…
Add Outside
Add Row
Apply Template Theme…
Attach File
AutoFill
Bigger
Bold
Bring All to Front
Center Window
Check for Updates
Close
Close All
Collapse
- Collapse All
- Collapse Row(s)
- Collapse Row(s) Completely
Connected Folders…
Contact Omni
Copy
Copy Image
Copy Legacy Link
Copy Omni Link
Customize Toolbar
Cut
Delete
Deselect All
Duplicate File
Duplicate Selection
Edit Attachment Properties
Edit Note
Emoji & Symbols
Enter Full Screen/Exit Full Screen
Expand
- Expand All
- Expand Row(s)
- Expand Row(s) Completely
Export
Export As…
Fill Window
Filter
Find
Font
Full Screen Tile
Go to Filter Field
Group
Hide Bottom Bar/Show Bottom Bar
Hide OmniOutliner
Hide Others
In-App Purchases
Indent/Outdent
Insert from iPhone or iPad
- Take Photo
- Scan Documents
- Add Sketch
Italic
Keep Sorted
License…
Link…
Manage Omni Account and Purchases
Merge All Windows
Minimize Window
Move
- Move Up
- Move Down
- Move Left
- Move Right
Move and Resize
Move To
Move to Display
Move Tab to New Window
New
New Outline
New from Template…
News
OmniOutliner Help
Open
Open with
Open with Default.app
Open Recent
Page Setup
Paste
Preview
Print
Quick Look Attachment
Quit OmniOutliner
Quit and Close All Windows
Redo
Release Notes
Rename
Resize Image
Reveal in Finder
Revert To
Save
Save As
Save to Camera Roll
Select
Select All
Services
Set Status
Settings
Share
Share As…
Show All
Show All Notes/Hide All Notes
Show All Tabs/Exit Tab Overview
Show as Icon
Show as Image
Show Inspector/Hide Inspector
Show Next Tab/Show Previous Tab
Show Note(s)/Hide Note(s)
Show Status Checkboxes/Hide Status Checkboxes
Show Tab Bar/Hide Tab Bar
Show Toolbar/Hide Toolbar
Sign Up for the Omni Newsletter
Smaller
Sort Outline/Sort Selected Rows
Speech
Spelling
Stage Manager (Mac)
Start Dictation
Strikethrough
System Search
Underline
Undo
Ungroup
Use Typewriter Mode
Writing Tools
Zoom
- Zoom In
- Zoom Out
- Zoom to Actual Size
Zoom Window

About OmniOutliner

Available on Mac, iPad in the OmniOutliner Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Toolbar OmniOutliner Menu

View details about your copy of OmniOutliner.

This is good for checking exactly which version you’re using, which can be very helpful when contacting our Support Humans.

Some versions of this screen also include a link to write a review on the App Store.

See also About OmniOutliner in The Toolbar chapter.

Add Above

Available on iPad in the Organize Menu
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro using keyboard shortcut

Inserts a row above the current row.

Shift+Return

Compare Add Row.

See also Add Above in The Toolbar chapter.

Add Inside

Available on Mac, iPad in the Organize Menu

Inserts and indents a new row beneath the current row, resulting in the new row being one level lower in the hierarchy.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+}

See Hierarchy.

See also Add Inside/Add Child in The Toolbar chapter.

Add Outside

Available on Mac, iPad in the Organize Menu

Inserts and outdents a new row beneath the current row, resulting in the new row being one level higher in the hierarchy.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+{

See Hierarchy.

See also Add Outside/Add Aunt in The Toolbar chapter.

Add Row

Available on Mac in the Organize Menu
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro using keyboard shortcut

Inserts a new row beneath the current row.

Return

On Mac, this can be changed in Keyboard Settings, by selecting the other option for When Pressing Return.

Compare Add Above.

See also Add Row/New Row in The Toolbar chapter.

Apply Template Theme

Available on Mac, iPad in the Format Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Document Inspector

Opens the Template Picker so you can choose a Template Theme to apply to the current document.

See also Apply Theme in The Toolbar chapter.

Attach File

Available on Mac in the Edit Menu
Available on Mac in the The Toolbar

For iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro, please see Attachments in The Toolbar chapter.

You can attach related files to your OmniOutliner document. These may be images, video clips, PDF files, or even another OmniOutliner document.

There are several ways to attach a file:

Use this Attach File… command, located in the Edit Menu
Click the Attach button in the toolbar

When using any of these methods, you are presented with a standard Open window, which allows you to navigate through your Mac’s hard drive until you locate the file you’d like to attach.

At the bottom of this window, there are two options that affect how the file is attached to your OmniOutliner document:

Embed the file in the document — The default. A copy of the file you attach is embedded within the OmniOutliner document you are working with.
Create a link to the file — Instead of embedding an exact duplicate of the file, this links the location of the file on your Mac’s hard drive into the OmniOutliner document.

If you are using this document on a single Mac, or are syncing it with another Mac which contains exactly the same file structure, linking will allow you to work with an external file without needing to sync the attached file.

If you are linking to an OmniOutliner document, read about Omni Links for another option.

If you are using this document on multiple devices, with different file structures, embedding the external file allows you to access it on all supported devices.

In addition to the methods above, you can also drag and drop files or images from almost anywhere on your Mac, including files from a Finder window, or images from a webpage. By default, these items will be embedded in your document; press Control while dragging, to instead add a link to the item.

When you attach an image or PDF file, a preview automatically scales to the width of the document window. Other types of files appear as an icon with their filename.

If you click an image or PDF file, you have options to:

Select between Show as Image or Show as Icon.
Change the Display name for the attachment from the filename to something more descriptive.
Open with the default app for the attachment type.
Resize the attachments.
Save changes by clicking Done.

If you click on a non-image or PDF file, you have options to:

Change the Display name for the attachment from the filename to something more descriptive.
Open with the default app for the attachment type.
Save changes by clicking Done.

If you Control + click on an attachment, you will see the Attachment Shortcut Menu.

AutoFill

Available on Mac in the Edit Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Editing Shortcut Menu

This is a system-provided command which allows automatically filling information from contacts, credit cards, user names and passwords, and some other forms.

It is available on macOS 14 or later, iOS 17 or later, iPadOS 17 or later, and visionOS 1 or later.

To learn more, please read these Apple User Guide articles:

Bigger/Increase Font Size

Available on iPad in the Format Menu

Increase the size of the selected note text.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command++

Compare Smaller.

Bold

Available on Mac, iPad in the Format Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Editing Shortcut Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Row Shortcut Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Selection Inspector

Apply or remove the bold style to the selected text, row, or document.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+B

Bring All to Front

Available on Mac in the Window Menu

Brings all open OmniOutliner windows in front of any other application windows that are currently open on your Mac.

Center Window

Available on Mac, iPad in the Window Menu

Center the frontmost window.

Keyboard shortcut:

Fn+Control+C on Mac, iPad

Check for Updates

Available on Mac in the OmniOutliner Menu (Direct Download version only)

See if there is a new version of OmniOutliner available to download.

You can also configure automatic checking in Update Settings.

Close Window

Available on Mac, iPad in the File Menu
Available on iPad in the Window Menu

Close the current window.

On Mac, you may be prompted to save documents, depending on your settings for Ask to keep changes when closing documents and Close windows when quitting an application in System Settings for Desktop & Dock > Windows

On iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro, changes are automatically saved.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+W

Close All Windows

Available on Mac, iPad in the File Menu

Close all open windows.

You may be prompted to save documents, depending on your settings for Ask to keep changes when closing documents and Close windows when quitting an application in System Settings for Desktop & Dock > Windows

Keyboard shortcut:

Option+Command+W

Collapse

Hide rows that are currently showing.

Collapse Row(s)

Available on Mac, iPad in the View Menu

Collapses the currently selected row or rows.

Keyboard shortcuts:

Left Arrow
Command+0

Compare Expand Row(s).

Collapse Row(s) Completely

Available on Mac, iPad in the View Menu
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Row Shortcut Menu

Collapses the currently selected row or rows, along with any child rows.

Keyboard shortcut:

Option+Command+0

Compare Expand Row(s) Completely.

