Documents and Templates
Whether you are creating reference materials, working on your next novel or paper, or simply gathering your thoughts, you can use OmniOutliner Documents as the foundation for your next project, and OmniOutliner Templates as 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.
Continue reading to learn more about working with documents, or jump directly to one of the following sections:
Creating Documents
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 choose between
New Outline
or
New from Template.
You can read about the Template Picker to learn more about working with Templates.
Opening Documents
Documents are files that OmniOutliner can open, edit, save, and print.
OmniOutliner 6 supports the following document types:
On Mac, use the Open or Open Recent commands in the File Menu, and choose a document for editing.
You can also open documents using the Finder by:
- Double-clicking on an OmniOutliner Document, OmniOutliner Template OmniOutliner 3 Document, OmniOutliner 3 Template, 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.
If double-clicking on the document doesn’t open OmniOutliner, read this Apple User Guide article for help:
On iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro, tap a document in the Document Manager to open it for editing.
You can also open documents using Files app:
- Tap or touch and hold on an OmniOutliner Document, OmniOutliner Template OmniOutliner 3 Document, OmniOutliner 3 Template, 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 to OmniOutliner
In addition to opening OmniOutliner documents, OmniOutliner 6 can import several types of files; this leaves the original file in place, and creates a new OmniOutliner Document.
On Mac, use the Open command in the File Menu to import one of the following file types:
On iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro, tap a file in the Document Manager to import one of the following file types:
You can also import files using Files app:
- 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.
Editing Documents
OmniOutliner can open, edit, save, and print the following file types:
Saving Documents
This section is being updated.
Exporting from OmniOutliner
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
- Excel 2010 Format (xslx)
![Requires OmniOutliner Pro]()
- HTML
- HTML (Dynamic)
- Microsoft Word (indented)
- Microsoft Word (outline)
- OmniOutliner Document
- OmniOutliner Template
![Requires OmniOutliner Pro]()
- OmniOutliner 3
- OmniOutliner 3 Template
![Requires OmniOutliner Pro]()
- 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)
Note that PDF is not included as an export option on Mac, 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.
- 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:
Templates
A template is an OmniOutliner document,
which has been saved with a special file extension
(.otemplate),
and which can be used to quickly create new documents.
These documents will use the same Theme as the template,
and pre-populate with any template contents.
This section is being updated.
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
allows you to select from a range of Omni-created
Built-In Templates,
in addition to any
Custom Templates
stored in a
Connected Folder
you have configured to
Use For
templates.
The sidebar contains options for filtering the available templates:
- All Templates — Displays all available templates.
- Custom — Displays templates stored in Connected Folders. Select Custom to display all templates, or select a folder to limit the display.
- Built-In — Displays all built-in templates. Select Built-In to display all templates, or select a category to limit the display.
The toolbar contains additional options:
Menu —
Contains
Manage Connected Folders,
which you can use to configure the
Use For
options for templates.
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,
but 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.
- Edit — Edit the selected template. Only available for Custom Templates.
- Edit a Copy
—
Make a copy of the selected template,
and open the copy for editing.
Built-in Templates
This section is being updated.
Custom Templates
If you have a document styled just so and would like to preserve its style setup for future use, you can save it as a template (File > Save As Template). This creates an .otemplate file version of the document, and makes it available as a template from the Template Picker in the Templates section.
This section is being updated.
Creating Templates
This section is being updated.
Opening Templates
This section is being updated.
Importing Templates
This section is being updated.
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:
You can customize your printout when Printing from Mac.
On iPad, Apple Vision Pro:
- Tap the
Document Title Menu. - Select Print.
On iPhone:
The Print window will show you a preview of your document to review before printing.
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, Headers & Footers, and Margins 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 a 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 the selected rows are included.
- Filter rows by status checkbox — Only rows that are checked or unchecked are included. If the rows are part of a group, any enclosing rows will also be included.
- Expand to show all descendants — Automatically expand groups, so all contained rows are visible in the printout.
