Welcome to LibreDiary — a self-hosted workspace for notes, docs, and databases. This guide covers everything you need to know as a user.
- You will receive an email invitation from your organisation administrator
- Click the invitation link and complete the registration form
- Set a strong password (minimum 8 characters)
- Verify your email address if required by your instance
- Email & Password: Enter your credentials on the login page
- OAuth: Click "Sign in with GitHub" or "Sign in with Google" if configured
- Sessions: Your session persists across browser tabs. You can view and revoke active sessions from your profile
Access your profile from the top-right avatar menu:
- Name: Update your display name
- Locale: Choose your preferred language (17+ languages supported)
- Sessions: View active sessions across devices and revoke any you don't recognise
- OAuth Accounts: Link or unlink GitHub/Google accounts
LibreDiary supports multiple organisations. Each organisation is an isolated workspace with its own pages, databases, templates, and members.
Use the organisation switcher in the sidebar to switch between workspaces.
Click "Create Organisation" from the workspace switcher. You will need:
- Name: A display name for your organisation
- Slug: A URL-friendly identifier (auto-generated from the name)
| Role | Permissions |
|---|---|
| Owner | Full control, can delete org, transfer ownership |
| Admin | Manage members, invites, and settings |
| Member | Create and edit pages, databases, and files |
Admins can invite new members by email. Invitations can be resent or cancelled from the organisation settings.
Pages are the core building blocks of LibreDiary. Each page is a rich-text document powered by a block-based editor.
- Click the + button in the sidebar
- Or use the keyboard shortcut to create a new page
Pages are organised in a tree hierarchy. You can:
- Nest pages: Drag a page onto another to make it a child
- Reorder: Drag pages to change their position
- Breadcrumbs: Navigate the hierarchy using breadcrumbs at the top
- Paragraphs: Standard text blocks
- Headings: H1, H2, H3 levels
- Lists: Bullet, numbered, and task lists
- Code Blocks: Syntax-highlighted code with language selection
- Callouts: Highlighted information blocks (info, warning, success, error)
- Toggles: Collapsible sections
- Images: Uploaded or linked images
- Tables: Data tables with resizable columns
Type / anywhere in the editor to open the slash command menu. Quick access to all block types and formatting options.
- Bold:
Ctrl/Cmd + B - Italic:
Ctrl/Cmd + I - Underline:
Ctrl/Cmd + U - Code:
Ctrl/Cmd + E - Link:
Ctrl/Cmd + K - Strikethrough:
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + X
Hover over any block to reveal the drag handle on the left. Drag blocks to reorder content within a page.
Click the page icon (or "Add icon" placeholder) to set an emoji icon for your page. Icons appear in the sidebar tree and breadcrumbs.
Star a page to pin it to your favourites section at the top of the sidebar. Favourites are per-user and can be reordered.
Deleted pages go to the trash and can be restored within 30 days. After 30 days, trashed pages are permanently deleted.
To restore: open Trash from the sidebar, find the page, and click "Restore".
LibreDiary automatically saves page versions. You can:
- View the version history timeline
- Compare any two versions with a diff view
- Restore a previous version
Multiple users can edit the same page simultaneously.
You will see other users' cursors and selections in real-time, each with a different colour label showing the user's name.
Edits are merged automatically using CRDT (Conflict-free Replicated Data Types). No manual conflict resolution needed.
Control who can view or edit specific pages:
| Level | Description |
|---|---|
| Can View | Read-only access |
| Can Edit | Full editing access |
Create shareable links for pages:
- Public pages: Accessible to anyone with the link
- Share links with expiration: Time-limited access tokens
- Access tracking: See who accessed your shared pages
- Click the comment icon on any block to add an inline comment
- Comments support threaded replies
- Resolve comments when the discussion is complete
Type @ followed by a name to mention another user. They will receive a notification.
Databases let you organise structured data with multiple views.
Create a database from the sidebar or within a page. Each database starts with a default table view.
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Text | Plain text |
| Number | Numeric values |
| Select | Single-choice dropdown |
| Multi-Select | Multiple-choice tags |
| Date | Date picker |
| Checkbox | Boolean toggle |
| URL | Clickable links |
| Email addresses | |
| Person | User assignment |
| Relation | Link to another database |
| Rollup | Aggregated values from relations |
| Formula | Calculated values |
| File | File attachments |
| View | Description |
|---|---|
| Table | Spreadsheet-style rows and columns |
| Kanban | Drag-and-drop board grouped by a select property |
| Calendar | Month/week view grouped by a date property |
| Gallery | Visual card grid |
Each view can have its own filters, sorting, and visible properties.
Save time with reusable templates.
Browse the template library and click "Use Template" to create a new page from a template.
Create a template from scratch or convert an existing page to a template. Templates can be categorised for easy discovery.
Upload files to your pages or databases:
- Supported formats: Images, PDFs, documents, and more
- Size limits: Configured by your administrator
- Storage: Files are stored securely (local, S3, or MinIO depending on configuration)
Use the search bar (Ctrl/Cmd + K) to find pages across your organisation.
- Full-text search: Searches page titles and content
- Typo tolerance: Finds results even with minor spelling mistakes
- Faceted filtering: Filter by date range, author, and more
- Instant results: Results appear as you type
LibreDiary notifies you about:
- Comments on your pages
- @mentions
- Organisation invitations
- Shared page access
Customise which notifications you receive and how (in-app, email, or both) from your notification settings.
If enabled by your administrator, LibreDiary includes AI-powered features:
Select text and use the AI menu to:
- Generate: Create content from a prompt
- Expand: Elaborate on selected text
- Summarise: Condense selected text
- Improve: Enhance writing quality
Translate page content into 31 supported languages. Translations are cached for performance.
You have the right to export all your data:
- Go to Settings > Privacy
- Click "Request Data Export"
- Download the archive when ready
Request account deletion from the privacy settings. There is a 30-day grace period during which you can cancel the deletion.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl/Cmd + K |
Open search |
Ctrl/Cmd + B |
Bold |
Ctrl/Cmd + I |
Italic |
Ctrl/Cmd + U |
Underline |
Ctrl/Cmd + E |
Inline code |
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + X |
Strikethrough |
Ctrl/Cmd + K |
Add link |
/ |
Open slash command menu |
@ |
Mention a user |
LibreDiary supports offline viewing through its PWA (Progressive Web App) capabilities. Previously viewed pages are cached and available without an internet connection.
Developed by Akaal Creatives