Collapse All

Available on Mac, iPad in the View Menu

Collapse all the rows in your document.

Keyboard shortcut:

Control+Command+0

Compare Expand All.

See also Collapse All in The Toolbar chapter.

Configure OmniPresence

Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Toolbar OmniOutliner Menu

Tap to connect an OmniPresence cloud synced folder to your device.

Read the OmniPresence section of the Connecting OmniOutliner chapter, to learn more.

See the OmniPresence section of The Toolbar chapter to learn more about OmniPresence status icons.

Connected Folders

Available on Mac, iPad in the OmniOutliner Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Toolbar OmniOutliner Menu

Configure your Connected Folders, by either updating the settings for the built-in iCloud Drive folder, or by Connecting a Synced Folder of your own.

See also Connected Folders in The Toolbar chapter.

Contact Omni

Available on Mac in the Help Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Toolbar OmniOutliner Menu

Use this command to Email Support, while including information about the version you’re running, which operating system you’re running it on, and what type of license you have, which helps us quickly assist you.

If you see a “The operation couldn’t be completed. Not authorized to send Apple events to Mail.” error when you select Contact Omni, you can grant OmniOutliner authorization to send email.

Open System Settings, then navigate to Privacy & Security > Automation, and click on the disclosure arrow next to OmniOutliner to view additional options. Make sure that Mail is turned on (along with any other apps that you would like), then select Contact Omni again.

See also Contact Omni in The Toolbar chapter.

Copy

Available on Mac, iPad in the Edit Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Row Shortcut Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Editing Shortcut Menu
Available in the Attachment Shortcut Menu
Copies the selected text, image, or row, while saving it on the clipboard, so you can paste the selection somewhere else.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+C

Copy Omni Link

Available on Mac, iPad in the Edit Menu
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Row Shortcut Menu
Available on iPad, Apple Vision Pro in the Document Title Menu

Copies a Omni Links for one or more selected rows.

Compare Copy Legacy Link.

See Connected Folders Omni Links.

See also Document Title Menu in The Toolbar chapter.

Copy Legacy Link

Available on Mac, iPad in the Edit Menu
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Row Shortcut Menu

Copies a Legacy Link for one or more selected rows.

See Legacy Links.

Contrast Copy Omni Link and Connected Folders.

Available on Mac, iPad in the View Menu

Add or remove items from The Toolbar.

Cut

Available on Mac, iPad in the Edit Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Row Shortcut Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Editing Shortcut Menu
Available on Mac in the Attachment Shortcut Menu
Removes the selected text, image, or row, while saving it on the clipboard, so you can paste the selection somewhere else.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+X

Compare Copy and Paste.

Delete

Available on Mac, iPad in the Edit Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Row Shortcut Menu

Remove the selected item(s) or text from your document.

Keyboard shortcut:

Delete

Compare Cut.

Deselect All

Available on Mac, iPad in the Edit Menu

Clear your selection completely, so that nothing is selected.

This can be helpful when you’re not sure whether something is selected, you’re about to paste something in, and want to make sure you don’t paste over a selection.

Keyboard shortcut:

Shift+Command+A

Duplicate File

Available on Mac in the File Menu

Create an identical copy of the current document.

The exact contents of the current window are copied into a new document window, with the filename in the title bar highlighted, so you can enter a different name for the new file.

The duplicate file will be saved in the same location as the original.

Keyboard shortcut:

Shift+Command+S

Duplicate Selection

Available on Mac, iPad in the Edit Menu

Copy and paste the current selection, creating an identical copy of the selected item.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+D

Edit Attachment Properties

Available on Mac in the Attachment Shortcut Menu

This dialog allows you to:

Select between Show as Icon or Show as Image, for images and PDF attachments only.
Change the Display name for the attachment from the filename to something more descriptive.
Open with the default app for the attachment type.
Resize the attachment, for images and PDF attachments only.
Save changes by clicking Done.

This dialog is also available by clicking directly on the attachment.

Edit Note

Available on Mac, iPad in the Edit Menu

Edit the note for the currently selected row.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+‘

See also Add Note in The Toolbar chapter.

Emoji & Symbols

Command may also be named Emoji
Available on Mac, iPad in the Edit Menu

Open the Character Viewer to insert emoji, or other special characters.

More information about the Character Viewer is available in this Apple User Guides article:

Use emoji and symbols on Mac

Keyboard shortcuts:

Control+Command+Space bar
Fn
Fn+E

Enter Full Screen/Exit Full Screen

Available on Mac, iPad in the View Menu

View OmniOutliner using your full screen, allowing you to focus on your work without other distractions, or return to a single window view.

Keyboard shortcut:

Control+Command+F

Expand

Show rows that are currently hidden.

Expand Row(s)

Available on Mac, iPad in the View Menu

Expand the currently selected row or rows.

Keyboard shortcut:

Right Arrow
Command+9

Compare Collapse Row(s).

Expand Row(s) Completely

Available on Mac, iPad in the View Menu
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Row Shortcut Menu

Expands the currently selected row or rows, along with any child rows.

Keyboard shortcut:

Option+Command+9

Compare Collapse Row(s) Completely.

Expand All

Available on Mac, iPad in the View Menu

Expand all the rows in your document.

Keyboard shortcut:

Control+Command+9

Compare Collapse All.

See also Expand All in The Toolbar chapter.

Export/Export As/Share As

Available on Mac in the File Menu
Available on iPad, Apple Vision Pro in the Document Title Menu
Available on iPhone in the Share Menu

Export your OmniOutliner document to a variety of document formats and file types.

To learn more, read the Exporting Files and Documents section of the Documents and Templates chapter.

Keyboard shortcut:

Option+Command+E

See also Document Title Menu in The Toolbar chapter.

Fill Window

Available on Mac in the Window Menu

Operating system command which expands the front OmniOutliner window to fill the screen.

Keyboard shortcut:

Fn+Control+F on Mac

Filter/Go to Filter Field

Available on Mac, iPad in the Edit Menu

Places the cursor in the toolbar Filter field.

Keyboard shortcut:

Option+Command+F

See Filtering the Outline.

Find

Available on Mac in the Edit Menu

The Find submenu contains the standard Find commands found in many applications:

Go to Filter Field — Places the cursor in the toolbar Filter field.
Find… — Opens the Find dialog. Use the Find dialog to search for instances of a keyword in the document. If an instance is found, it will be highlighted in the row or note text where it appears. You can also use the Replace command to overwrite one or more instances of the search term.
Find and Replace — Opens the Find & Replace dialog, only on iPad; on Mac, use the Find… dialog.
Find Next — Find the next instance.
Find Previous — Find the previous instance.
Use Selection for Find — Uses the current selection as the search criteria when using Find. You can use this option before or after opening the Find dialog

Unlike using the Filter field in the Toolbar, which filters what you see in the Outline, the Find dialog searches all visible fields, and highlights results. This allows you to browse through results, until you find what you need.

The Find dialog on Mac supports the use of regular expressions to match more complex text strings and combinations. See the NSRegularExpression developer documentation for details regarding the regex syntax, including a list of supported characters and operators.

Keyboard shortcuts:

Command+F for Find… on Mac
Command+G for Find Next on Mac
Shift+Command+G for Find Previous on Mac
Command+E for Use Selection for Find on Mac

Font

Available on iPad in the Format Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Selection Inspector

Change the typeface and style of your text.

Bold
Italic
Underline
Strikethrough
Bigger
Smaller

Full Screen Tile

Available on Mac in the Window Menu

These menu commands are provided by the operating system, and may include:

Left of Screen
Right of Screen
Replace Tiled Window

To learn more, read the Apple User Guide articles:

Group

Available on Mac, iPad in the Organize Menu

Indents the selected rows, grouping them together under a new parent row.

Keyboard shortcut:

Option+Command+G

Compare Ungroup.

Headings and Highlights

Available on Mac, iPad in the Format Menu

Each OmniOutliner 6 Essentials Template Theme has nine pre-defined styles: six heading styles, and three highlight styles.

Select your preferred style from the Format Menu, or use shortcut keys.