- Flatten indentation — Remove indentation from the printout, so that all rows have the same initial alignment.
- Include notes — Select 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:
- Scale to fit page width — Columns are scaled to fit on a single page. With this option unchecked, the printout matches OmniOutliner, so you may need to manually adjust page breaks. When you adjust a column or window, a dashed line displays to indicate where the page break will occur.
- Print column titles — Only applies if Column Headers are set to Show or Automatic.
- Print row handles — Only applies if Row Handles are set to Always show.
- Print alternate row colors — If an Alternate Row color has been set, it will be included.
- Print other background colors — Other background colors will be printed, such as those applied by a Highlight style.
Headers and Footers
Headers and Footers options allow you to add details about your document to the top and bottom of each page of your printout.
Select an option from the pop-up menu at the top of the section to apply the headers and footers to:
- Master Page — All pages of the printout, unless another option applies to a given page.
- First Page — Only the first page of your printout.
- Odd Pages — All odd pages of your printout.
- Even Pages — All even pages of your printout.
The six boxes below are grouped in two sets, representing the left, center, and right positions on the page, with a top row for headers, and a bottom row for footers.
Click in a given box, and use the Insert pop-up menu below the row to insert one or more of the following:
- Page Number — Current page number.
- Section Title — If a Focus is applied, the name of the focused row; if no focus is applied, the document name.
- Last Modification Time — Date and time document was last updated.
- Page Count — Number of pages in the document.
- Document Title — By default, the same as the document name. Documents created by OmniOutliner 3 for Mac and earlier may have a separate document title.
- Document Name — Name assigned to the file when it is saved or renamed, and which appears in the document Toolbar.
- Print Time — Date and time document is printed.
Text in the headers and footers use the Whole Document style. If you would like to independently style the headers and footers, you can use the Fonts and Colors panels.
Once one of the panels is open, select any text you would like to format, and select an option in the panel.
Margins
Margin options allow you to control the appearance of your document within the bounds of a printed page.
To adjust any of the margin values, click into a field and enter a new distance, or click arrows to the right of the field to increase or decrease the value.
- Top of page to header — Distance between the top edge of the page and the header. Should be smaller than the distance to the content.
- Top of page to content — Distance between the top edge of the page and the content. Should be larger than the distance to the header.
- Left margin — Distance between the left edge of the page and the content.
- Right margin — Distance between the right edge of the page and the content.
- Content to bottom of page — Distance between the bottom edge of the page and the content. Should be larger than the distance to the header.
- Footer to bottom of page — Distance between the bottom edge of the page and the footer. Should be smaller than the distance to the content.
Document Manager
When you first launch OmniOutliner on iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro, you arrive at the Document Manager, where you can open an existing file or create a new one from scratch.
The document manager provides access to the OmniOutliner folder in iCloud Drive, On My iPad, On My iPhone, and On My Apple Vision Pro, in addition to files and folders from other applications.
If you have Configured OmniPresence, synced files and folders are available inside the OmniOutliner folder in On My iPad, On My iPhone, or On My Apple Vision Pro.
To learn more about the document manager in OmniOutliner, which is part of the Files app, 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
Recents
Tap Recents to display recently opened files in a flat list, sorted by date from most to least recently opened, from all available locations on this device.
If you looking for a file that does not display in Recents,
tap the
button to search your device,
or switch to the
Browse view.
Browse
Tap Browse to display the locations and folders stored on your device, or in any connected cloud services.
In Regular View,
the Sidebar contains a
Locations section,
in addition to sections for Favorites and Tags.
If the Sidebar is not visible,
tap the
button.
In Compact View,
the Sidebar is visible by tapping the
button.
Locations
The Locations list displays storage locations on your device.
This includes:
- iCloud Drive, as long as the device is signed in to your Apple Account.
- On My Device (On My iPad, On My iPhone, or On My Apple Vision Pro), containing files which are stored locally rather than in the cloud.
