> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://getsoda.app/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Notepad
> A place for your memories.
Everything Soda remembers lives in a notepad. Every call, email thread, and note you write has one, and so does every relationship you have.
Soda keeps them up to date by itself, so you never have to write anything up. But you can if you want. You can add what matters to you, make adjustments, and remove what you don't need. Soda does the work, and you still have the final say on what's recorded, and how.
## Three kinds of notepad
* **Memories.** The write-up of every conversation, with a **Summary**, **Action Items**, **Decisions**, and **Key Moments**. See [AI enhanced meeting notes](/docs/using-soda/ai-enhanced-notes).
* **People.** A living profile of everyone you talk to: who they are, what they care about, what they've decided, and what's worrying them.
* **Companies.** The same for every company, with everyone Soda knows there.
The best insights are usually scattered across dozens of separate calls. Soda takes everything you pick up from individual chats across an organization and stitches it together into one clear picture of the business. John in finance mentions a potential re-org, Anna in CS talks about pressure on year-end targets. Soda gathers those details so you always have the full story.
## Open a notepad
* **For a blank notepad:** click **Create Note** in the bottom-left corner of your screen, click **New Notepad** in the Soda window's sidebar, or tap ⌘ twice (⌘⌘) and type **/new**.
* **A call or email:** click it in **Memories**.
* **A person or company:** open them from **Contacts**, or tap ⌘ twice (⌘⌘) and type **/open** followed by the name of the person or company.
## Join a call with a notepad
The easiest way to take notes on a call is to join it from Soda. In **Upcoming meetings**, click **Join with Notepad**. Soda opens the meeting and a notepad side by side, already linked to the call.
You can tell Soda to always create a blank notepad when you join a meeting, go to **Settings** > **Preferences** > **Quick join meetings** and choose **Join with Notepad**. See [upcoming meetings and quick join](/docs/calls/upcoming-meetings).
Opened a note yourself a few minutes before a call? When the call starts, Soda asks whether to attach it, for example "Attach to Acme quarterly review?". Click **Attach**.
What happens to the notes you take on a call is covered in [AI enhanced meeting notes](/docs/using-soda/ai-enhanced-notes).
## Editing a notepad
Click the 'pencil' icon in the top right of a notepad to enable editing, then click anywhere in a notepad and start typing.
### Write and format
Type **/** to add a heading, a bulleted or numbered list, a quote, or a divider. Familiar shortcuts work too, like two asterisks either side of a word to make it bold. Type **@** to mention someone.
### Components
Components are ready-made sections, like **Action Items** or **Engagement**, and Soda fills most of them in for you as it learns. Each kind of notepad has its own set.
To add one, type **/** and pick it from the **Components** group. Each component can be added once, so any that are already in the note show greyed out.
To move or remove a component, hover over it and a handle appears to its left. Hold the handle and drag to move the component. Click the handle, then click the delete icon to remove it. A component you remove stays gone, even one Soda added by itself, until you add it back with **/**.
**Action Items** are every to-do from the call, each with a tickbox. Tick one off when it's done. Type **@** to assign it to someone, and click the date to set when it's due. Soda fills the list from the call, and you can add your own. When a list gets long, the rest folds away until you want it.
**Decisions** lists what was decided on the call, one per line. Soda fills it in, and you can add your own.
**Participants** shows who was on the call, and who hosted it when Soda knows. You can type in it to add someone.
**Key Moments** is a timeline of the moments worth remembering, each with its time in the call. Soda fills it in, and it only shows when there's something in it.
On a blank note that isn't attached to a call, these start empty.
**About** holds the basics, like their job title, as labels and values.
**Personal** holds the details that build a relationship, like family, interests, or a birthday.
**Decisions Made** lists what they've decided across your conversations.
**Concerns** lists the worries and objections they've raised.
**Action Items** gathers a list of to-do's, with assigned owners and due dates (where mentioned).
**Engagement** charts your calls and email threads with them over the last 16 weeks, so you can see at a glance whether things are warming up or going quiet. Click any call or email in it to open it. Soda builds it, and it's on every profile from the start.
**Aliases** lists the other ways this person is known, like their email address, phone number, LinkedIn, or the name they use on Zoom. Soda fills it in, and you can add or edit rows.
**Connected To** shows the people they're connected to. Click a name to open that person's profile.
**Products** shows the tools and products they use.
**Communication** lists your past calls and emails with them. Soda keeps it up to date, and it's on every profile from the start.
A company's notepad has **About**, **Decisions Made**, **Concerns**, **Action Items**, **Engagement**, and **Communication**. Each works the same way as on a contact, for everyone at the company.
**Contacts** lists the people Soda knows at the company. It appears by itself, so it isn't in the **/** menu.
## Pin a notepad to the screen
Choose **Pin To Top** from the notepad's menu to keep it above your other windows, so your notes sit next to the meeting. Choose **Unpin from Top** to let it go back behind your other windows.
### Hide your notes from screenshare
Sharing your screen with a customer and don't want them to read your notes? Once a notepad is pinned, right-click the pin and turn on privacy mode. You still see the notepad, but it's hidden from screen shares and recordings, so nobody else on the call sees what you're writing. Perfect for interviews, customer demos, or when you're speaking with your ex.
## See what changed
People and companies change, and their notepads keep up. Open Bruce's notepad before your next call and the new details stand out. Maybe Acme has a new CFO, or budget sign-off has moved to next quarter. Anything Soda has changed in the last two weeks is highlighted. Hover over it to see when it changed and where it came from, like "Edited on September 3rd based on 'Acme renewal'".
See [how profiles stay up to date](/docs/memory/how-profiles-stay-up-to-date).
## Share, export, or send a follow-up
To pass a notepad to a teammate, choose **Share** from its menu. See [how to share with a teammate](/docs/using-soda/share).
On a call, choose **Send follow-up email** and Soda drafts the follow-up in your own voice. See [follow-up emails](/docs/using-soda/follow-up-emails).
To keep a copy outside Soda, choose **Export to PDF**.
## Delete a notepad
Choose **Delete** from the notepad's menu, then click **Delete** again to confirm. The call, email, or note is removed from your memory. The contacts and details it added to profiles are kept.
Once a notepad has been deleted it cannot be restored
You don't need to delete empty notes. Close a note with nothing in it, and Soda tidies it away for you.
## Troubleshooting
Soda hasn't heard or read anything for that section yet. You'll see the same for "No connections yet", "No communication yet", and "No contacts yet". Each one fills in as you have more calls and emails with that person or company. You can also type in it yourself.
Change it. Your edit becomes part of the profile, and Soda won't change it back. See [when Soda gets it wrong](/docs/memory/when-soda-gets-it-wrong).
Quit Soda and open it again. You'll find **Quit** when you [click your name at the bottom of the sidebar](/docs/getting-started/find-your-way-around#settings). If it still won't open, [contact support](/docs/troubleshooting/contact-support).
## Next steps
Take notes on a call, and let Soda build the write-up around them.
Ask Soda about any call, note, or customer from anywhere on your Mac.
This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.