Applying a new style does not replace any currently applied styles. This allows you to apply both a heading style and highlight style to the same row. If you have two of the same type of style selected (such as Heading 1 and Heading 2), the style below will have priority over the style above.

Keyboard shortcuts on Mac, with Apply named styles with set to Function keys:

fn-F1 for Heading 1 on Mac
fn-F2 for Heading 2 on Mac
fn-F3 for Heading 3 on Mac
fn-F4 for Heading 4 on Mac
fn-F5 for Heading 5 on Mac
fn-F6 for Heading 6 on Mac
fn-F7 for Highlight 1 on Mac
fn-F8 for Highlight 2 on Mac
fn-F9 for Highlight 3 on Mac

Keyboard shortcuts on iPad; or on Mac, with Apply named styles with set to Control + number:

Control-1 for Heading 1 on iPad, Mac
Control-2 for Heading 2 on iPad, Mac
Control-3 for Heading 3 on iPad, Mac
Control-4 for Heading 4 on iPad, Mac
Control-5 for Heading 5 on iPad, Mac
Control-6 for Heading 6 on iPad, Mac
Control-7 for Highlight 1 on iPad, Mac
Control-8 for Highlight 2 on iPad, Mac
Control-9 for Highlight 3 on iPad, Mac

Hide OmniOutliner

Available on Mac, iPad in the OmniOutliner Menu

Temporarily hide all OmniOutliner windows.

To bring OmniOutliner back into view, either click the app icon in the Dock, or use Command+Tab to use the macOS application switcher.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+H

Hide Others

Available on Mac, iPad in the OmniOutliner Menu

Temporarily hide windows of all other applications, so you can concentrate on OmniOutliner.

Keyboard shortcut:

Option+Command+H

In-App Purchases

Available on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in the License pane

Open the In-App Purchases window to unlock OmniOutliner features by purchasing either the Essentials or Pro edition of the app, or restoring a previous purchase.

Indent/Outdent

Available on Mac, iPad in the Organize Menu

Indents or outdents the current row.

Indent — Moves the selected row to the right, ignoring any parents or children.
Outdent — Moves the selected row to the left, ignoring any parents or children.

Keyboard shortcut:

Tab for Indent
Shift+Tab for Outdent
Command+] for Indent
Command+[ for Outdent

Contrast Move Up, Down, Left, Right.

See also Indent and Outdent in The Toolbar chapter.

Insert from iPhone or iPad

Available on Mac in the Attachment Shortcut Menu

This system command allows you to take a photo, scan documents, or add a sketch, using your iPhone or iPad.

With a connected device, each of these options may display as a separate command.

To learn more, please read the Apple User Guide article:

Insert sketches, photos, and scans from iPhone or iPad on Mac.

Insert Line Break

Available on Mac, iPad in the Edit Menu
Available on iPad in The Toolbar
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Editing Shortcut Menu
Keyboard shortcut available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro

Inserts a line break inside of the current row, at the location of your cursor.

Keyboard shortcut:

Option+Return

Compare Split Row.

See When Pressing Return.

See also Insert Line Break in The Toolbar chapter.

Italic

Apply or remove the italic style to the selected text, row, or document.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+I

Keep Sorted

Available on Mac in the Organize Menu

Select an option from this submenu to update the displayed order of rows in your document.

Clear Sorting — Removes any currently selected sorting. This is useful when you want to restore the original ordering of your rows, or sort a document using another method.
Notes, A-Z — Sorts the contents of the document in alphabetical (A-Z) order, based on the Note contents for each row.
Notes, Z-A — Sorts the contents of the document in reverse alphabetical (Z-A) order, based on the Note contents for each row.
Status, Unchecked to Checked — Sorts the contents of the document based the state of the Status Checkboxes, from unchecked to checked.
Status, Checked to Unchecked — Sorts the contents of the document based the state of the Status Checkboxes, from checked to unchecked.
Topic, A-Z — Sorts the contents of the document in alphabetical (A-Z) order, based on the Topic contents for each row.
Topic, Z-A — Sorts the contents of the document in reverse alphabetical (Z-A) order, based on the Topic contents for each row.

Contrast Sort Outline/Sort Selected Rows.

License

Available on Mac, iPad in the OmniOutliner Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Toolbar OmniOutliner Menu

The License window allows you to manage your OmniOutliner licenses, while providing quick access to your Omni Account.

Select the Omni Account button to open the Omni Account window, or select the Sign In button to begin, and then enter your Omni Account information.

If you already have a license for OmniOutliner 6, the application will be unlocked.
If this is the first time you have signed in to OmniOutliner 6, you will automatically begin a free two-week trial. You can select the Buy License button to learn more about pricing, and purchase a new or upgrade license.

Once you are signed in to your Omni Account, you can select:

Edit Account… to visit the Manage Your Omni Account website.
Sign Out to remove your Omni Account from this application.
Close Account to request closure of your Omni Account.

Accidentally tapping the Close Account button will not close your account. An email is automatically sent to the registered email address for the Omni Account, requesting confirmation. If you accidentally tap the button, simply ignore that email.

If you are signed into a Site License, the Omni Account window will offer you options to either Renew Session or Remove License.

If you have an OmniOutliner 6 Pro license, or are in your free two-week trial, you can toggle the Turn on Pro features setting. This allows you to choose between the OmniOutliner Essentials and OmniOutliner Pro feature sets, either to see which edition is best for your needs, or to easily create Essentials-compatible documents.

See also License in The Toolbar chapter.

Link/Add Link

Available on Mac in the Edit Menu

Add a hyperlink URL to selected text, or create a link attached to new text (the default display title for a new link is Link).

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+K

Look Up

Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Editing Shortcut Menu

This is a system-provided command which allows you to look up information about the selected text, either online or on device.

To learn more, please read this Apple User Guide article:

Look up words on Mac

Though this article is for Mac, the information also applies to other platforms.

Merge All Windows

Available on Mac in the Window Menu

Merge all currently open OmniOutliner documents into a single window with multiple tabs.

To learn more, read the Apple User Guide article:

Move and arrange app windows on Mac

Minimize Window

Available on Mac, iPad in the Window Menu

Shrink the front OmniOutliner window down into the Dock.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+M

Move Up, Down, Left, Right

Available on Mac, iPad in the Organize Menu

Use the following commands to move rows in your document.

These commands rearrange the currently selected rows in the Outline, without affecting deselected items.

Move Up — Moves the selected row up one row, along with its children.
Move Down — Moves the selected row down one row, along with its children.
Move Left — Moves the selected row to the left, along with its children. The row becomes a sibling of its former parent.
Move Right — Moves the selected row to the right, along with its children. The row becomes a child of the row immediately above.

Keyboard shortcuts:

Control+Command+Up Arrow for Move Up
Control+Command+Down Arrow for Move Down
Control+Command+Left Arrow for Move Left
Control+Command+Right Arrow for Move Right

Contrast Indent/Outdent.

See also Move Down, Move Left, Move Right, and Move Up in The Toolbar chapter.

Move and Resize

Available on Mac, iPad in the Window Menu

Operating system commands to move and resize windows in the app.

Keyboard shortcuts:

Fn+Control+Left Arrow for Left on Mac, iPad
Fn+Control+Right Arrow for Right on Mac, iPad
Fn+Control+Up Arrow for Top on Mac, iPad
Fn+Control+Down Arrow for Bottom on Mac, iPad
No shortcut for Top Left on Mac, iPad
No shortcut for Top Right on Mac, iPad
No shortcut for Bottom Left on Mac, iPad
No shortcut for Bottom Right on Mac, iPad
Fn+Control+Shift+Left Arrow for Left & Right on Mac, iPad
Fn+Control+Shift+Right Arrow for Right & Left on Mac, iPad
Fn+Control+Shift+Up Arrow for Top & Bottom on Mac, iPad
Fn+Control+Shift+Down Arrow for Bottom & Top on Mac, iPad
No shortcut for Quarters on Mac, iPad
Fn+Control+R for Return to Previous Size on Mac

To learn more, read the Apple User Guide articles:

Though these articles are for Mac, most of the commands and shortcuts are also available on iPad.

