wander opens your notes three ways, from plainest to smartest. The rule is simple: wander never writes anything into your files or folders unless you ask.
A single file
Open one markdown file (⇧⌘O, or drag it in, or File ▸ Open File…) and wander edits just that file, saved right back where it lives. No sidebar, no extra files — a plain editor for one note. Create a fresh one with New Document (⌥⌘N) and Save As… (⇧⌘S) it anywhere you like.
A plain folder
Open a folder (⌘O) and browse and edit all its notes from the sidebar. It stays a plain folder: wander writes nothing extra to it — no hidden files, no index. Ideal for a folder of articles kept next to their images and research.
In a plain folder you get the file tree, the editor, and ⌘K to jump to a file by name. What you don't get — history, full-text search, tags, backlinks — needs an index, so it's off until you turn it on.
A vault
A vault is a folder with the smarts switched on: full-text ⌘K, version history, comments, tags, and backlinks. To keep these, wander stores them in a hidden .wander folder inside your folder — and that folder is created only the moment you turn history & search on, never before.
Turning a folder into a vault
Three places, all the same switch:
- the mode chip at the bottom of the sidebar — click "Plain folder" to enable
- the History panel — its Settings tab
- Settings ▸ This Folder
A folder that already contains .wander (or an Obsidian .obsidian folder) opens as a vault automatically. Turn it back off from Settings ▸ This Folder and it's a plain folder again — your .wander folder is left in place; delete it yourself if you want it gone.
Nothing leaves your Mac
Plain or vault, wander runs locally — no account, no cloud, no telemetry. Your notes stay plain markdown in folders you control. To reach another device, put the folder wherever you already sync (iCloud Drive, Dropbox, git); wander just edits the files.
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Getting Started · Keyboard Shortcuts · Markdown Syntax · all docs