Getting started with Diarium

01 / Start here

Write your first entry

You can write offline and without creating an account. Start with a few sentences; photos, tags and sync can wait until you need them.

Open today in the Calendar. Select the day to open its entry. You can also use + to create a new entry and choose its date.
Write in the entry’s text area. Add a heading if you want one. Try something simple: what happened, one thing you noticed, or something you want to remember.
Return to the Calendar or Timeline when you’re finished. Diarium saves the entry when you leave the editor. On devices with a Save button, you can use that too.

Your first entry could be this simple

A walk after work

“Took the long way home today. The leaves are starting to turn, and I stopped for a coffee on the way.”

Open the entry again whenever you want to add something or correct it. To write about an earlier day, select that date in the Calendar. Use Change date/time in the entry’s menu if you saved it under the wrong date.

Can I write several entries on the same day?

Yes. Use + to create another entry and choose the same date. Selecting an existing entry opens it for editing; adding a new one creates a separate entry.

For example, keep a morning reflection and an evening summary as two entries. Each has its own text, tags and attachments.

You can also open the day’s context menu: right-click it on Windows or Mac, or press and hold it on Android, iPhone or iPad. Choose the action to add a new entry.

02 / Keep more of the moment

Add photos and details

Open an entry and use its attachment controls to add a photo, record audio or attach a file. Allow access to your photos, camera or microphone when prompted for the feature you’re using.

Attachments belong to the entry and appear alongside its text. Photos aren’t inserted between paragraphs. Add a location to remember where something happened, or use the star rating to record how you felt about the day.

The free version allows one attachment per entry. Pro removes that limit; the Windows app already includes unlimited attachments.

Why do I see photos I haven’t attached?

The Camera Roll integration can show photos taken on that day from this device’s photo library. These are suggestions from your library, separate from the attachments you saved in Diarium.

To keep one in your journal, open that photo’s context menu and choose Attach to entry. Right-click on a computer or press and hold on a touch device. This matters if you want the photo included in your backup or available on another device through sync.

To hide these suggestions, turn off Camera Roll under Feeds & Events in Settings. That doesn’t remove photos you have attached to entries.

Why do calendar appointments appear in my entry?

The System calendar integration shows appointments for that day as context. These don’t become text you’ve written in the entry. You can choose which calendars to show, or disable the integration under Feeds & Events in Settings.

03 / Find memories again

Organize and find entries

Use Calendar to jump to a date, Timeline to browse your entries, and Search to find words or filter by tags. The map helps you revisit entries with a saved location.

Add a tag from an entry

Open the entry and select Add tags.
Enter a label, such as Travel, and confirm it with the Add control or Enter. You can also select a tag you’ve used before.
Add the same tag to other relevant entries. Select it in Search to find those entries together.

The Tags overview shows tags you’ve used. Create a tag while adding it to an entry; you don’t need to set up a tag library first. Use People in the same way to associate a person with an entry.

One journal, organized with tags. Diarium currently has one journal rather than separate notebooks or folders. Use tags such as Work, Family and Travel to find different parts of it. An entry can have several tags.

Use a tracker for a value that changes

A tag labels an entry; a tracker stores a value on it. For example, a Reading tracker can record how many pages you read, while a text tracker can record a short description of your mood.

In the entry, open Add tracker and choose New tracker.
Choose a numerical or textual value and name the tracker, such as Pages read.
Select your tracker and enter this entry’s value, for example 25. On another entry, select the same tracker and enter a new value.

You create the tracker once and reuse it. The name stays the same; the value belongs to the individual entry.

04 / Make starting easier

Use a writing template

A template inserts reusable text into an entry. It can be a few prompts, a travel checklist or the headings you use for a daily summary.

Open an entry and use Templates to select one. Starting with an empty entry makes it easy to see what the template adds.
Write your answers below its prompts. The inserted text is now part of this entry and can be edited normally.
To create or change a template, open Templates in Settings. Select an existing template to edit it, or create a new one, then save.

A simple gratitude template

What went well today?
What am I grateful for?
What would I like to do tomorrow?

Choose a Default template in Settings to apply it to new entries automatically. Choose Disabled if you prefer a blank entry.

