#6 What Are Workspaces?

PenPage organizes your notes into workspaces — think of them as separate notebooks, each with its own purpose.

Four types of workspace

Local

Your default workspace. Notes stay on this device only — no account needed, no sync. Fast, private, simple.

Cloud

Sign in with Google to unlock Cloud workspace. Notes sync to your Google Drive automatically — access them from any device. (#12 Cross-Device Sync)

Public (Blackboard)

Your public notebook. Anything here is published to your profile at penpage.com/@yourname. Great for sharing knowledge with the world. (#9 How to Publish Publicly)

Directory

Link a folder on your computer — or a mounted network drive — and edit it live in PenPage. Every .md file becomes a page, every sub-folder a nested folder, and changes sync both ways automatically. Stored locally, no cloud. Requires Chrome or Edge on desktop. (#17 Link a Local Folder)

Managing your workspaces

Switch workspace

Tap a workspace name in the sidebar to switch to it. On mobile, use the dropdown at the top.

Keyboard shortcut

Press a number key to jump straight to a workspace. The number matches its position in your list — 1 for the first, 2 for the second, and so on. Number hints appear next to each workspace name in the dropdown, so you always know which key to press.

Because you can hide and reorder workspaces, the numbers follow your layout — not a fixed order.

Rename

Swipe the workspace name (mobile) or use Edit Mode (pencil icon) to rename. The Cloud workspace name is just for you. The Public workspace name becomes your public display name.

Custom color

In Edit Mode, tap the color icon next to a workspace to pick a custom color. This colors the workspace header and helps you tell them apart at a glance.

Reorder

In Edit Mode, drag workspaces up or down to change their order in the sidebar.

Which workspace should I use?

Situation Best workspace
Just taking notes Local — simplest option
Need access on multiple devices Cloud — syncs via Google Drive
Want others to read your notes Public — publishes to your profile
Editing local files or an AI project Directory — two-way sync with your disk
Sensitive / private content Local + encryption (#14)

You can use all of them at once. Most people start with Local, add Cloud when they want sync, and try Public when they're ready to share.

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