What it does
Beaver Notes is a note-taking app whose project describes notes as staying on the user's device, server, or the vendor's service. The user guide explains synchronization through a cloud provider such as Dropbox, OneDrive, or iCloud, or through Syncthing or a self-hosted server. Its Markdown import guide requires an archive with a main folder plus `notes-assets` and `file-assets` directories. The v5 rewrite is a beta track separate from the stable `development` branch.
Bring an existing Markdown archive across carefully
Beaver's import guide documents importing Markdown archives from version 3.5 onward. The archive needs a main folder with notes-assets for embedded images and file-assets for other attachments; the guide says linked images should not be moved and that attachment folders must not contain nested subdirectories. The documented workflow then selects the main folder from Settings → General → Import Markdown. This file-layout requirement is worth checking before preparing a large vault.
For synchronization, the user guide recommends a cloud-provider folder or alternatives such as Syncthing and a self-hosted server. There is an important version distinction: the repository says its tauri branch is the v5 rewrite and that stable releases live on development; the v5.0.0-beta.2 notes call out mandatory encryption and changes to asset layout, and say the new Beaver Sync backend was not yet public. Treat the beta as a migration-sensitive preview rather than assuming it matches the stable data format. No import or sync operation was tested.
Strengths
- The documentation provides a concrete Markdown-archive import workflow, including where images and attachments must go.
- The user guide describes several user-managed synchronization approaches, including common cloud folders and Syncthing.
- The repository distinguishes the stable branch from the v5 rewrite, making the release track visible.
Watch out for
- Markdown import expects a specific asset-folder structure and does not support nested attachment subdirectories.
- The checked v5.0.0-beta.2 release introduces data-layout changes and mandatory encryption; the new sync backend was not public in that release note.
Best for
- Migrating a Markdown note archive when its attachment layout can be prepared to match the importer
- Users who prefer syncing note files through their own cloud provider or self-hosted setup
Sources
- Beaver Notes | Official Repository (Oct 25, 2026)
- Import Markdown | Beaver Docs (Oct 25, 2026)
- Syncing Notes | Beaver Docs (Oct 25, 2026)
- Release 5.0.0-beta.2 | Beaver Notes (Oct 25, 2026)