Skip to main content

Can anyone else see my memo?

No. A memo belongs to you, not to the note, so nobody sees it even when you share the note or work on it together. People who open your share link and other members of your workspace never see it. The [Only me] badge at the top of the memo panel on web and desktop says the same thing.
  • Everyone gets their own memo on the same note. View-only access to a shared note is enough to write one.
  • Your memo never reaches summaries, custom documents, Ask Tiro, or context. It is a space the AI does not read.
  • Deleting a note keeps its memos while the note sits in the trash, and restoring the note brings them back. Memos go when the note is deleted for good. For retention periods, see privacy and security.
To improve transcription quality, put background details in context rather than in a memo. Context is the hint the AI reads before it transcribes and summarizes; a memo is yours alone.

Open your memo

  • Web and desktop app: Select [Memo] at the right end of the [Document] and [Transcript] tab row. The memo panel opens beside the note.
  • Mobile app: Select the [Memo] tab in the note’s tab row.
On narrow screens such as a phone browser, the web app shows no [Memo] button, so you cannot write a memo there. The mobile app on the same phone does offer it through the [Memo] tab, so use the mobile app on a phone. Browser windows at tablet size or wider show the [Memo] button. On web and desktop, opening a note opens the memo panel with it. Tiro remembers whether you last opened or closed the memo, and other notes open the same way. Close the memo and other notes open with it closed; select [Memo] to open it and automatic opening comes back. A note you opened or closed during this visit keeps that state when you return to it. When you reload or restart the app, the per-note memory is cleared and only your last choice stays, so if you left the memo closed, every note opens with it closed. This choice is stored only in the browser or app you are using. It is not linked to your account and does not carry over to other devices or browsers. Logging out resets it. You can also open a memo while previewing a note from the note list. The preview never opens it automatically, and opening a memo widens the preview. On narrow windows the preview offers no memo button.

Write a memo

Your memo saves itself as you type. There is no save button.
1

Open the memo

Open the memo with the [Memo] button (web and desktop app) or the [Memo] tab (mobile app) and a note you have not written on yet opens an empty editor, while a note with a saved memo shows that memo. The hint in the input area differs by platform: [Write your memo here.] on web and desktop, and [Only you can see this memo. Write anything you like.] on mobile. On web and desktop you can also click the blank space below the editor to put the cursor at the end of the memo.
2

Add formatting

The memo editor uses the same formatting tools as the one-page document editor: headings, bullet and numbered lists, checkboxes, bold, italic, strikethrough, inline code, quotes, tables, and highlights. Math is not rendered. Markdown shortcuts work as you type. Start a line with #, -, 1., or [ ] for a heading, bullet list, numbered list, or checkbox, and wrap text in **bold** or ~~strikethrough~~ to format it as you type. On web and desktop, selecting text brings up a formatting menu.
3

Mark a moment

While a recording is in progress, an [Add timestamp] button and the current time appear below the memo. Select it to drop that moment at your cursor, followed by a space so you can keep typing.
One memo stores up to 10,000 characters, formatting data included. Heavy use of headings or lists leaves you fewer characters to type. Go over the limit and you get the [This memo is too long to save. Please shorten it.] notice and that version is not saved; shorten the memo and saving resumes.

Jump to the moment a timestamp marks

Select a timestamp in your memo and Tiro jumps to the paragraph from that moment, then highlights it briefly on the view that shows it. This works in the web and desktop app.
  • When no paragraph starts at exactly that time, Tiro goes to the paragraph that started just before it. For a time earlier than the first paragraph, Tiro goes to the first paragraph, and nothing happens while the note has no paragraphs yet.
  • Focus a timestamp and press Enter or Space for the same jump.

When the timestamp button is missing

The [Add timestamp] button appears only while a recording is in progress. It is absent on paused and finished recordings, on notes that have not started yet, and on notes created from an uploaded audio file. If there is a moment you want to come back to, mark it while the recording is still running. You can still write and edit the memo after a recording ends, and timestamps you already added remain clickable. To listen to a specific stretch of a finished note, use replay by paragraph.

Take your memo somewhere else

Copy the whole memo to your clipboard and paste it into another document or a chat app.
  • Web and desktop app: Select the copy icon at the top right of the memo panel to copy as text right away. Hover the icon to choose [Copy as text], [Copy as HTML], or [Copy as Markdown]. From the keyboard, focus the icon and press the down arrow key to open the same menu.
  • Mobile app: With the memo tab open, choose [Copy to Clipboard] from the note’s more (⋯) menu, then pick [Copy as text], [Copy as HTML], or [Copy for LLM].
Copying as HTML carries formatting with it, and some browsers do not support it. If nothing is copied and you get the [Couldn’t copy the memo] notice, use [Copy as text] or [Copy as Markdown] instead.

Widen the memo panel (web and desktop app)

Drag the divider between the memo panel and the note to resize the panel. You can also focus the divider and use the left and right arrow keys. A width you set on a wide screen is remembered on the device you are using, so the panel opens the same way next time.
  • On tablet-sized screens, or with Ask Tiro open alongside, the memo is capped at a narrower width so the note itself keeps its room. A width you set while it is capped is not stored on the device, so it resets when you reload.
  • When the window is too narrow to fit the note and the memo together, scroll the note area sideways.

Frequently asked questions

No. A memo is attached to you rather than to the note, so it is never exposed to people who open your share link or to other members of your workspace. Changing a note’s share settings does not change who can read your memo. For share settings, see share links and security.

Does my memo feed into summaries or Ask Tiro?

No. Memos are not used by summaries, custom documents, Ask Tiro, or context. If you want details to shape the transcript or the summary, put them in context instead of a memo.

Can I read a memo I wrote on the web in the mobile app?

Yes. The same memo shows up on every device signed in to your account, and timestamps survive the trip between platforms. If you open a memo with formatting your app version cannot handle, the mobile app opens it read-only and asks you to update the app so nothing gets mangled. Update to the latest version and you can edit it again.

I got a “Save failed” message while writing.

That means the connection dropped or the request failed. What you typed stays on screen while [Save failed] is showing, and typing again retries the save automatically. The message disappears once it succeeds. While that message is showing, leave the memo open and restore your connection. Unsaved text lives only on screen, so closing the memo or moving to another note can lose it if the final save attempt fails too. If you have to step away, copy the memo first. See Take your memo somewhere else for how.

My memo shows “Couldn’t load the memo.”

Tiro could not fetch the memo from the server. Select [Retry] in the same spot to load it again. The editor stays closed in this state on purpose, so you cannot overwrite a memo that has not loaded yet.

How do I delete a memo?

Clear everything in the memo and that note’s memo is deleted with it. There is no separate delete button.

Can I search my memos?

Not yet. There is no memo search and no screen that lists all your memos. Open each note to read its memo.
Related pages: Context · One-page Document · Replay by Paragraph