Labels and sources

Labels and sources are optional. They stay hidden until you want them, so they never get in the way of writing.

Labels

A label is a word or short phrase you attach to a note, like “Travel” or “Book ideas”. A note can have as many labels as you like.

To add a label:

Move the pointer over the top of the note. A small strip appears with Add label and Add source.
Click Add label and start typing. Labels you’ve used before are suggested.
Press Enter to add it. Press Backspace in the empty box to remove the last one, or click the × on a label.

To see all notes with a label, open the sidebar and click the label under Collections. The number beside each label is how many notes have it.

In search, type #travel to find only notes with that label.

Sources

A source is where an idea came from: a book, an article, a podcast, a talk. Add a title and, if you like, a web address.

Move the pointer over the top of the note.
Click Add source.
Type the title and, optionally, the link.

Why sources matter

Noughtpad treats a note with a source as something you read or heard, and a note without one as your own thinking. That difference is used in a few places:

Journal shows only your own notes, so it reads like a diary.
Ideas over time can point out when something you read seems to have shaped a later note of yours.
Search can narrow to type:source or type:personal.

You never have to set a note’s type: adding a source is enough.

Where they’re stored

Labels and sources are written into a short header at the top of the note’s file, like this:

---
created: 2026-09-14T10:00:00+05:30
labels: [Product, Books]
source:
  title: The Mom Test
  url: https://example.com
---

Other Markdown apps, including Obsidian, can read this header too. More about your files