Move Tab to New Window

Available on Mac in the Window Menu

With multiple OmniOutliner documents open in tabs of the same window, move the current tab to a new OmniOutliner window.

Move To

Available on Mac in the File Menu

Choose this option to open a window, which allows you to quickly change the location your file is stored.

Move to Display

Available on Mac, iPad in the Window Menu

This sends the front most window to the selected display; it only appears if you have an external monitor or iPad connected.

To learn more, read the Apple User Guide article:

Move an app to an external display

New/New Outline

Available on Mac in the File Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Document Manager
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Document Manager Toolbar

Create a new OmniOutliner Document, using the Template Picker.

If you have selected a default template by selecting Make Default in the Template Picker, or by changing the setting for For New Documents (Mac only), a new document is created using the chosen template, without presenting the Template Picker.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+N

New from Template

Available on Mac in the File Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Document Manager

Open the Template Picker, which allows you to select a template to use as the basis for a new OmniOutliner Document.

Keyboard shortcut:

Shift+Command+N on Mac

New Window

Available on iPad in the Window Menu

Open a new OmniOutliner window.

News

Available on Mac in the Help Menu

View the latest information from the Omni Group about changes to OmniOutliner or Apple’s operating systems that may affect your use of the app.

This item only appears when there is news to share.

OmniOutliner Help

Available on Mac in the Help Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Toolbar OmniOutliner Menu

View this help documentation.

See also OmniOutliner Help in The Toolbar chapter.

OmniOutliner Windows

Available on Mac, iPad in the Window Menu

At the bottom of the Window menu is a list of all of your open OmniOutliner windows; choose one to bring it to the front.

Open

Available on Mac, iPad in the File Menu

Open an existing file.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+O

Open Recent

Available on Mac, iPad in the File Menu

OmniOutliner keeps track of recently opened files, and includes the filenames in this menu.

Select a file to quickly reopen it, and continue your work.

Open With

Available on Mac in the Attachment Shortcut Menu

This command typically appears twice in the menu: one time using the default app for the attachment, and one time with options for other apps that can open the attachment.

Open with Default.app opens the selected attachment using the default app.
If the attachment is an image, the command will likely display as Open with Preview.app, which opens the selected image using Preview.
Open with lists other apps on your system that can also open the selected attachment.

To learn more about setting a default app, please see the Apple User Guide article:

Choose an app to open a file on Mac

To learn more about using Preview, please read the Apple User Guide for Preview.

Page Setup

Available on Mac in the File Menu

Open the standard macOS Page Setup window, where you can change some settings for printing or exporting to a PDF file. These settings are saved even when you quit OmniOutliner.

Keyboard shortcut:

Shift+Command+P

Paste

Available on Mac, iPad in the Edit Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Row Shortcut Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Editing Shortcut Menu

Pastes whatever is on the Clipboard at the current insertion point or selection. Content pasted from external sources matches the surrounding OmniOutliner style by default.

If you cut or copy text that has line breaks from another app, and paste that into a row, all the text appears on a single row with line breaks intact. If you want each line to appear as a row, first select a row (by clicking or tapping in the gutter), and then paste.

When copying and pasting text within OmniOutliner, all formatting is retained.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+V

Preview/Quick Look Attachment

Available in the Attachment Shortcut Menu

Displays a preview of the selected image without leaving OmniFocus.

Print

Available on Mac in the File Menu
Available on iPad, Apple Vision Pro in the Document Title Menu
Available on iPhone in the Share Menu

Opens the Print dialog.

To learn more, read the Printing and Printing from Mac sections of the Documents and Templates chapter.

Command+P on Mac

Quit OmniOutliner

Available on Mac in the OmniOutliner Menu

Stop using OmniOutliner.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+Q

Quit and Close All Windows

Available on Mac in the OmniOutliner Menu

Stop using OmniOutliner, and close all windows. The next time you open OmniOutliner, you will have only a single window open.

Keyboard shortcut:

Options+Command+Q

Redo

Available on Mac, iPad in the Edit Menu

Re-create the most recent change that you just used Undo to reverse. You can keep redoing edits, allowing you to return to a later point in time.

Keyboard shortcuts:

Shift+Command+Z

Compare Undo.

Release Notes

Available on Mac in the Help Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Toolbar OmniOutliner Menu

Read the release notes for the current version of OmniOutliner.

See also Release Notes in The Toolbar chapter.

Rename

Available on Mac in the File Menu
Available on iPad, Apple Vision Pro in the Document Title Menu

Choose this option to rename the document.

See also Document Title Menu in The Toolbar chapter.

Resize Image

Available in the Attachment Shortcut Menu

Adds resizing handles to the corners of the selected image. Drag the handles to resize, while maintaining the original aspect ratio.

Tap or click outside of the image to end resizing. If you are using a hardware keyboard, you can also press Return or Esc.

Reveal in Finder

Available on Mac in the Attachment Shortcut Menu

Show the selected image in Finder, with the file selected for further management.

Revert To

Available on Mac in the File Menu

Opens Time Machine, so you can walk back through earlier versions of the current document, as well as restore from those versions.

To learn more, see this Apple User Guide article:

View and restore past versions of documents on Mac

Save

Available on Mac in the File Menu

Save the contents of the current document.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+S

Save As

Available on Mac in the File Menu

Save your current document in one of the following formats, which are described in Exporting Files and Documents:

OmniOutliner Document
OmniOutliner Template
OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language)

Your current document will be updated to the new format, and remain open, allowing you to keep editing.

The format of document that you were previously editing remains in the same location it was originally saved, so you can return to that format in the future.

Keyboard shortcut:

Option+Shift+Command+S

Save to Camera Roll

Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in the Attachment Shortcut Menu

Save the selected image to your Photos library.

Search Web

Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Editing Shortcut Menu

This is a system-provided command which allows you to search the web for the selected text.

Select

Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in the Attachment Shortcut Menu

Select the image for further editing.

Select All

Available on Mac, iPad in the Edit Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Editing Shortcut Menu

Select all visible rows in the outline, or if you are editing text, all text in the cell.

Note that collapsed/hidden rows are not selected.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+A

Services

Available on Mac in the OmniOutliner Menu

Contains system-wide macOS services offered by other applications.

To learn more, please read the Apple User Guide article:

Use services in apps on Mac.

Set Status

Available on Mac in the Edit Menu

Set one of these options for status checkbox on selected row(s):

Checked — Mark the status checkbox completed.
Unchecked — Mark the status checkbox uncompleted.
Calculated — Calculate the value of the status checkbox.
None — Hide the status checkbox.

Assigning a status of Checked or Unchecked to a parent row also assigns that status to all child rows. If you want a parent row to reflect the status of child rows, instead of setting their status, select Calculated. This option is only available for parent rows with a current status of None, and at least one child set to either Checked or Unchecked. Once selected, the parent row will display as:

Checked — If all children are Checked.
Unchecked — If all children at Unchecked
Mixed — If some children are Checked, and others are Unchecked.

Settings

Available on Mac, iPad in the OmniOutliner Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Toolbar OmniOutliner Menu

Open Settings, where you can customize how the application works for you.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+,

See also Settings in The Toolbar chapter.

Available on Mac in the File Menu
Available on Mac, iPhone in The Toolbar
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in the Attachment Shortcut Menu
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in the Document Manager Shortcut Menu

Opens a system menu containing options to share either selected items, or the open document (iPhone only), to another application.

Choose from a list of available destination applications, or select Edit Extensions… (on Mac) or More (on iPhone) to customize the available options.

Selected rows are shared as plain text. If you share the open document, you can choose from several formats; to learn more about available option, read Exporting Files and Documents.

See also Share Menu in The Toolbar chapter.

Show All

Available on Mac in the OmniOutliner Menu

Show all windows, from all applications.

Show All Notes/Hide All Notes

Available on Mac, iPad in the View Menu

Show or hide all notes in your document.

Keyboard shortcut:

Control+Command+‘

Show All Tabs/Exit Tab Overview

Available on Mac in the View Menu

Switch to a view that displays thumbnail views of each tab as a tile in the OmniOutliner window, or return to the standard full view.

