Quick Start

This guide walks you through creating a document, formatting it, and using AI — all in about five minutes.

1. Create a document

Press Cmd+N or click the + button in the Explorer panel on the left. A new document opens with the cursor ready.

Start typing. Everything you write is saved as a standard markdown file.

2. Format with markdown

Return renders markdown as you type. Try these:

• # Heading — type a hash, then a space, then your heading text
• **bold** — wrap text in double asterisks
• *italic* — single asterisks
• - item — dash and space for a bullet list
• [ ] task — brackets with a space for a checkbox

The formatting markers disappear as you type, replaced by the visual result. Click on any formatted text to see and edit the raw syntax.

You can also select text and use Cmd+B for bold, Cmd+I for italic, and Cmd+E for inline code.

3. Talk to the AI

The Omnibox sits at the bottom of the editor. Click it or press Cmd+K, then type a question or instruction:

• “Summarize this document”
• “What are the key arguments?”
• “Translate the second paragraph to English”
• “Add a conclusion section”

Press Enter. The AI reads your document and responds in the Chat panel on the right. If it suggests edits to your document, they appear as highlighted changes you can accept or reject.

4. Set up AI

Return works with local or cloud AI:

• Local (free): Install Ollama, then run ollama pull llama3.2 in your terminal. Return detects it automatically. See the Ollama setup guide for details.
• Cloud (paid plan): Open Settings (Cmd+,), go to the AI tab, and switch the mode to Cloud. No additional setup needed — Return handles everything on its servers.

5. Try a Return

Returns are reusable AI analysis templates. You’ll see a Quick Actions bar above the Omnibox. Click one to run it on your current document.

Returns can annotate your text with highlights, assess sections with traffic-light indicators (green, yellow, red), or produce structured analysis.

See also: Composing Returns — combine several Returns into a single Quick Action that runs them in sequence.

6. Save and export

Your document saves with Cmd+S. To export, type /export in the Omnibox or go to the TopBar menu — you can export as PDF or HTML.

What’s next

• Interface Overview — learn where everything is
• Keyboard Shortcuts — speed up your workflow
• AI in Return — understand how AI features work together