- Other Cloud Services which are configured on your device.
- Recently Deleted, listing deleted files for quick retrieval.
OmniPresence does not appear in this list of cloud services, because it doesn’t run as a separate application.
Recently Deleted
If you delete an OmniOutliner file, that file is moved to the Recently Deleted folder in the Locations list.
To manage files in the Recently Deleted folder, tap Select in the upper right and tap the thumbnails for each file you would like to manage. Options appear at the bottom of the screen to either Recover the files, returning them to their previous location, or Delete the selected files permanently.
Note that files stored with some cloud storage providers may be permanently deleted immediately instead of moving to Recently Deleted first. Because these recovery standards differ, it’s a good idea to always take care when deleting files.
Beneath the list of available locations is a list of Tags. Tap a tag in the list to view all of the items with that tag applied; you can apply tags to individual files using their contextual menu (see File Details below).
Finally, the More button at the top of the Locations list provides additional functions for modifying the contents of the list.
- Connect to Server—Choose a server to connect to via SMB, adding it as a location in a separate Shared section of the Locations list.
- Edit—Switch the list to Edit mode, where you can rearrange locations and tags, and choose which locations you want to be visible in the list. Note that changes made here apply to the Locations list everywhere it appears, including the Files app and other apps that use the iOS document browser.
Browsing a Location
Upon selecting a location in the Locations list, its contents appear in a pane to the right (this pane appears on top of the Locations list when in compact views).
A search field at the top of the pane offers options to search recently opened files, the entire current location, or just the current folder for filenames that match the search terms.
Drag down on the browsing pane to access more controls for the location, choose how files are sorted, and switch between thumbnail and list views.
Toolbar
When viewing a location, the toolbar across the top of the screen will include some or all of these buttons:
On the leading edge of the toolbar is the
Back
button.
Tap to go up in the folder hierarchy,
or return to the
Locations
list.
Next to the Back button is the name of the current folder,
such as OmniOutliner or Templates.
Tap the down arrow
to show options from the operating system.
Opens the
Toolbar OmniOutliner Menu.
Automation Menu
![]()
New Outline
OmniPresence
Displayed buttons depend on which device you are using, the orientation of your device, and window size. The toolbar also contains buttons from the operating system.
File Details
Each file is represented by a thumbnail image. Once modified, OmniOutliner generates a preview based on the contents of the file; otherwise, the file is represented by a generic document icon.
Along with the thumbnail, each file displays its name, the date it was last opened, and its location on your device.
-
Tap a document preview to open the associated file.
-
To change the name of a file or folder, tap the name and then enter a new title.
Contextual Menu
Tap and hold a file’s thumbnail to open a contextual menu for the file, with the following commands:
- Copy — Copies the selected file and makes it available on the clipboard for pasting.
- Duplicate — Copies and instantly pastes a copy of the selected file at the current location.
- Move — Opens a hierarchical view of your locations where you can choose a new destination for the file.
- Delete — Deletes the selected file (it can still be recovered if necessary).
- Info — Presents a popup with detailed information on the file, including a larger document preview, metadata related to the file’s creation and modification, location on your device, and any tags you have assigned.
- Tags — Presents the list of available tags along with the option to create a new one. Tap a tag in the list to assign it to or remove it from the file.
- Rename — Opens the file rename dialog, just as if you had tapped its name in the document browser.
- Share — Opens the iOS share sheet, where you can choose from among the standard array of iOS share destinations as well as additional OmniOutliner-specific share options, as described below.
Formats and File Types
OmniOutliner supports working with many document formats and file types.