Show All Windows

Available on iPad in the Window Menu

Operating system command to show all OmniOutliner windows.

Keyboard shortcut:

Fn+Down Arrow on iPad

Show as Icon/Show as Image

Available on Mac in the Attachment Shortcut Menu

Select between displaying the attached image or PDF file as an icon, or an image preview of the attachment.

Show Inspector/Hide Inspector

Available on iPad in the View Menu

Show or hide The Inspector.

Keyboard shortcut:

Shift+Command+I

Show Keyboard

Available on iPad in the Edit Menu

Show the on-screen keyboard.

Show Next Tab/Show Previous Tab

Available on Mac in the Window Menu

With multiple OmniOutliner documents open in tabs of the same window, navigate to the next or previous tab in the bar.

Keyboard shortcut:

Control+Tab to Show Next Tab
Control+Shift+Tab to Show Previous Tab

Show Note(s)/Hide Note(s)

Available on Mac, iPad in the View Menu

Shows or hide notes on the selected rows.

Keyboard shortcut:

Option+Command+‘

See also Hide Note, Show Note, Hide All Notes, Show All Notes in The Toolbar chapter.

Show Status Bar/Hide Status Bar

Available on Mac in the View Menu

Hides or shows the Status Bar, which contains the word count, character count, and row count.

Show Status Checkboxes/Hide Status Checkboxes

Available on Mac in the View Menu

Display or hide the clickable status checkboxes.

These are helpful when you have an outline that pertains to a project, and you want to tick things off as you go.

You can use the status checkboxes together with Sort Outline or Keep Sorted, to sort rows by checked or unchecked status boxes.

This option is available on iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro, using the Row Status toggle in the Document Inspector.

Show Tab Bar/Hide Tab Bar

Available on Mac in the View Menu

Show or hide the macOS tab bar on the current OmniOutliner window.

Available on Mac in the View Menu

Show or hide the Toolbar at the top of your document.

Keyboard shortcut:

Option+Command+T

Available on Mac in the Help Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Toolbar OmniOutliner Menu

Visit the Omni Newsletter web page, where you can subscribe to our email newsletter. You’ll get nothing but the latest news and tips for OmniOutliner and the other apps in the Omni Group family.

See also Omni Newsletter Signup in The Toolbar chapter.

Slide Over

Available on iPad in the Window Menu

Operating system commands to manage Slide Over windows.

Keyboard shortcuts:

Fn+Option+Left Arrow for Move to Left Slide Over
Fn+Option+Right Arrow for Move to Right Slide Over
Fn+\ for Hide Slide Over
No shortcut for Exit Slide Over

To learn more, read the Apple User Guide articles:

Though these articles are for Mac, most of the commands and shortcuts are also available on iPad.

Smaller/Decrease Font Size

Available on iPad in the Format Menu

Decrease the size of the selected note text.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+-

See Bigger

Sort Outline/Sort Selected Rows

Available on Mac in the Organize Menu

Select an option from this submenu to update the order of rows in your document.

With no rows selected, this command changes the order of all rows in your document.

With two or more rows selected, this command changes the order of only the selected rows.

Undo can be quite helpful, when using this command.

Notes, A-Z — Sorts the contents of the document in alphabetical (A-Z) order, based on the Note contents for each row.
Notes, Z-A — Sorts the contents of the document in reverse alphabetical (Z-A) order, based on the Note contents for each row.
Status, Unchecked to Checked — Sorts the contents of the document based the state of the Status Checkboxes, from unchecked to checked.
Status, Checked to Unchecked — Sorts the contents of the document based the state of the Status Checkboxes, from checked to unchecked.
Topic, A-Z — Sorts the contents of the document in alphabetical (A-Z) order, based on the Topic contents for each row.
Topic, Z-A — Sorts the contents of the document in reverse alphabetical (Z-A) order, based on the Topic contents for each row.

Contrast Keep Sorted.

Speech

Available on Mac in the Edit Menu

The Speech submenu supports having your Mac read selected text out loud.

Start Speaking — Start reading the selection.
Stop Speaking — Stop reading the selection.

A similar feature can be turned on for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, using Accessibility settings in the Settings app.

Spelling

Available on Mac in the Edit Menu

Choose one of the following options for checking spelling and grammar in your document:

Show/Hide Spelling and Grammar — Opens the Spelling and Grammar window so you can check for any spelling or grammatical mistakes in the current document.
Check Spelling Now — Checks the spelling in the current document.
Check Spelling While Typing — Turned on by default, this option checks your spelling as you type. Any words you misspell get a red squiggle underneath, and macOS suggests up similar words from which you can select the correct spelling.

Command+: for Show/Hide Spelling and Grammar
Command+; for Check Spelling Now

Spelling and Grammar

Available on Mac in the Edit Menu

The Spelling and Grammar submenu contains the standard macOS spell checking commands:

Show Spelling and Grammar — Opens the Spelling and Grammar window, where you can check spelling and grammar, add words to your personal dictionary, get definitions for entered words, or have the spelling engine guess at a word for you.
Check Document Now — Checks spelling in the open document.
Check Spelling While Typing — Checks spelling while you are typing.
Check Grammar With Spelling — Checks grammar at the same time spelling is checked.
Correct Spelling Automatically — Automatically corrects spelling, instead of simple alerting you to the issue.

Keyboard shortcuts:

Command+: for Show/Hide Spelling and Grammar
Command+; for Check Document Now

The three settings in this menu are specific to the document or template you are editing. You can change these settings for new documents by updating the Document-Specific Settings for your templates.

Split Row

Splits the current row at the location of your cursor, creating two rows from a single row.

Keyboard shortcut:

Control+Return

See also Split Row in The Toolbar chapter.

Stage Manager (Mac)

Available on Mac in the Window Menu

This menu command is provided by the operating system:

Remove Window from Set

To learn more, read the Apple User Guide article:

Organize your Mac desktop with Stage Manager

Start Dictation

Command may also be named Dictation
Available on Mac, iPad in the Edit Menu

With dictation turned on for Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, select an editable text field and use this command to enter text by speaking.

Keyboard shortcut:

Fn+D

A separate shortcut key can also be set in Keyboard System Settings.

Start Editing

Available on Mac, iPad in the Edit Menu

Begin editing the topic field of a selected row.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+Return

Strikethrough

Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Selection Inspector

Apply or remove the ~~strikethrough~~ style to the selected text, row, or document.

Substitutions

Available on Mac in the Edit Menu

The Substitutions submenu allows you to choose which macOS text substitutions will be used in OmniOutliner.

To learn more, read the Apple User Guide article:

Replace text and punctuation in documents on Mac

System Search

Available on Mac, iPad in the Help Menu

On Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, search OmniOutliner menu items in order to find a specific command.

On Mac, the same command will also search OmniOutliner Help (this document). Results appear as a list of menu items and help topics respectively.

Keyboard shortcut:

Shift+Command+?

Transformations

Available on Mac in the Edit Menu

The Transformations submenu contains commands that apply to selected text in the outline, sidebar, and inspector, to convert it to upper case, lowercase, or capitalize each selected word.

Make Upper Case
Make Lower Case
Capitalize

Translate

Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Editing Shortcut Menu

This is a system-provided command which allows you to translate the selected text.

To learn more, please read this Apple User Guide article:

Translate text on Mac

Though this article is for Mac, the information also applies to other platforms.

Underline

Available on Mac, iPad in the Format Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Editing Shortcut Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Selection Inspector

Apply or remove the underline style to the selected text, row, or document.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+U

Undo

Available on Mac, iPad in the Edit Menu

Reverse the most recent change that you made. You can keep undoing edits, allowing you to return to an earlier point in time.

You can use Redo to restore an edit that you have undone.

Keyboard shortcuts:

Command+Z

Compare Redo.

Ungroup

Available on Mac, iPad in the Organize Menu

Ungroup the rows of a selected group, turning the children of the parent row into sibling of the parent row.

The parent row can then be removed, if you choose.

Keyboard shortcut:

Option+Command+U

Compare Group.

