Logseq
Logseq is an open-source, local-first outliner for notes and knowledge management. Everything is a block in a bulleted outline, pages link to each other with [[wikilinks]], and every day gets a journal page. Data is stored as Markdown (or Org-mode) files in a folder. Similar to Obsidian but block-first; for a notebook style app see Joplin.
Homepage: Logseq Docs: Logseq Docs Source: logseq/logseq
Graph Folder Layout #
| FOLDER | CONTENT |
|---|---|
pages/ | One file per page |
journals/ | One file per day (2026_11_06.md) |
assets/ | Attached images and files |
logseq/ | Config, custom CSS and plugins (config.edn, custom.css) |
Because it is plain Markdown, the folder works with Git and any file sync tool.
Syntax #
| SYNTAX | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
[[Page]] | Link to a page |
#tag or #[[multi word tag]] | Tag (a tag is a page) |
(( then search | Reference another block |
{{embed [[Page]]}} | Embed a page |
{{embed ((block-uuid))}} | Embed a block |
TODO / DOING / DONE / LATER / NOW | Task markers at the start of a block |
SCHEDULED: <2026-11-06 Fri> | Scheduled date |
key:: value | Block or page property |
/ | Slash command menu (templates, queries, dates, and more) |
Queries #
Simple queries go in a block:
{{query (and [[project]] (task TODO DOING))}}
{{query (between [[today]] [[today+7d]])}}Advanced queries use Datalog in a #+BEGIN_QUERY block. See the docs for the query syntax.
Keyboard Shortcuts #
On macOS use Cmd for Ctrl. Rebind under Settings > Keymap.
| SHORTCUT | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
Ctrl+K | Search |
Tab / Shift+Tab | Indent or outdent a block |
Alt+Shift+Up / Down | Move a block |
Esc | Leave editing, select the block |
Ctrl+Enter | Cycle TODO / DOING / DONE |
Ctrl+Shift+A | Select all blocks |
t r | Toggle the right sidebar |
t l | Toggle the left sidebar |
t t | Toggle light and dark theme |
t w | Toggle wide mode |
g j | Go to journals |
g a | Go to all pages |
g g | Go to the graph view |
g h | Go home |
Single-letter t and g shortcuts work when you are not editing a block.
Sync and Backup #
- Folder-based, so use Git, Syncthing, Nextcloud or iCloud on the graph folder.
- Logseq Sync is a paid encrypted service.
- Keep one sync method per graph to avoid conflicts, and commit before big changes.
Logseq vs Obsidian #
- Logseq is outline-first (each line is a block you can reference and query); Obsidian is document-first.
- Logseq is open source; Obsidian is closed source but free for personal use.
- Logseq is moving to a database-backed version. The file-based version described here is the long-standing one; check the project for the state of the newer release.
Not Verified #
Shortcuts and syntax were written from knowledge of the file-based version and not checked against a current install, so confirm in Settings > Keymap.