Documents are specific file types which OmniOutliner can open, edit, save, and print. OmniOutliner 6 supports these documents formats:
In addition to documents, OmniOutliner 6 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 supports exporting these document formats and file types:
- Comma-Separated Values (CSV)
- HTML
- HTML (Dynamic)
- Microsoft Excel (XLSX)
![Requires OmniOutliner Pro]()
- Microsoft PowerPoint (PPTX)
- Microsoft Word (DOCX)
- OmniOutliner Document
- OmniOutliner 3 Document
- OmniOutliner Template
![Requires OmniOutliner Pro]()
- OmniOutliner 3 Template
![Requires OmniOutliner Pro]()
- Outline Processor Markup Language (OPML)
- 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)
OmniOutliner Document
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro
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.
OmniOutliner Document files are saved with a filename extension of .ooutline.
OmniOutliner 6 supports:
Editing an OmniOutliner Document
OmniOutliner documents support all current features of OmniOutliner 6, and can be opened, edited, saved, or printed without limitations.
When opening a document created in OmniOutliner Pro which contain features not supported by OmniOutliner Essentials, a notice bar appears at the top of the window indicating that the document is Read Only. These documents can be read by Essentials, but require Pro for editing or saving.
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 one time only.
Exporting an OmniOutliner Document
Creates an OmniOutliner document using the current OmniOutliner format.
These documents can be opened, edited, and saved by OmniOutliner 5 for Mac and OmniOutliner 3 for iPad and iPhone, but saving in that earlier version of the app may discard Dynamic Theme customization, as well as some Filter rules.
Diagramming Outlines in OmniGraffle
If you also use OmniGraffle, you can use it 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 Documnet with a filename extension of .ooutline.
- Click Open.
- OmniGraffle presents and Import Outline dialog.
- Use the default OmniOutliner Import Template, or select another template from the pop-up menu at the top of the dialog.
- Click Open, and start diagramming!
You can also select View > Show Contents > Outline to use OmniGraffle’s Outline Editor to continue building your outline.
OmniOutliner Template ![Requires OmniOutliner Pro]()
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 Templates are saved with a filename extension of .otemplate.
OmniOutliner 6 supports:
Editing an OmniOutliner Template
OmniOutliner Templates support all current features of OmniOutliner 6, and can be opened, edited, and saved without limitations.
OmniOutliner Essentials supports opening OmniOutliner Templates and OmniOutliner 3 Templates, but is not able to 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 using Essentials.
On Mac, editing a Template requires launching OmniOutliner, and then using the Open command. Opening a Template in any other way, such as double-clicking on it or dragging it to the app icon in the Dock, will create a new document based on the Template.
Exporting an OmniOutliner Template
Creates an OmniOutliner template using the current OmniOutliner format.
These templates can be opened, edited, and saved by OmniOutliner 5 for Mac and OmniOutliner 3 for iPad and iPhone, but saving in that earlier version of the app may discard Dynamic Theme customization, as well as some Filter rules.
Comma-Separated Values (CSV)
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro
CSV files are saved with a filename extension of .csv.
OmniOutliner 6 supports:
- Exporting to CSV
- Importing from CSV (if converted to a tab-delimited file)
Exporting to CSV
Creates a Comma-Separated Values file.
If your document contains multiple columns, each row is placed on a separate line with each column separated by a comma, and text containing spaces is within quotation marks.
This export option is ideal for preserving data from multiple columns. If you want to preserve Styles, consider Exporting to Microsoft Excel.
Importing from CSV
OmniOutliner imports CSV files as Plain Text (TXT), which results in a single-column document.
If you transform your CSV file into a tab-delimited file (see Tab-separated values) with a filename extension of .txt, then Importing from TXT will successfully import both rows and columns of text.
OmniOutliner 3 Document
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro
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.
OmniOutliner 3 Documents are saved with a filename extension of .oo3.
OmniOutliner 6 supports:
Editing an OmniOutliner 3 Document
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 any OmniOutliner 3 Document.
- Select the
button to hide the notice bar one time only.
Exporting an OmniOutliner 3 Document
Creates an OmniOutliner document using a legacy OmniOutliner format.
These documents can be opened in OmniOutliner 4 for Mac; OmniOutliner 3 for Mac; OmniOutliner 2 for iPad and iPhone; and OmniOutliner 1 for iPad. They are not compatible with OmniOutliner 2 for Mac and earlier.