See also Ungroup in The Toolbar chapter.

Use Typewriter Mode

Available on Mac in the View Menu

By default, OmniOutliner keeps your scroll position static when you add a new row to an outline, or select a row other than the current one (until you reach the very bottom of the window).

Typewriter Mode detects when your selection moves above or below the center of the document window, and adjusts the scroll position. This keeps the row you select front and center, just like it would on a typewriter.

Writing Tools

Available on Mac in the Edit Menu
Available on iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro in the Editing Shortcut Menu

To learn more about Writing Tools, please read these Apple User Guide articles:

Zoom Window

Available on Mac in the Window Menu

Operating system command to switch the front OmniOutliner window between the largest possible size, and the last size you set.

To learn more, read the Apple User Guide article:

Move and arrange app windows on Mac

Zoom

Zoom In

Available on Mac, iPad in the View Menu

Magnify the view of your document, up to 400 percent.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+>

Zoom Out

Available on Mac, iPad in the View Menu

De-magnify the view of your document, down to 50 percent.

Keyboard shortcut:

Command+<

Zoom to Actual Size

Available on Mac, iPad in the View Menu

Scales your document back to 100 percent (normal size).

Settings

Settings can be used to customize the app’s behavior and appearance, so that OmniOutliner is fully configured for your needs.

This chapter is structured to help you easily find the information you need, with each section organized for a different purpose.

Mac Settings — Listed in app order, for ease of reference.
iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro Settings — Listed in app order, for ease of reference.
Settings Reference — Listed in alphabetical order. A good place to start if you would like more information about a setting, want to see which platforms support the setting, or need to locate the setting on different platforms.

To open Settings:

On Mac, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, choose Settings… from the OmniOutliner Menu, or press Command+,
On iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, tap More in the Toolbar, then tap Settings

Where appropriate, sections of this chapter may link to a related section of the Commands and Shortcuts chapter.

Mac Settings

Settings panes are listed in the order they are displayed in the app.

General Settings
Keyboard Settings
Update Settings (Direct Download)
System Info Settings (Mac App Store)

On Mac, each settings pane has a Reset button in the bottom corner. If you press the Option key, the button updates to Reset All. Clicking on either option will present a confirmation before making any changes.

Reset will restore settings in the pane you are viewing to the state they were in when OmniOutliner was first installed.
Reset All will restore all settings to the state they were in when OmniOutliner was first installed.

General Settings

General settings affect app-wide interactions in OmniOutliner.

For New Documents
OPML Display Theme
Links
Styles
Full Screen Mode
Color Palette

Keyboard Settings

Adjust how OmniOutliner interprets certain keys:

When pressing Return
New rows are created
When pressing Escape
Apply named styles with

Update Settings

Update settings control how frequently OmniOutliner checks for updates to itself (for non-App Store builds), and offers the option to help Omni improve future versions of OmniOutliner by sending us anonymous data about your device.

Check for updates
Send anonymous system information to the Omni Group

System Info Settings

System Info settings for Mac App Store builds offer the option to help Omni improve future versions of OmniOutliner by sending us anonymous data about your device.

Send anonymous system information to the Omni Group

iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro Settings

Settings rows and groups are listed in the order they are displayed in the app.

The options on this screen are particularly helpful if you are using an external keyboard:

App Lock
Color Palette
New rows use peers’ style
Show keyboard shortcuts in inspectors
Include handles in text export
Send Anonymous Data
Warnings

Settings Reference

This section lists all OmniOutliner settings in alphabetical order.

Each entry contains links to where the setting (or command) can be found on each platform.

App Lock
Apply Named Styles With
Color Palette
Check for Updates (Omni Store Only)
For New Documents
Full Screen Mode
Include Handles in Text Export
Links
New Rows Are Created
New Rows Use Peers’ Style
OPML Display Theme
Send Anonymous Data
Send Anonymous System Information to the Omni Group
Show Keyboard Shortcuts in Inspectors
Styles
Warnings
When Pressing Escape
When Pressing Return

App Lock

Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Settings

If you use OmniOutliner on a device that you occasionally share (with your children, coworkers, or clients, for example), there may be times you would prefer that your OmniOutliner documents be hidden. The App Lock feature prevents accidental taps and casual glances by adding a password-locked privacy screen that must be dismissed before accessing any of your OmniOutliner documents or settings.

App Lock does not encrypt your documents, nor does it prevent someone with physical access to your device from connecting it to another device and copying your documents, or deleting OmniOutliner from your device outright. Files can also be used to retrieve your documents regardless of whether App Lock is turned on.

App Lock is solely intended as a privacy feature, to prevent accidental exposure or corruption of data when others are using your device. It is not meant to thwart serious attempts to access or compromise your data. Device-level security measures are recommended for those with additional security needs.

App Lock is turned off by default. To turn it on, tap App Lock.

When you turn on App Lock, you will be prompted to choose (and confirm) a new App Lock password.

If you use OmniOutliner on multiple devices, you need to configure and set an App Lock password on each device where you would like the additional privacy.

Warning

If you forget the App Lock password, OmniOutliner can no longer be used on your device.

If you are using iCloud Drive or other Connected Folders, the easiest way to recover is to delete OmniOutliner, then reinstall the app from the App Store, and reconfigure your folders.

If you have chosen not to sync, you can retrieve your documents by connecting your device to the Finder. Read Apple’s support article Use the Finder to sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with your Mac to learn more.

You can also use the Files app to retrieve your documents.

After saving a backup of your documents, delete OmniOutliner from your device and reinstall it from the App Store. Once you have reinstalled OmniOutliner, you can set a new App Lock password, and use the Finder to return documents to your device.

After choosing a password, App Lock is turned on.

App Lock Settings offer the option to turn App Lock off, change your password, or use Touch ID, Face ID, or Optic ID to unlock OmniOutliner on supported devices.

To change your App Lock password, Tap Change Password…. You are prompted to enter your old password, and then to choose and confirm a new one.

With App Lock turned on, the next time you open OmniOutliner you will see a privacy screen with a field to enter the password you chose. Enter the password, and jump into your documents!

If you choose to use Touch ID, Face ID, or Optic ID, a prompt for your fingerprint, face, or eye will appear instead. You will still have the option to enter a password, or you can tap the icon next to the password field to unlock with Touch ID, Face ID, or Optic ID if you dismissed the prompt initially.

To minimize interruptions while using OmniOutliner, App Lock will not engage for 90 seconds after switching away, in case you are quickly switching between apps.

Apply Named Styles With

Available on Mac in Keyboard Settings

You can use these keyboard shortcuts to apply one of the Named styles to the current row.

On Mac, Named styles are found in the lower portion of the Styles section of the Sidebar.

Function keys — Press and hold the Fn key, then press a numbered function key (F1 through F9) to apply the style. For example, to apply the Heading 1 named style in the default Blank template, press Fn+F1.
Control + number — Press and hold the Control key, and then press a number to apply the style. For example, to apply the Heading 1 named style in the default Blank template, press Control+1. These are the keyboard shortcuts used on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro.

For iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, see Show Keyboard Shortcuts in Inspector.

Color Palette

Available on Mac in General Settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Settings

Choose between three color palette options:

Automatic — Follows the Appearance (Light, Dark, or Auto) selected in System Settings.
Light — Uses the Light color palette, regardless of your device’s Appearance settings.
Dark — Uses the Dark color palette, regardless of your device’s Appearance settings.

You can also filter by Palette when using the Template Picker to create a new document.

This feature is not yet supported by Apple Vision Pro.

Read these Apple User Guide articles to learn more:

Check for Updates (Omni Store Only)

Available on Mac in Update Settings

OmniOutliner will periodically check for updates. You can choose the interval you prefer, or uncheck the box to turn off automatic checking.

You can manually check for updates by clicking on Check Now, or with the Check for Updates… command.

For New Documents

Available on Mac in General Settings

Choose what happens when you create a new document using the New command.

OmniOutliner will either:

Open Template Picker
Use Template: Default Template

Opening Template Picker allows you to choose a specific Template for each new document you create.

Choosing a default template creates all new documents using the same template.

