# Editor basics

The editor is where you write and review a document. This page explains how the screen is laid out, how saving works, and where each task lives, so the other pages in this section can point you straight to a control.

To type in a document you need the editor or owner role. Commenters and viewers see it read-only. See [Roles and permissions](/docs/roles-and-permissions/).

## The parts of the screen

A document opens at `/app/<workspace>/docs/<document>` with these regions:

![The document editor with the toolbar across the top and the document body](https://workover.io/api/proxy-image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.wpdocsync.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F09%2Fthe-document-editor-with-the-toolbar-across-the-top-and-the-scaled.png)

- **Toolbar.** A permanent row across the top. From left to right: **Tabs**, the text style picker (**Paragraph**, **Heading 1** to **Heading 4**), **Bold**, **Italic**, **Underline**, **Strikethrough**, **Highlight**, an alignment menu (**Align left**, **Align center**, **Align right**), **Bullet list**, **Numbered list**, **Outdent**, **Indent**, **Quote**, **Code block** and **Link**. At the right end are **Share**, if you can share the document, and **Edit panel**. Guests, who reach the document because it was shared with them, get no **Tabs** or **Edit panel**; they see **Comments** at the right end instead.
- **Document tabs rail.** Opens on the left when you select **Tabs**. A document can hold several tabs, and only one of them syncs to WordPress. See [Document tabs](/docs/document-tabs/).

![The document tabs rail open on the left of the editor](https://workover.io/api/proxy-image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.wpdocsync.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F09%2Fthe-document-tabs-rail-open-on-the-left-of-the-editor-scaled.png)

- **The document.** The body you type into.
- **Selection bubble.** Appears when you select text. It offers **Comment**, plus **Improve**, **Shorten**, **Expand** and **Fix grammar** when Workover AI is available to you. The AI actions replace the selected text directly.
- **Edit panel.** Opens on the right when you select **Edit panel** in the toolbar, and closes the same way.

## The Edit panel

Most document-level controls live in the Edit panel rather than the toolbar.

- **Mode** sets how your typing is treated: **Editing**, **Suggesting** or **Viewing**. See [How to suggest edits](/docs/suggesting-edits/).
- **Status** shows the document’s status, and lets you change it if you can edit.
- A row of tabs:
  - **WP** holds the WordPress fields and the push and pull controls. On a document connected to Webflow or Mintlify, this tab is labeled **Webflow** or **Mintlify** instead.
  - The AI tab (pointer icon) holds the Workover AI tools for the document. See [Iterating on a draft](/docs/iterating-on-a-draft/).
  - The Comments tab (speech bubble icon) lists comment threads.
  - The History tab (clock icon) lists saved versions and activity. See [Version history](/docs/version-history/).
- **More actions** (**•••**), at the end of the tab row, has **Download images (.zip)**, **Copy as markdown**, **Download markdown (.md)** and **Delete document**. See [Exporting a document](/docs/exporting-documents/).

With the Edit panel closed, nothing on screen shows which mode you are in. If your typing appears as tracked changes, open the Edit panel and check **Mode**.

## Saving

There is no save button. Your changes are saved as you type, and the toolbar shows **Saving…** while they are being written. Workover also records a version of the document at most every 10 minutes while it is changing, so you can go back to an earlier state.

> **Warning:** If the toolbar shows **Connecting…** or **Reconnecting…**, your latest changes exist only in that browser tab until the connection returns. Do not close or reload the tab until the message clears, or those changes are lost.

## Three ways to format

- **Markdown shortcuts as you type.** `##`starts a heading, `-`a bulleted list, `1.`a numbered list, `>`a quote. Text wrapped in backticks becomes inline code.
- **The**`/`**menu.** Type `/` to insert a block such as a heading, list, table, code block, image or video. The menu shows 10 items at a time, so type after the `/` to filter, for example `/table` or `/image`. See [Keyboard shortcuts and slash commands](/docs/keyboard-shortcuts-and-slash-commands/).
- **The toolbar and keyboard shortcuts.** Select text, then use a toolbar button or a shortcut such as `⌘B`. `⌘K` opens the command palette, not a link editor. To add a link, use `⌘⇧U` or **Link** in the toolbar.

The editor also replaces some character sequences as you type: `--` becomes a dash, `...` an ellipsis, `->` an arrow and `(c)` a copyright sign.

## Pasting

Workover converts what you paste. Markdown pasted as plain text becomes formatted text, and rich text from Google Docs, Word or a web page keeps its structure while dropping fonts and colors. Pasting a URL over selected text turns the text into a link, and pasting the URL of another Workover document you can open inserts a link titled with that document’s name. See [Pasting Markdown](/docs/markdown-paste/).

## Tables, code and media

- **Tables** come from the `/` menu. Drag a column edge to resize it.
- **Code blocks** get syntax highlighting. See [How to insert a code block](/docs/how-to-insert-code-blocks/).
- **Images** can be dragged in as a file, pasted as a file, or added from the `/` menu. Each of these opens the **Insert image** dialog so you can set its file name and alt text first. See [Images and media](/docs/images-and-media/).

## Working with other people

When someone else has the same document open, you see their cursor in the text and their avatar in the toolbar. You can both type at once, and the editor merges the changes without locking. See [Real-time editing and presence](/docs/presence-and-real-time-editing/).

To discuss text, select it and choose **Comment**. To propose a change for someone to accept, switch **Mode** to **Suggesting**. See [Comments and suggestions](/docs/comments-and-suggestions/).

## Related

- [Keyboard shortcuts and slash commands](/docs/keyboard-shortcuts-and-slash-commands/)
- [How to suggest edits](/docs/suggesting-edits/)
- [Document tabs](/docs/document-tabs/)
- [Comments and suggestions](/docs/comments-and-suggestions/)
- [Version history](/docs/version-history/)
- [Exporting a document](/docs/exporting-documents/)