They can be opened in OmniOutliner 6 for Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro; OmniOutliner 5 for Mac; and OmniOutliner 3 for iPad and iPhone; but must be updated to the current OmniOutliner Document format to access all newer features.
OmniOutliner 3 Template ![Requires OmniOutliner Pro]()
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 3 Templates are saved with a filename extension of .oo3template.
OmniOutliner 6 supports:
Editing an OmniOutliner 3 Template
On Mac, editing a Template requires launching OmniOutliner, and then using the Open command. Opening a Template in any other way, such as double-clicking on it or dragging it to the app icon in the Dock, will create a new document based on the Template.
When opening an OmniOutliner 3 Template 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 any OmniOutliner 3 Templates.
- Select the
button to hide the notice bar one time only.
Exporting an OmniOutliner 3 Template
Creates an OmniOutliner template using a legacy OmniOutliner format.
These documents can be opened in OmniOutliner 4 for Mac; OmniOutliner 3 for Mac; OmniOutliner 2 for iPad and iPhone; and OmniOutliner 1 for iPad. They are not compatible with OmniOutliner 2 for Mac and earlier.
They can be opened in OmniOutliner 6 for Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro; OmniOutliner 5 for Mac; and OmniOutliner 3 for iPad and iPhone; but must be updated to the current OmniOutliner Template format to access all newer features.
Outline Processor Markup Language (OPML)
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro
OPML Documents are saved with a filename extension of .opml.
OmniOutliner 6 supports:
Available for import, export, editing.
- .opml—The Outline Processor Markup Language format, which is not unique to OmniOutliner but can be both read and written by it. Some features such as text and structural styles are not supported by this format.
Editing OPML
OmniOutliner supports native editing of OPML files. OPML is a structured writing file format that is widely used among various platforms, but does not support the rich styling controls offered by OmniOutliner.
When editing an OPML file in OmniOutliner, the Selection inspectors are disabled to indicate that custom styles are not saved along with the file while it is in OPML format. Template themes can be applied with the Document inspector, but are not saved when closing the file.
If OPML warnings are turned on in OmniOutliner Settings, a notice bar appears at the top of the outline indicating that some features are unavailable while editing a native OPML document.
- .opml—A valid OPML file.
When opening an OPML Document a notice bar appears at the top of the window indicating that some OmniOutliner features are disabled.
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 one 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 any OPML Documents.
- Select the
button to hide the notice bar one time only.
Importing from OPML
OmniOutliner 6 can edit OPML Documents without importing them. If you would like to use OmniOutliner-specific features, you need to save a copy as an OmniOutliner Document.
OPML Documents can be directly edited bu Omni
Exporting to OPML
Exports a .opml file, which retains the hierarchical structure of your outline. However, OPML files do not retain any of the styles or attachments you may have applied in OmniOutliner.
If you apply a Focus to your document, only the focused contents will be exported.
HTML (Simple)
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro
OmniOutliner 6 supports:
Exporting to HTML (Simple)
Creates a folder named after your document which contains an index.html HTML file, along with any images or other attachments included in your document.
Styles are converted to CSS.
HTML (Dynamic)
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro
OmniOutliner 6 supports:
Exporting to HTML (Dynamic)
Creates a folder named after your document which contains an index.html HTML file, along with any images or other attachments included in your document. This export also includes an outliner.js JavaScript file, which adds support for expanding and collapsing sections of the outline when viewed in a web browser.
Styles are converted to CSS.
Microsoft Excel (XLSX) ![Requires OmniOutliner Pro]()
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro
Microsoft Excel files are saved with a filename extension of .xslx.
OmniOutliner 6 supports:
Exporting to XLSX
Creates a Microsoft Excel file which can be edited with Microsoft Excel 2010, or other versions of Excel which support the format.
If you apply a Focus to your document, only the focused contents will be exported.