To change the default template, click Change Template… and select a template from the Template Picker.

This setting can also be updated using Make Default in the Template Picker.

Full Screen Mode

Available on Mac in General Settings

Select which Full Screen mode you would like to use:

Standard — The Toolbar, Sidebar, and Inspector are visible at all times.
Distraction Free — The Toolbar, Sidebar, and Inspector are hidden, until you move the cursor to the edges of the screen.

Include Handles in Text Export

Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Settings

When turned off, row handles are not included when exporting to plain text.

When turned on, row handles are represented as a single dash (-) when exporting to plain text.

This applies to text exported from OmniOutliner Documents or OPML Documents.

Links

Available on Mac in General Settings

OmniOutliner automatically creates clickable hyperlinks when you type or paste URLs, such as omnigroup.com or https://omnigroup.com.

If you turn off this setting, any URLs you type or paste will remain text, and clicking them will not open the URL.

New Rows Are Created

Available on Mac in Keyboard Settings

Choose what happens when you create a new row:

Indented if there are children — Return creates a new child row, if the selected row already has children; but creates a row at the same level, if the selected row does not have children.
Always at the same level — Return always creates a row at the same level as the selected row.

OPML Display Theme

Available on Mac in General Settings

Select the Theme to use for OPML files in OmniOutliner.

Unlike theming for OmniOutliner documents, where text and row styles are saved with the document, this setting only affects the display of OPML documents, and is not saved.

To change the default theme, click Change Theme… and select a different theme from the Template Picker.

Send Anonymous System Information to the Omni Group

Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Settings
Available on Mac (Direct Download) in Update Settings
Available on Mac (Mac App Store) in System Info Settings

If you would like to help improve future versions of OmniOutliner, you can choose to send us anonymous information about your OmniOutliner data and device.

On iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, all the information that will be shared is visible in this Settings screen.

On Mac, click on Learn more about what kind of information is sent.

Show Keyboard Shortcuts in Inspectors

Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Settings

Named Styles are listed in the Apply Styles Inspector, and can be applied to selected rows by pressing Control+1 through Control+9.

When this setting is turned on, keyboard shortcuts appear next to the related style. When this setting is turned off, keyboard shortcuts do not appear, but can still be used to apply styles.

Styles/New Rows Use Peers’ Style

Available on Mac in General Settings
Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Settings

When turned on, adding a new row (by pressing Return, Shift+Return, or using the New button) applies the styles of the previously selected row to the newly created row.

When turned off, new rows are created using the default styles from the theme you are using.

Warnings

Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro in Settings

Set whether compatibility warnings will appear when you open an OmniOutliner 3 Document or OPML Document.

When Pressing Escape

Available on Mac in Keyboard Settings

Select which Esc key behavior you would like:

Unchecked — Esc opens the system-wide completion menu.
Checked — Esc begins or ends editing.

The system-wide completion menu can be very useful, when you aren’t quite sure how to spell something. You can type in the first few characters of the word, press Esc, and a popup menu appears with a list of possible options. To accept one of the options, you can click it with your mouse, or use the Down Arrow and Up Arrow keys to highlight the word you want, then press Tab or Return to accept that option.

Beginning or ending editing is useful for quickly moving around your outline, editing rows and cells more efficiently. Pressing Esc after entering text in a row will highlight that row. Pressing Esc again places the cursor at the end of the line, so you can continue typing.

When Pressing Return

Available on Mac in Keyboard Settings

Select which Return key behavior you would like:

Create a new empty row — Return creates a new empty row.
Insert a line break in the current row — Return inserts a line break inside of the current row.
Split the current row at the insertion point — Return splits the row being edited into two, at the point of insertion.

Regardless of the above setting:

Option+Return always inserts a newline in the current row.
Control+Return always splits the current row into two rows.

Integration and Automation

OmniOutliner is deeply integrated into the system of whichever device you are using. This allows OmniOutliner to integrate with a range of Apple technologies, including:

Apple Intelligence
Shortcuts
Siri
Spotlight

In addition to the available Apple technologies, we have created Omni Automation Requires OmniOutliner Pro , our cross-platform automation system.

Apple Intelligence

Apple Intelligence is available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro, if your device meets the minimum system requirements:

How to get Apple Intelligence

As Apple continues to update Apple Intelligence, we evaluate each new feature to determine which will help you accomplish more in OmniOutliner. OmniOutliner 6 Essentials currently supports:

Genmoji
Shortcuts Actions
Writing Tools

Genmoji

Genmoji can be used in row titles and row notes.

To learn more about creating Genmoji, see these Apple User Guide articles:

Shortcuts Actions

The Shortcuts app supports Apple Intelligence actions, which can be combined with the OmniOutliner Action described below.

As of the time of writing, Apple Intelligence actions include using a cloud, on-device, or ChatGPT language model; creating an image using Image Playground; or incorporating Writing Tools into your workflow.

To learn more about using Apple Intelligence with Shortcuts, see these Apple User Guide articles:

Writing Tools

Writing Tools are available for row titles, row notes, and text contained in any cell.

To use Writing Tools, select the text you want to modify, then choose Show Writing Tools from the Shortcut Menu; on Mac, you can also select Writing Tools from the Edit Menu.

If you select a row (instead of text inside the row), Writing Tools will focus on the row title, but is unable to successfully Replace the title. You can still Copy and Paste the result manually.

To learn more about using Writing Tools, see these Apple User Guide articles:

Shortcuts

OmniOutliner 6.1 added a collection of actions to the Shortcuts app. OmniOutliner 6 Essentials only supports one Shortcuts action; OmniOutliner 6 Pro supports 24 additional Shortcuts actions.

If you are just getting started with Shortcuts, please start with these helpful Apple User Guide articles:

Remember that shortcuts can also include actions from other apps, as well as actions that are built-in to the system, including the Apple Intelligence actions.

Create New Outline

Description:

Create a new outline in OmniOutliner.

Action:

Create New Outline

Inputs:

No inputs.

This Shortcuts action is the equivalent of the New command.

Siri

Once you have configured a shortcut using the Shortcuts app, you can launch it using Siri.

To learn more, see these Apple User Guide articles:

For general information about Siri, these articles are useful:

Spotlight

Spotlight indexes OmniOutliner documents, allowing you to quickly search by row title, document title, attachment name, and note contents.

Spotlight is available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro:

Omni Automation

Omni Automation is our JavaScript-based cross-platform automation system, which is available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro.

Omni Automation requires OmniOutliner Pro.

Support and Troubleshooting

When you’re in need of help—whether you’re trying to figure out how columns work, how to apply a theme, or having some other issue with OmniOutliner—it’s good to know that the Support Humans at the Omni Group are always available to lend you a hand.

In addition to contacting Support directly, there are several online and in-app resources that can help answer your questions about OmniOutliner, and provide additional troubleshooting.

Release Notes

For a summary of the latest changes, start by reading the Release Notes.

They are available:

On Mac, from the Help Menu
On iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, from the OmniOutliner Help menu item in the Toolbar OmniOutliner Menu
On our website, at OmniOutliner Release Notes, or jump directly to release notes for Mac, iPad & iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro.

Online Support

Our OmniOutliner Support page provides a wealth of information (including this reference manual), as well as support articles which cover other topics related to working with OmniOutliner.

Community Support

Omni maintains a public Discourse Forum, which is available to everyone. Come share your questions and ideas with other users, share tips to show off how you’re using OmniOutliner, and seek help from the OmniOutliner community.

Omni also maintains a public Slack Workspace, where you’re welcome to join the community of fellow productivity enthusiasts to hang out and share OmniOutliner-related insights.

Note that while Discourse and Slack are a great resource for interacting with others in the OmniOutliner community, they are not monitored for troubleshooting purposes, and are not considered an official support channel. Please use our email and phone options to contact our support team directly.

Email Support

If you are stuck, have a great idea for the next version of OmniOutliner, or just want to let us know how we are doing, please send us an email.

Using the Contact Omni command creates an email message addressed to us, and includes information about the version you’re running, which operating system you’re running it on, and what type of license you have, which helps us quickly assist you.

