§ 00Help center
How to use Dactylo.
Short answers for everything on the machine and in the settings. Can’t find it? Write to support@dactyloapp.com.
§ 01Start here
Getting started
Your first page in five minutes, on the Mac or the iPad.
The four views
Desk, Whole Machine, Page and Manuscript, and how to move between them.
Keyboard shortcuts
Every shortcut in Dactylo, on the Mac and on an iPad with a keyboard.
Dactylo on the iPad
Keyboards, touch, the hidden key column and Stage Manager.
§ 02Writing
Typing on the machine
The bell, the end of a line, the carriage, tabs and the arrow keys.
Backspace and Draft Mode
Erase like a computer, type over like a typewriter, or only go forward.
Margins and line spacing
Drag the margin stops, choose the paper size and the line spacing.
Bold, italic and underline
The sliders on the left ramp, the shortcuts, and how styles export.
Ink colours
The ribbon selector, writing blind, and mixing inks of your own.
Sounds and background sounds
Four machines, six background sounds, and sounds in the manuscript.
Goals, sessions and counters
The counters on the covers, a daily goal, timed sessions and word targets.
Page titles and the page header
Name a page, and print its title and date at the top of the sheet.
§ 03Paper and ink
Paper: tone, texture, lines and stance
Choose the sheet for every page, and how it stands above the platen.
Typefaces and the look of the ink
Five typewriter faces, ink density, edges, uneven strikes and a ribbon that wears.
Guides: the ruler, line numbers and margins
Pencil marks on the paper that show where you are, in the colour you choose.
Colours of the machine
Body, keys, the letters on the keys, and colours of your own.
Night Light and lamp warmth
Dim the page under a warm lamp for late hours.
§ 04Pages and folders
Folders and pages
How the library works: folders inside folders, and every sheet a page.
All Pages
Every sheet of the folder laid out on the desk.
Recently Deleted
Deleted pages and folders wait 30 days before they are gone.
Importing text and Markdown
Bring writing from other apps into Dactylo as typed pages.
§ 05Manuscript and export
§ 06Sync, privacy and safety
iCloud sync
The same folders and pages on every Mac and iPad, and how Dactylo keeps both versions safe.
Backup and restore
The whole library in one file, and how to bring it back.
Lock with Face ID or Touch ID
Keep your pages private on a shared Mac or iPad.
Languages
Dactylo in nine languages, and your keyboard's own letters on the machine.
§ 07Purchase
§ 08Troubleshooting