This export option is ideal for preserving data from multiple columns, while also representing Styles within the limits of Excel. If you need to export multiple columns, but do not need to preserve styles, consider Exporting to CSV.
Microsoft Excel allows assigning links to cells, so OmniOutliner maps existing links when exporting. Links which are not exported as a linked cell are still exported as plain text in the destination cell, and can be converted back to links within Excel. If an OmniOutliner cell contains:
- A single link, with no other links or text, then the exported cell is linked.
- A single link, along with unlinked text, then the exported cell is not linked.
- Multiple links, then the exported cell is not linked.
Microsoft PowerPoint (PPTX)
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro
Microsoft PowerPoint (2012 Format) files are saved with a filename extension of .pptx.
OmniOutliner 6 supports:
Exporting to PPTX
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.
If you apply a Focus to your document, only the focused contents will be exported.
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 Word (DOCX)
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro
Microsoft Word files are saved with a filename extension of .docx.
OmniOutliner 6 supports:
Exporting to DOCX
There are two options for exporting to DOCX.
Both Microsoft Word export options:
- Include the Topic Column only.
- Convert Level Styles to heading styles.
- Flatten other styles and apply them directly to text, as Word does not support the OmniOutliner style model.
If you apply a Focus to your document, only the focused contents will be exported.
Exporting to DOCX (Indented)
Creates a Microsoft Word file which retains the outline structure using indentation, and is useful for transitioning from your outline into a final document.
Exporting to DOCX (Outline)
Creates a Microsoft Word file which retains the outline structure when viewed in Word’s Outline view, and is useful for continuing to build your outline in Word after starting in OmniOutliner.
Plain Text (TXT)
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro
Plain Text files are saved with a filename extension of .txt.
OmniOutliner 6 supports:
Importing from TXT
- .txt—Plain text and tab-delimited files.
See also Importing from CSV.
Exporting to TXT
Exports a raw .txt file without any styles. Child rows and columns are aligned using tabs rather than spaces, making this type of export useful for importing into spreadsheet apps such as Numbers or Excel.
See also Exporting to Symantec MORE.
Portable Document Format (PDF)
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro
PDF files are saved with a filename extension of .pdf.
OmniOutliner 6 supports:
- Exporting to PDF (iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro)
- Printing to PDF (Mac)
Exporting to PDF
The popular PDF file format is not included as an export option because OmniOutliner supports the macOS standard Save as PDF option available from the print panel. See Printing in OmniOutliner for details on configuring the appearance of your document for both print and PDF export.
Rich Text Format (RTF)
Available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro
Rich Text Format (RTF) is a file type that many word processors, such as TextEdit, Pages, or Microsoft Word, can open and edit.
Rich Text Format files are saved with a filename extension of .rtf.
OmniOutliner 6 supports:
Importing from RTF
Creates an OmniOutliner Document which includes the text, text styles, and colors from the original RTF file.
Exporting to RTF
Creates a Rich Text Format file, which includes Styles applied in OmniOutliner.
RTF is a good choice if your document contains text and numbers; if it contains attachments and images, consider Exporting to RTFD.
Rich Text Format Directory (RTFD)
Available on Mac
Rich Text Format Directory (RTFD) is a file type that many word processors, such as TextEdit, Pages, or Microsoft Word, can open and edit.
Rich Text Format Directory files are saved with a filename extension of .rtfd.
OmniOutliner 6 supports:
Importing from RTFD
Creates an OmniOutliner 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 and numbers, consider Exporting to RTF.
Symantec MORE 3.1
Available on Mac
OmniOutliner 6 supports:
Importing from MORE
OmniOutliner can import files created with Symantec MORE 3.1, which have a filename extension of .more.
Exporting to MORE
OmniOutliner can export to a plain text file structured for easy import into Symantec MORE 3.1.
Plain Text (Symantec MORE 3.1) files are saved with a filename extension of .txt.

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