Alternatively, you can email omnioutliner@omnigroup.com directly! Either way, we take support seriously, so you can expect a prompt response typed by our Support Humans.

If you are contacting support with an issue, it’s very helpful if you can include a screenshot or screen recording of the behavior that you’re experiencing, along with the steps that are causing the issue. This helps us understand the problem and find a solution more quickly and effectively.

Apple provides useful instructions for capturing screenshots or screen recordings:

Phone Support

We understand that sometimes you just can’t wait for an email response, like when you’re knee-deep in a project, and something isn’t working quite right. When this happens, you can call our Support Humans!

Please check our Support site for current hours and telephone numbers.

Glossary

If there is a term missing from this list which you might find helpful, or something that could use additional context or clarification, please email support to let us know.

Apple Account

Your Apple Account (previously known as your Apple ID) is used to access all services from Apple, including iCloud Drive.

If you need helping signing in to your Apple Account, please read this Apple User Guide article:

Apple User Guides

Apple provides User Guides for a variety of devices and applications.

There are links to specific articles throughout this reference manual, but if you’d like to learn more, these guides are a good place to start:

Compact View

This is the default view on iPhone, which is also available on iPad when using Split Screen, Slide Over, or narrow windows.

This view shows each pane of OmniOutliner individually, and can be thought of as navigating a series of stacked cards. You can move between the Outline and Inspector panes.

The Document Manager works in a similar fashion.

Contrast Regular View.

See Shortcut Menu.

Device

The hardware that supports running the OmniOutliner app.

Supported devices include Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro.

Compare Platform.

Document

OmniOutliner can create two different types of documents:

Documents contain structured writing or other data.
Templates contain settings and content you can use when creating a new outline.

To learn more, see the Documents and Templates chapter.

Drag and Drop

A platform feature that allows dragging items around inside of OmniOutliner, from other apps to OmniOutliner, and from OmniOutliner to other apps.

Drag and Drop is supported on macOS, iPadOS, iOS, and visionOS.

See Dragging and Dropping Rows in The Outline chapter

Dynamic Theme

OmniOutliner 6 supports creating OmniOutliner Documents with dynamic theming.

Dynamic theming has three options:

Automatic — Follows the Appearance (Light, Dark, or Auto) selected in System Settings.
Light — Uses the Light color palette, regardless of your device’s Appearance settings.
Dark — Uses the Dark color palette, regardless of your device’s Appearance settings.

You select your preferred dynamic theming for a given document, when creating a new document using the Template Picker, by changing the filter option for Palette.

Filter

A way to control the visibility of rows in the Outline, in order to quickly find relevant information.

See Filtering the Outline in The Outline chapter.

Group

One or more rows, indented below another row.

The indented rows are part of a group, which is contained by the row above.

See Hierarchy.

Gutter

The space on the leading edge of the document between the Notes Column and Row Handles.

Tapping or clicking in this space selects the row.

Hierarchy

The structure of your outline, showing the relationship between rows.

Higher level rows are outdented, while lower levels rows are indented beneath higher level rows.

If a row sits below another row, and is at the same level, they are referred to as peers. These can also be thought of as siblings.

If a row sits below another row, and is at a lower level (indented), it is referred to as either being inside the row above, or contained by the row above. These can also be thought of as parent and child.

To learn more, read the Hierarchy section of The Outline chapter.

Inspector

A pane which allows you to view and adjust attributes for selected text, rows, or even the whole document.

To show the Inspector, select the Inspector button in the Toolbar, or choose Show Inspector from the View Menu on iPad.

To learn more, read The Inspector chapter.

Leading Edge/Trailing Edge

When using OmniOutliner with a left to right language, the leading edge is the left side, and the trailing edge is the right side.

When using OmniOutliner with a right to left language, the leading edge is the right side, and the trailing edge is the left side.

Omni Account

Your Omni Account can be used to start a free trial of our applications, purchase a license or subscription, upgrade an existing license, or sync our applications using the Omni Sync Server.

To learn more, read our Using and managing your Omni Account support article.

Outline

On Mac, the Outline fills the entire window.

On iPad and Apple Vision Pro, the Outline is in the center of the OmniOutliner window, with the Inspector available on the trailing edge.

On iPhone, the Outline is the primary view, with the Inspector available when you need it.

Read The Outline chapter to learn more.

Outline Column

See Topic Column.

Plain Text

Plain Text does not support formatting of any kind.

Plain text is supported in Topic Column and Notes.

Contrast Rich Text.

Platform

The operating system that runs on each device supported by OmniOutliner.

Supported platforms include macOS, iPadOS, iOS, and visionOS.

Compare Device.

Regular View

The is the default view on Mac, iPad in most screen configurations, and Apple Vision Pro.

On iPad and Apple Vision Pro, this view can show the Outline and Inspector at the same time.

The Document Manager works in a similar fashion.

Contrast Compact View.

Rich Text

Rich Text is the native text format on most Apple devices, and supports different Fonts, Styles, and Colors, with additional attributes available depending on the Platform.

Rich text is supported in the Topic Column and Notes.

To learn more about formatting text, see the Apple User Guide article:

Format text in documents with fonts on Mac

Contrast Plain Text.

Row

The basic building block of content in OmniOutliner.

To learn more, read the Rows section of The Outline chapter.

Settings

If you would like to change something about how OmniOutliner works, see OmniOutliner Settings.

If you would like to change something about the system on which OmniOutliner is running, see System Settings.

If you touch and hold on a Row or selection of text, a Shortcut Menu may appear with relevant commands.

Apple previously referred to this type of menu as a context menu or contextual menu.

Status Bar

The status bar is at the bottom of your document window on Mac.

It displays the number of rows, words, and characters currently shown in the Outline. Numbers are based on rows currently displayed in the Outline, as if they are fully expanded. Filtering the Outline will change the numbers, but expanding or collapsing displayed rows will not.

System Settings

Application from Apple that allows you to change options which can affect your entire device, or just OmniOutliner.

On iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro, the application is named Settings.

On Mac, the application is named System Settings, and it is also available in the Apple menu, located in the top-left corner of your screen.

Template

An OmniOutliner document which can be used as the basis for creating a new outline.

See Templates to learn more.

An area at either the top or bottom of the OmniOutliner window, which contains Toolbar Buttons.

These buttons provide easy access to Commands and Settings.

For additional information, see The Toolbar chapter.

Topic Column

The primary column of your OmniOutliner document.

May also be referred to as the Outline Column.

To learn more, read the Topic Column section of The Outline chapter.

Contents

Welcome to OmniOutliner 6

All Platforms

Mac

iPad & iPhone

Apple Vision Pro

The Outline

Rows

Editing Rows

Row Handles

Status Checkboxes

Notes

Topic Column

Hierarchy

Levels and Sections

Selecting Rows

Organizing Rows

Sorting Rows

Indenting and Outdenting Rows

Copying and Pasting Rows

Dragging and Dropping Rows

Filtering the Outline

Styles

Structural Styles

Named Styles

The Toolbar

Toolbar on Mac

Customizing the Mac Toolbar

Toolbars on iPad

Customizing the iPad Toolbar

More Menu on iPad

Bottom Toolbar on iPad

Toolbars on iPhone

More Menu on iPhone

Bottom Toolbar on iPhone

Toolbars on Apple Vision Pro

More Menu on Apple Vision Pro

Bottom Toolbar on Apple Vision Pro

Toolbar Buttons Reference

About OmniOutliner

Add Above

Add Inside/Add Child

Add Note

Add Outside/Add Aunt

Add Parent

Add Row/New Item/New Row

Apply Theme

Attachments

Collapse All

Configure OmniPresence

Connected Folders

Contact Omni

Copy

Cut

Delete

Document Title Menu

Documents

Expand All

Filter

Flexible Space

Fonts

Group

Hide Note

Hide All Notes

Indent

Insert Line Break

Inspector

Keyboard Menu

License

More Menu

Move

Move Down

Move Left

Move Right

Move Up

Omni Newsletter Signup

OmniOutliner Help

OmniOutliner Menu

OmniPresence

Outdent