Getting started
The basics of cDox, in about five minutes.
Welcome to cDox
cDox is a place to write and keep your documents. You can make two kinds:
- Pages, for writing: a letter, notes, a report, a story.
- Sheets, for anything that goes in rows and columns: a budget, a list, a schedule.
This page shows you the basics in about five minutes. You can come back to it any time with Guide, in the column on the left.
Find your way around
When you sign in, you land on your dashboard, under My Documents. Four things to know:
- The list in the middle. Your folders at the top, and anything not filed in one below them. Click a document to open it.
- The round + button in the bottom-right corner. This is how you make things: a page, a sheet, a folder, or a file from your computer to bring in.
- The column on the left. Your documents at the top: My Documents, Shared With Me once someone shares something with you, and Recent. What's New and this Guide are at the bottom. On a phone, tap the menu (☰) at the top left to open it.
- Your initial or photo in the top-right corner. The magnifying glass beside it opens Search. Your initial opens My Account: your settings, language, plan, and logging out.
You never have to save
There's no Save button. cDox keeps your work as you type. Close the window, come back tomorrow, and everything is exactly as you left it.
If your internet connection drops, a red You're offline bar appears. Keep the page open: your changes are saved as soon as you're back online.
Write your first page
- Click the round + button in the bottom-right corner of your dashboard.
- Choose New Page.
- Type a title, then click Create.
- Your page opens. Start writing.
To get back to your list, click the arrow (←) in the top-left corner.
To change the title later, click it at the top of the page. It's the name you'll see in your list and when you share the page.
Make your writing look right
The row of buttons at the top of the page is the toolbar. To change how some text looks, select it, then click a button:
- B makes it bold, I makes it italic.
- H1, H2 and H3 make headings in three sizes. H1 is the biggest.
- The list buttons make a bulleted list, a numbered list or a checklist.
Rest your pointer on any button for a second and its name appears. Made a mistake? The curved arrow at the start of the toolbar undoes it, or press Ctrl+ Z.
Pictures, links, tables and the rest are explained in Writing in pages.
Make your first sheet
Click the + button, choose New Sheet and give it a title. You get a grid of empty boxes called cells.
Click a cell and type. Enter moves you down a row, Tab moves you to the right. The grid grows on its own when you reach the edge.
A sheet can also do the maths for you. Every cell has a name made of its column letter and row number, like A1 in the top-left corner. Type =A1+A2 in a cell and it shows the two first cells of column A added together. That's called a formula: see Formulas.
Already have an Excel file? Use the + button and Import Documents to turn it into a cDox sheet. See Bringing files in and out.
Keep things tidy
- Make a folder: the + button, then New Folder. It's made wherever you are.
- Move a document: click the three dots (⋯) at the end of its row, then Move. On a phone, press and hold the row.
- Find something: click the magnifying glass (Search) at the top right and type a few words. It looks inside your pages and sheets too.
Everything else is in Folders and finding things.
If you get stuck
Can't find a document, lost your connection, didn't get an email? When something goes wrong answers the most common questions. And if your answer isn't there, write to us with Contact Us in the left column.