Editing and formatting entries in Day One for Android
Tap an entry in the List view, then tap anywhere in the body to place the cursor and start editing. Day One’s Android editor uses contextual toolbars: instead of showing every formatting option all the time, the toolbar changes based on what you’re doing — typing, selecting text, or working with headings and lists.
Formatting text you’ve already written
Select a word or phrase to bring up the selection toolbar. From here you can apply Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough, Highlight, Inline code, or add a Link. Tap a mark again to remove it.
Note: Underline and Strikethrough can’t be applied to the same text at the same time.
Headings and paragraph style
Tap Formatting in the toolbar to open the formatting bar, then tap the heading icon to open the heading picker. Each option shows a live preview:
- Title
- Subtitle
- Heading
- Subheading
- Section
- Subsection
Tap Body next to the heading picker to change a heading back to regular paragraph text.
Checklists, quotes, code blocks, and lists
To add bullet points (a bulleted list), a numbered list, or a checklist in Day One for Android, tap Formatting in the toolbar — not Add attachment (the + icon), which is only for photos, video, audio, and other files. From the formatting bar, choose:
- Checklist, Bulleted list, or Numbered list
- Quote for a blockquote
- Code block for preformatted text
- Horizontal rule to insert a divider line
While inside a list item, Indent and Outdent buttons also appear so you can adjust nesting. Tap the X (Close formatting) to return to the default toolbar.
Selecting text
While actively editing, text selection stays within a single paragraph — you can’t drag a selection across multiple paragraphs. The first time this comes up, Day One shows a one-time hint pointing you to the Done button (the checkmark) in the top bar.
To copy an entire long entry reliably in one step, tap the ⋮ menu at the top of the entry and choose Copy to Clipboard instead of selecting text by hand.
Adding photos and other attachments
Tap Add attachment (the + icon) in the toolbar to add a photo, video, audio recording, file, dictation, tag, location, or template. Tap Add media for a quicker path straight to your photo library.
Undo and redo
Use the Undo and Redo buttons in the top bar to step backward and forward through your recent edits.
Disabling autocorrect
- Open your phone’s Settings.
- Navigate to the “Languages & Input” settings.
- Tap “Keyboard” or “On-screen keyboard” settings.
- Find the specific keyboard you’re using (e.g., Gboard).
- Within the keyboard settings, find options to disable “Auto-correction” and “Show suggestions.”
Note: The exact wording and location of these settings may vary slightly depending on your phone’s manufacturer.
FAQ
I can’t find Bold, Italic, Checklist, or bullet points anymore — where did they go?
They haven’t been removed. Select some text to bring up formatting options, or tap Formatting in the toolbar for headings, bulleted and numbered lists, checklists, quotes, and code blocks.
Why can’t I select text across paragraphs while I’m typing?
This is expected: each paragraph is its own selection area while editing. Tap Done to switch to reading mode, where you can select across paragraphs and photos.
Can I change the color or size of formatted text?
Not currently — you can highlight text, but Day One doesn’t support changing the color or size of individual text elements like headings or quotes.
Can I change the entry font (typeface) on Android?
Not currently — Settings > Appearance lets you change the entry font size and switch between light and dark themes, but there’s no option to change the font family. A custom font picker is available on iOS and Mac.
