Web App

The Basic Memory web app at app.basicmemory.com provides a full-featured interface for managing your knowledge base. Everything your AI assistant can do, you can do here too.

Navigating Notes

Browse by folder

Expand folders in the left panel to navigate your project structure. Click a folder to filter the notes list to that location.

Use tabs to filter

Switch between views in the notes list:

Search notes

Use the search field above the notes list to filter by title or content. Search is instant and searches the current project.

Pin important notes

Right-click a note (or use the ⋮ menu) to Pin it. Pinned notes appear in the Pinned tab for quick access.

Editing Notes

Editor modes

The editor supports three modes, toggled with the buttons in the top-right:

Markdown formatting

The editor supports full Markdown including:

• Headers, bold, italic, strikethrough
• Code blocks with syntax highlighting
• Tables
• Links and images
• Task lists (- [ ] and - [x])
• Basic Memory semantic syntax (observations, relations)

Press Cmd/Ctrl + / to see all formatting shortcuts.

Edit Note Frontmatter

Select the "Frontmatter" button to edit the note's frontmatter

Creating and Managing Notes

Create a new note

1. Start typeing in the editor to create a new note. It will save automatically
2. Click the + button in the notes list, or
3. Press Cmd/Ctrl + Alt + N, or
4. Use the command palette (Cmd/Ctrl + K) → "New Note"

Move notes

1. Right-click a note → Move to relocate it to a different folder.
2. Drag the note card from the list onto the desired folder
3. Drag a folder in the tree to a new location to move a directory of notes

Delete notes

Right-click a note → Delete. Deleted notes are removed from the project and database.

Download a note

Right-click a note → Download to save it as a .md file to your computer.

Projects

Projects are top-level containers. Each project has its own folder tree, notes, and sync configuration.

Switch projects

Use the project dropdown in the top-left to switch between projects.

Manage projects

Click Manage Projects to:

• Create new projects
• Upload files to a project
• Download project as ZIP
• Delete projects

Upload files

From Manage Projects, click the ⋮ menu on any project → Upload to add:

• Individual Markdown files

Download project archive

Click ⋮ → Download to export a project as a ZIP file. Useful for:

• Creating manual backups
• Moving data to local installation
• Sharing projects

Import Data

Import your existing AI conversations directly in the browser.

Supported formats

How to import

1. Go to Settings → Import Data
2. Select the import type
3. Choose target project (or use default)
4. Set destination folder (default: imports)
5. Upload your file and click Start Import

Snapshots

Create point-in-time backups of your cloud data via Settings → Snapshots. Use them before major changes like bulk imports or reorganizations.

Keyboard Shortcuts

The web app is designed for keyboard-first navigation.

Command Palette

Press Cmd/Ctrl + K to open the command palette. Search for any action:

• Navigate to notes
• Create new note
• Switch projects
• Toggle views
• Access settings

Global shortcuts

Editor shortcuts

Press Cmd/Ctrl + / in the editor to see the full list.

Settings

Access settings from the user menu (top-right) or Cmd/Ctrl + ,.

Available settings

• Profile - Edit profile information
• Account - View account information for debugging
• Look and Feel - Customize themes and appearance
• Import Data - Import Claude, ChatGPT, or JSON exports
• API Keys - Create and manage API keys for programmatic access
• Billing - Manage payment and subscription
• Snapshots - Manage point-in-time backups

Tips for Effective Use

Organize with folders

Create a folder structure that matches how you think:

~/basic-memory/
├── projects/       # Active projects
├── research/       # Learning and exploration
├── decisions/      # Decision records
├── meetings/       # Meeting notes
└── archive/        # Completed/old content

Use pinned notes

Pin your most-accessed notes (project overviews, quick references) for one-click access.

Create snapshots before big changes

Before reorganizing folders, bulk importing, or deleting lots of notes - create a manual snapshot.

Combine with AI assistant

The web app and AI assistant work together:

1. AI creates detailed notes during conversations
2. You browse and refine in the web app
3. AI references your refined notes in future conversations

Next Steps