The Medium for Mac Detailed User Guide

Source: 爱上MAC  |  Software download link: The Medium for Mac

The Medium is a modern, immersive writing software designed specifically for macOS. Through its minimalist interface design, powerful organizational tools, and a focused writing environment, it aims to help creators efficiently complete various types of writing work from brainstorming to final draft. This guide will provide a detailed introduction to its core features and complete workflow.

I. Detailed Overview of the Core Interface and Workspace

The Medium’s main interface follows the “distraction-free” principle and is primarily divided into three logical areas:

1. Left Sidebar: Hidden by default, it can be summoned via keyboard shortcut or by hovering the mouse over the left edge of the screen. It includes:
   • Library: Manage all documents and notes in the form of folders and tags.
   • Favorites: Quickly access documents marked as important.
   • Recent: Display recently opened files in chronological order.
2. Central Editor: The core area of the software, featuring a Markdown-like instant rendering (WYSIWYG) design. At the top is a clean formatting toolbar (such as headings, bold, lists, etc.), and below is an infinitely scrolling writing area with a pure white or dark background.
3. Right Inspector Panel (Inspector): Located on the right side of the window, it can be opened by clicking the “i” icon in the toolbar or with a keyboard shortcut. It includes:
   • Document Info: Word count, character count, and reading time statistics.
   • Format Settings: Adjust font, spacing, margins, and more.
   • Tag Management: Add or remove tags for the current document.
   • Export Options: Quickly configure export formats.

II. Complete Workflow: From Creation to Export

1. Create or Open a Project

Step 1: Launch the app. Click the The Medium icon in Launchpad or the Applications folder.

Step 2: Create a new document. There are several ways:

• Menu bar: Click File > New.
• Keyboard shortcut: Command + N.
• Right-click in an empty area of the library and select “New Document.”

Step 3: Open an existing document. There are several ways:

• Menu bar: File > Open, or use Command + O.
• Click the document name directly in “Library” or “Recently Edited” in the left sidebar.

2. Editing and Organizing Content

Step 4: Basic writing and formatting. Type text directly in the central editing area. Common formatting operations:

• Heading: Type # followed by a space to create a level-one heading, or use the dropdown menu in the toolbar.
• Bold: Select the text, click the B button in the toolbar, or use Command + B.
• Italic: Select the text, click the I button in the toolbar, or use Command + I.
• Lists: Type - or * followed by a space to create a bulleted list; type 1. followed by a space to create a numbered list.

Step 5: Organize documents.

• Rename: Slowly double-click the document name in the left sidebar, or right-click and select “Rename.”
• Add to folder: Drag the document to the target folder in the library.
• Add tags: Open the inspector panel on the right and enter a new tag name or select an existing tag in the “Tags” area.
• Favorite documents: Right-click the document and select “Add to Favorites.”

3. Final export

Step 6: Export the document.

1. Make sure the target document is active.
2. Click the menu bar File > Export, or use the shortcut Command + E directly.
3. In the dialog that appears, select the export format (such as PDF, DOCX, Markdown, HTML, etc.).
4. In the “Export Options” section of the inspector panel on the right, you can preconfigure detailed settings for that format (such as PDF page size and whether to include an outline).

III. Advanced Tips for Common Features

• Focus Mode: Click the menu bar View > Enter Focus Mode or use Control+Command+F to highlight the current paragraph/sentence and dim other content, greatly enhancing concentration.
• Split-Screen Writing: After opening a document, right-click another document in the library and select “Open in New Window,” then use macOS’s Split View feature (hover the mouse over the green button in the top-left corner of the window) and arrange them side by side for easy cross-referencing or reference while writing.
• Quick Note: Whether or not the app is in the foreground, you can use the global shortcut Control+Command+N to quickly bring up a floating note window. After recording your inspiration, the content will be automatically saved to the “Quick Notes” collection in the library.
• Spelling and Grammar Check: Enable “Check Automatically” under Edit > Spelling and Grammar. Suspicious text will be underlined with a dotted line; right-click to view suggested corrections.

IV. Common Questions and Solutions

V. Shortcut Key Summary Table