Frequently Asked Questions

• Do I need a credit card for the free trial

  No.

  Download and launch the app to try every feature for 30 days. No credit card or account is required. You will need an internet connection on first launch to register the trial.

• What happens when the trial ends

  Editing is no longer available, and neither are the AI chat and the external tool integrations. Opening, syncing and exporting your documents stays free, with no time limit.

  Your files never become unreadable because a payment stopped. Purchasing a license re-enables every feature.

• Which features are in which plan

  All of them, in both plans. There is no higher tier, nothing is sold as an add-on, and there is no plugin store to buy from.

  Every feature is available from the first launch: encryption, cloud sync, the MCP client, AI chat, the external tool integrations and the exports. What a license adds is not features but license handling — the device list inside the app, and a grace period that keeps a paid license working while you are offline. The trial runs once per machine.

• How many devices can I use

  One license covers up to 3 devices.

  When all three are taken and you activate a new machine, the app lists the devices already registered and lets you release one on the spot. No support ticket, and no waiting for a reply.

  You can also release the device you are on, and the license screen keeps a restore button afterwards, so releasing one by mistake is a single click to undo. A machine you have sold or lost can be released from another device; that takes effect the next time the released machine checks in with the license server, not instantly.

  If you installed Folio.md from the Microsoft Store, how many devices you can use and how they are managed follow the Microsoft Store’s own rules for your Microsoft account. The 3-device limit and the release steps above apply to licenses purchased on this website.

• Does it work offline

  Editing, preview, search and export run locally. An internet connection is required on first launch to register the trial.

  A paid license can work offline for up to 30 days after successful verification. Reconnect to verify it again; if that offline period expires, editing is no longer available until you do.

  Going offline does not extend the trial: it still ends on its scheduled expiry date.

• Can I open my files in another Markdown editor

  Yes. Ordinary documents are saved as plain .md files in your own folders.

  Password-protected documents use the Folio.md .md-crypted format. Decrypt them in Folio.md before opening them in another editor.

  Image width and position settings are saved in a separate file beside the image. These settings apply only in Folio.md; other editors can read the Markdown image link but will not reproduce that layout.

• What does Folio.md send over the network

  Your documents are never uploaded on their own. What can leave the machine is limited to the following, and you control each one:

  • Link previews and remote images. When a document contains a link or an image URL, Folio.md fetches the preview card, the YouTube thumbnail or the image itself. This is on by default and can be turned off completely in the settings. With it off, exporting to HTML or PDF leaves remote images as links instead of reaching out for them.
  • Cloud sync. Off until you connect Google Drive or OneDrive yourself, and then limited to the folders you choose. On Google Drive, Folio.md asks only for access to the files it created or that you opened with it, not to your whole drive.
  • AI chat. Only when you send a message, and only to the endpoint you configured. The document you have open is attached to every message, together with any files you reference and the conversation so far. Point it at a model running on your own machine and nothing leaves at all.
  • License checks. When a license is activated on this machine, and periodically after that, Folio.md sends a device identifier, the operating system type and the computer’s host name, so the license can be tied to the device. Registering a trial sends the device identifier only. No document content is included.
  • Crash reports. Never sent automatically. After a crash, the next launch shows you the full report, with credential-looking strings masked, and it is sent only if you choose to send it. A comment or files you attach yourself are sent as you wrote them.

  There is no analytics or telemetry in the app beyond the above.

• Does the AI chat cost extra

  The subscription does not include AI usage, and nothing is resold to you on top of it.

  The AI chat connects to an endpoint you choose. If you point it at a commercial provider, you use your own API key and are billed by that provider directly. If you point it at a model running on your own machine, there is no key and no additional cost at all.

  The same applies to the MCP client and the REST API tools: they call services you configure, under your own credentials.

• Do I need to install anything for diagrams, formulas or PDF export

  No. On Windows 11, everything Folio.md needs is already there.

  • Mermaid diagrams and math formulas are drawn with the WebView2 runtime, which is part of Windows 11.
  • PDF export uses Microsoft Edge, which is also part of Windows 11.

  The one exception: if Edge has been removed from your PC, PDF export has nothing to run on. Install Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome and export works again. Diagrams and formulas are not affected.

• Does Folio.md work behind a corporate proxy

  Yes. By default, Folio.md follows the proxy settings of Windows, including an automatic configuration script (PAC). If your PC already reaches the web through your company’s proxy, nothing needs to be set up.

  If you need something different, open Settings → Network:

  • Specify manually. Enter the proxy address and port, and list the hosts that should not go through the proxy. Private addresses skip it by default.
  • Proxy authentication. Choose a user name and password, or Windows integrated authentication, which uses the account you are signed in with. A user name and password can only be used with a manually specified proxy, and the password is stored encrypted.
  • Do not use a proxy. Ignore the Windows proxy settings and connect directly.

  Changes made here apply straight away. If you change the proxy settings of Windows itself, restart Folio.md.

  These settings cover the app’s own connections. PDF export, signing in through a browser and external tools follow the Windows proxy settings.

• Which languages does the app come in

  Eight: English, Japanese, German, Spanish, French, Korean, Portuguese and Simplified Chinese.

  The app opens in English the first time. To switch, choose Settings (Ctrl+,) → General → Language, apply the change and restart the app. The setting is remembered from then on.

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