Templates are a starting point for your writing. Changing a template doesn’t rewrite entries where you already used it. A default template doesn’t create daily journal entries on its own; open a new entry and add your own content.

05 / Optional Pro

Use the same journal on your devices

Cloud sync uses your own cloud storage. There is no Diarium account to create or sign into.

On the device with your journal, first save a backup using Backup diary in Settings.
In Settings, enable Cloud sync. Choose a provider, such as OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox, sign in and let synchronization finish.
Install Diarium on your other device and enable Cloud sync with the same provider and the same account. Let it finish, then check that your entries and attached photos appear.

Once configured, Diarium synchronizes automatically. You can also use the sync button before switching devices. Finish editing and let sync complete on one device before editing the same entry on another.

Purchasing the app doesn’t transfer your journal. Store purchases and Cloud sync are separate. Sync requires Pro on Android, iPhone/iPad and Mac; the paid Windows app includes it. iOS and macOS are separate platforms, even with the same Apple account.

My entries aren’t appearing on the other device

Check the cloud provider and signed-in account on both devices, then sync on each and read any error shown. Check your internet connection and available cloud storage, and update Diarium on both devices.

Photos shown only through Camera Roll aren’t journal attachments and aren’t synced. Attach the photos you want to keep with your entry. Don’t rename or edit Diarium’s sync files in cloud storage; let the app manage them.

Provider options and sync troubleshooting.

06 / Keep a copy

Back up and export your journal

Without Cloud sync, your journal is stored on this device only. Keep a backup outside the device, especially before reinstalling Diarium or moving to a new phone or computer.

Two different ways to keep a copy
Use this	For this purpose	How to do it
Backup diary	A complete journal you can restore in Diarium	In Settings, create a .diary backup and save it somewhere safe
Export	A readable copy to keep, print or share	Choose dates, a format and attachment options in Export

To restore a backup, use Import diary in Settings and select the .diary file. Importing a backup replaces the journal on that installation, so back up any entries already there first. On a new device, you can alternatively reconnect to your existing Cloud sync.

Make a readable copy

Open Export, choose the dates you want and select a format. HTML works well for viewing in a browser; plain text keeps the writing; JSON provides structured data. Word export Pro creates a document you can open in a word processor to print or save as PDF.

Check the tag filter and attachment options before exporting. You can create one combined document or separate files for each entry. A readable export is different from a restorable .diary backup.

A new installation doesn’t retrieve data from your store account. Before retiring your old device, restore or sync on the new one and check the journal. Your purchase restores access to paid features; your backup or Cloud sync restores the entries.

When you’re ready

A few useful extras

Build a writing habit

Set a daily reminding time in Settings and allow notifications. Use On this day to revisit entries from the same date in earlier years.

Lock the app

Set up Password protection in Settings. Your device may also offer PIN or biometric options, such as Windows Hello, fingerprint, Face ID or Touch ID. Keep your password safe: the password-reset option also resets the local diary.

Bring in an existing journal

Use Migrate from other app in Settings for supported sources such as Day One, Journey, Diaro or Apple Journal. Select your source and follow the import instructions for that source’s export file. Back up any existing Diarium journal first.

Import diary is for Diarium backups. A file ending in .json or .zip from another app isn’t automatically compatible; use the migration option for the source app. Migration and backup questions.

Add context from other apps Pro

Under Feeds & Events in Settings, connect supported services to show activity alongside your entries. These integrations read context from those services; they don’t post your journal to them. Weather also requires Pro and a location on the entry.

Examples available on every platform:

WorkingHours — recorded working time.
Google Calendar — appointments; Microsoft To Do, Todoist and Google Tasks — completed tasks.
Strava — activities and workouts; Last.fm — listening activity.

Choose a service you already use and follow its connection instructions. Depending on the service, you may need to sign in or enter a username. Then open an entry for a day with activity; that context appears alongside your writing.

For health data, these additional sources are available only on the indicated platforms:

Apple Health Pro: On supported Apple mobile devices, enable Apple Health under Feeds & Events and grant access to the data you want to show. The available data depends on what is recorded in Health on that device.
Health Connect Pro: On Android, enable Health Connect under Feeds & Events and grant the requested permissions. Compatible apps must first write the activity or other supported data to Health Connect.

Getting started