Links and backlinks

Connect related content, follow backlinks, and open Workflowy links in the app.

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When to use

Internal & External Links in Workflowy let you connect ideas inside your outline or link out to the web.

Internal links use the [[…]] syntax or the bullet menu to point to other lists in your account - clicking them jumps you there and surfaces backlinks.

External links are regular URLs: paste them or turn selected text into a link, and Workflowy renders them clickable.

You can create internal links with the bullet menu, a slash command, or a special keyboard shortcut “[[”.

  1. Type double brackets [[
  2. Type the name of the item you want to link to
  3. Select the existing item you want to link to using your arrow keys

You can also create an internal link to an item that does not yet exist. In other words the process creates the item and the link to the item at the same time.

  1. Type double brackets [[
  2. Type the name of the item - this will also be the name of the new item
  3. Select one of the two “New” options
  4. The first “New” option creates the item in the last linked location. The second “New” option lets you search for a location for the new item.

You can view all the places in your Workflowy where you’ve linked to an item from the “Backlinks” item.

  1. Find an item that has been linked to - it will have a nested “Backlink” item
  2. Expand the “Backlink” item
  3. The “Backlink” item shows all the locations where you’ve linked to that item. You can also click on the breadcrumbs to navigate to a backlink’s location.
  1. Register the file with your desktop environment.

Pasting any URL into Workflowy will also automatically turn it into a clickable link.

  1. Highlight the text you want to turn into a link - the text format widget will appear
  2. Click on the link icon in the widget
  3. Type or paste the URL in the “Link” field
  4. Click the “Apply” button
  5. Hovering over a link and clicking the down arrow that appears at the end of the link will let you edit the clickable text and URL.
  1. Mouse over the text that is linked that you want to remove
  2. Click on the small down arrow that appears at the end of the link
  3. Click on “Unlink”

Deep links are special URLs that use the workflowy:// protocol to open a specific bullet directly in the Workflowy desktop or mobile app.

  • On mobile, selecting a Workflowy link automatically redirects you to the app when it is installed.
  • On desktop, deep-link support is optional. Enabling it lets Workflowy links open in the app instead of the browser.
  • Deep links are useful when you want to send someone—or yourself—to an exact place in an outline.

To install on Linux:

  1. Create ~/.local/share/applications/workflowy.desktop.
  2. Replace /path/to/your.AppImage with the actual path to the Workflowy AppImage.
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