OwnMemo — Questions & answers

Open Print & Export, select PDF and choose a layout from the style menu. Dense Ledger uses two columns, 3 Columns suits short entries, and Journal View provides more width. All layouts include the timeline, icons and soft theme colours. Pages are numbered automatically. You can hide the OwnMemo branding in Settings.

Choose the selected week or active period in the current category from the print menu. The export screen offers PDF, plain text and Markdown, plus the system share sheet. On iPhone and iPad, printing is in the share sheet; the Mac Designed for iPad version has a separate print button. An archived batch can be exported from the archive. Empty periods cannot be exported.

Tap the timeline day heading to jump to the previous or next active entry day or choose a date. The archive calendar button offers the same navigation; choosing an archive date scrolls to the nearest matching entry day. Navigation uses the selected category and, in the archive, the current search results.

No. OwnMemo does not require any account, username, password, or email. The app opens directly to your timeline.

OwnMemo uses Apple's native CloudKit technology. If you are signed into iCloud on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, your entries synchronize automatically through your personal private database. Nobody else—including the developer—has access to your data.

Yes. OwnMemo is local-first. All data is saved on your device immediately using SwiftData. If you do not use iCloud or are offline, everything functions normally without interruption.

No. OwnMemo has no servers, no analytics frameworks, no advertising trackers, and no third-party SDKs. On the App Store, its privacy label is "Data Not Collected".

Traditional printed activity logs pre-print 24 rows for every day, wasting paper and forcing handwriting into narrow cells. OwnMemo only prints hours where you actually logged an entry, allowing an entire week's detailed journal to fit onto 1–2 pages.

The Active timeline is designed for your current working cycle (such as the current week). When that cycle ends, tapping "Archive Current Category" in the top-right archive menu moves only the selected category’s active entries to its archive and applies a read-only lock (🔒) to prevent accidental changes.

Yes. Archived entries open in read-only view to prevent accidental edits, but you can tap "Unlock" at any time to make corrections, or use "Restore" to move an entry back to the active timeline.

You can format text with bold (text), italic (text), strikethrough (text), and underline (text), as well as bullet points and checklists. Strikethrough lets you preserve canceled activities visibly, and underline highlights emotional keywords or key takeaways.

Yes. Under Settings, OwnMemo provides a built-in JSON backup and restore feature. You can export your entire database to the Files app, an external drive, or AirDrop, and restore it whenever you wish.

No. OwnMemo is a one-time purchase. There are no recurring fees, no locked features, and no in-app purchases.

Yes. Open the folder menu at the top left and choose Manage Categories. Each category has its own calendar, search, archive and exports. Existing notes stay in General and can be moved in the editor.

Its entries move to General. Entries and nested items are not deleted.

Yes, by default. Disable Remember selected category in Settings to start in General on the next launch.

JSON backups include all categories and their active and archived entries, including empty categories. Restore adds missing data without replacing existing notes. Older backups still work and restore into General.

Consecutive entries at the same displayed time show the time only once. Printed columns and pages repeat it at the start. Hidden minutes display as 18:00. Settings offer 1-, 15- or 30-minute steps in the time picker.

Open it in the editor and choose Delete Entry, or touch and hold it for more actions (right-click on Mac). Deletion asks for confirmation and also removes nested entries.