Sync guide

Notes Sync Setup Guide

Synchronize your webmail Notes with Obsidian and other note apps on every platform, using the same privacy-preserving authentication as our calendar and contact sync.

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📝 What Notes Sync Does

Every note you keep in the webmail Notes section is available as a file over WebDAV, and every file your note app uploads appears in webmail. Folders sync too, including nested folders, so a notebook organized on your device looks the same in webmail and the other way around.

Sync is two-way: create, edit, move, rename, and delete on either side and the other side follows. Authentication uses our dual-random system, so nothing in your login, password, or URL reveals anything about your account or identity.

The following file types are synced:

  • Markdown (.md) with full editing in webmail
  • Plain text (.txt) with full editing in webmail
  • HTML (.html) with full editing in webmail
  • Images (.jpg, .png), viewable in webmail
  • PDF (.pdf), viewable in webmail

Note: Other file types (for example .json, .docx, or app configuration files) are not accepted and will show a per-file error in your sync app. If your app offers to sync its own settings folder, leave that option off.

There are two ways to reach your notes, and you can use either or both with the same account:

  • File sync (Obsidian and other WebDAV apps) — all note types above, with your folder structure. This is what most people want.
  • Memos (Evolution, KOrganizer, Android jtx Board) — your text notes appear as memos alongside your calendars. Text only, shown as a flat list.

🔧 General Connection Information

Notes sync uses the same authentication pairs as calendar and contact sync. Go to Settings → DAV Server in webmail, create a new auth pair (or edit an existing one), and enable the permissions you want under Notes Permissions:

  • Allow access to notes lets the client read your notes (required)
  • Allow creating and updating notes lets the client upload new and changed notes
  • Allow deleting notes lets the client delete notes and folders

Then configure your note app with:

  • Server URL: https://codamail.com/dav/notes/
  • Username: The randomly generated username (e.g. XF45F@codamail.com)
  • Password: The associated random password (not your account password)

Important: The username and password are shown only once, at creation. They work only as a pair. Use the copy buttons to save both while they are visible. Neither is stored and neither can be recovered. If you lose them, delete the auth pair and create a new one. For a sync app that should have full control of your notes, enable all three notes permissions. For a read-only viewer, enable only access.

💼 Obsidian (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS)

Obsidian is a popular markdown note app. Its Remotely Save community plugin syncs an Obsidian vault with your CodaMail notes on every platform Obsidian runs on:

  1. Install Obsidian from obsidian.md (or your app store on mobile) and open or create a vault.
  2. Open Settings → Community plugins, turn on community plugins, then Browse and install Remotely Save. Enable it.
  3. In the Remotely Save settings, set Choose A Remote Service to WebDAV.
  4. Enter the Server Address https://codamail.com/dav/notes/, your random username, and your random password.
  5. Click Check Connectivity to confirm the connection.
  6. Leave the option to sync the configuration directory off (it is off by default). Plugin settings files are not note formats and will not sync.
  7. Sync using the Remotely Save icon in the left ribbon, or the command palette. You can also enable sync on a schedule or on save in the plugin settings.

Your vault folders become note folders in webmail, and your webmail folders appear in the vault.

📱 Android (Zettel Notes)

Zettel Notes is a lightweight Android markdown editor with built-in WebDAV sync:

  1. Install Zettel Notes from Google Play or F-Droid.
  2. Create or choose a notebook, then open its sync settings and choose WebDAV.
  3. Enter the server URL https://codamail.com/dav/notes/ and your random username and password.
  4. Start a sync. Your webmail notes download into the notebook and new notes upload automatically.

Obsidian with Remotely Save (above) also works fully on Android if you prefer one app everywhere.

🍎 iOS (1Writer, Notebooks)

On iOS, Obsidian with Remotely Save (above) is the most complete option. Two popular alternatives with native WebDAV support:

  1. 1Writer: In the file browser, tap Edit, then Add WebDAV. Enter https://codamail.com/dav/notes/ with your random username and password. Your notes appear as an editable folder tree.
  2. Notebooks: In Settings choose WebDAV sync, enter the same URL and credentials, and select what to sync.

💻 Desktop File Access (Linux, Mac, Windows)

Because notes are served as ordinary WebDAV files, any WebDAV file client can browse and edit them directly:

  1. GNOME Files (Linux): Press Ctrl+L and enter davs://codamail.com/dav/notes/, then authenticate with your random username and password.
  2. Cyberduck (Windows, Mac): Open a new connection, choose WebDAV (HTTPS), server codamail.com, path /dav/notes/, and your credentials.
  3. rclone (Windows, Mac, Linux): Configure a remote of type webdav with URL https://codamail.com/dav/notes/, vendor other, and your credentials. Then rclone sync, mount, or copy in either direction.
  4. davfs2 (Linux mount): Mount https://codamail.com/dav/notes/ with mount.davfs. Set use_locks 0 in /etc/davfs2/davfs2.conf; the notes server does not use WebDAV locking.

Windows note: Windows Explorer’s built-in “Map network drive” WebDAV support requires server features we deliberately do not implement. Use Cyberduck, WinSCP, or rclone on Windows instead.

📜 Text Notes in Evolution, KOrganizer & Android (Memos)

If you use a calendar and contacts app that supports notes, your text notes also appear as memos alongside your calendars, using the same account you already set up for calendar and contact sync. Nothing extra to configure: add the account once, and a Memos (or Notes) list appears automatically.

  1. Evolution (Linux): Add a Collection or CalDAV account pointing at https://codamail.com/dav/ with your random username and password. A memo list named Memos shows up in the Memos view.
  2. KOrganizer (Linux/KDE): Add a DAV groupware resource for https://codamail.com/dav/; the journal/memo collection is discovered automatically.
  3. Android (jtx Board via DAVx⁵): In DAVx⁵, add a CalDAV account for https://codamail.com/dav/, enable the memo (journal) collection, and open it in jtx Board.

Memos are text only. This view carries plain-text and Markdown notes; images, PDFs, and HTML notes do not appear here (use a file-sync app above for those). Memos are shown as a single flat list, so your note folders are not reflected in the memo view. Edits made in a memo app sync back to the same note and leave its folder unchanged.

💡 Tips & Troubleshooting

  • 💡 Authentication failed? Make sure you’re using the random username and its paired random password, not your email login, and that the auth pair has notes access enabled.
  • 💡 Connected but empty? Verify the URL is exactly https://codamail.com/dav/notes/ including the trailing slash.
  • 💡 Some files show sync errors? Only markdown, plain text, HTML, images (.jpg/.png), and PDF are accepted. Errors on other file types are expected; exclude them or turn off app-settings sync.
  • 💡 A note title contains a forward slash? Slashes cannot appear in file names, so in your sync app that note shows a look-alike character (⁄) in its name. It syncs normally.
  • 💡 Two notes with the same name in one folder? Give them distinct titles in webmail; identical titles cannot be told apart as files.
  • 💡 Lost your credentials? Delete the auth pair in Settings → DAV Server and create a new one.
  • 💡 Still need help? Visit our support page or contact us.

📞 Need Additional Help?

If you need assistance setting up notes sync with your specific app, or you encounter an issue not covered in this guide, please contact our support team at helpdesk@codamail.com.

We’re here to help ensure your notes stay in sync across all your devices while maintaining the highest levels of privacy and security.