How to Format Text and Add Images in Ninety
Ninety's text editor lets you format text and add images and files in the description and notes fields you use every day. You can bold key points, build bulleted lists, add headings, and paste a screenshot straight into an Issue or To-Do with Ctrl+V.
Owners, Admins, Coaches, Managers, and Team Members (Managees) can format text and add images in any field they can edit. Observers can view formatted content but can't edit it. To learn what each role can do, see User Roles and Permissions.
Where you'll find the text editor
The text editor appears in the description and notes fields across Ninety. Look for the toolbar with B, i, U, and strikethrough at the top of the field:
Rocks (your 90-day priorities), including Milestones, and To-Dos, Issues, Headlines, and Cascading Messages, in their details panels and in the global Create form.
Meetings, including meeting notes, custom agenda sections, Segue content, and notes added to Rocks, To-Dos, Issues, and Headlines during a meeting.
Most sections of the Vision tool, such as Purpose, Niche, and custom sections. Core Values and parts of Marketing Strategy keep their simpler fields.
The description of a Quarterly or Annual Review in the 1-on-1 tool.
Your profile bio, in your user settings and in the Directory.
The Knowledge Portal uses a fuller version of the editor. It's described in the "How the Knowledge Portal editor is different" section.
Formatting text
The text editor keeps the most common formatting tools on the toolbar: Bold, Italic, Underline, and Strikethrough. Select text, then click a tool to apply it. The rest of the tools are grouped in three menus, plus a ⋮ menu on the right. Hover over any icon to see a label that says what it does.
Menu | What it contains |
A: (text) | Subscript, superscript, font, font size, text color, highlight, Inline Class, Inline Style, and clear formatting. |
¶: (paragraph) | Left, center, and right alignment, justify, bulleted list, numbered list, Paragraph Format (Normal, Heading 1–4, and Code), Paragraph Style, line height, outdent, indent, and quote. |
+: (insert) | Format Painter, link, image, Upload File, table, Select All, and emoji. |
⋮ (more) | Undo and redo. |
To add a heading, click in the line, open the ¶: menu, click Paragraph Format, and choose Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, or Heading 4. To return the line to regular text, choose Normal.
To copy formatting from one part of your text to another with the Format Painter:
Select text that has the formatting you want to copy.
Open the +: menu and click Format Painter.
Select the text you want to apply that formatting to.
Inline Class, Inline Style, and Paragraph Style offer a few preset looks, such as highlighted text or a bordered paragraph. They're optional, and most teams use the standard tools above.
To remove formatting, select the text, open the A: menu, and click Clear Formatting.
Adding images
You can add an image to a description or notes field by pasting it or dragging it in. This works for screenshots, charts, and any image file:
Paste a screenshot or copied image. Click in the field where you want the image and press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac).
Drag an image file. Drag the file from your computer into the field.
Insert an image from a web address. Open the +: menu, click the image icon, paste the image's URL, and click Insert.
Add one image at a time. If you copy several images at once and paste them, only one is added.
To adjust an image after you add it, click it. An alignment dropdown and a delete icon appear on the image. Drag a corner of the image to resize it.
Adding links and files
You can add links and upload files directly in a description or notes field.
To link text to a web page:
Select the text you want to link.
Open the +: menu and click the link icon.
Paste the URL and click Insert.
To upload a file into the field:
Click in the field where you want the file.
Open the +: menu and click Upload File.
Drop the file into the box, or click the box to choose a file.
The file appears in the text as a link showing its file name. Click the link to see options to open it, edit the link, or remove the link.
Many items, including Rocks, To-Dos, Issues, Headlines, and meeting notes, also have a separate Attachments section below the description. Use the Attachments section to keep files with the item, and use a link in the description when you want the file to appear at a specific point in your text. If a file won't upload in either place, see Fixing an Attachment That Won't Upload.
Pasting from other apps
The text editor keeps the formatting of content you paste from Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and other apps. Headings, lists, bold text, and links come through without a pop-up or extra cleanup. To paste plain text instead, paste it and then select it and click Clear Formatting in the A: menu.
How the text field fits on the page
A description or notes field grows as you type, up to about twice its starting height. After that, the field scrolls, so use the scroll bar on its right side to move through longer content.
Item descriptions hold up to 65,536 characters, and the counter above the field shows how many you've used. Formatting, links, and files use some of that space. If you reach the limit, see the "Why did my description stop accepting text?" question in Creating Items with the Universal Create Button.
How the Knowledge Portal editor is different
The Knowledge Portal uses a fuller version of the text editor, built for longer documents. It's available on the Thrive and Legacy plans, and Owners, Admins, Coaches, and Managers can edit Knowledge Portal content in Edit Mode. The main differences are:
Feature | Descriptions and notes | Knowledge Portal |
Toolbar | Most tools are in the A:, ¶:, and +: menus. | Most tools are visible on the toolbar. |
Adding your own image | Paste or drag the image. | Paste or drag the image, or upload it with the image icon. |
Uploaded files | Appear as a link. | PDFs appear as a card with a preview. Word and Excel files appear as a preview you can scroll through. |
Video | Not available. | Embed a video from its URL. |
Saving | Saves with the item. | Click Save Changes to keep your edits. |
Paragraph Format, Paragraph Style, line height, and quote | Available. | Not available. |
For the full Knowledge Portal toolbar and file details, see Creating and Editing Content in the Knowledge Portal and Adding Files and Attachments to the Knowledge Portal.
Troubleshooting
Issue: I pasted several images, but only one appeared.
Solution:
Paste or drag each image into the field separately.
If an image still doesn't appear, wait for the first one to finish loading, then add the next.
If the issue persists, contact support.
Issue: The image icon only asks for a web address.
Solution:
Copy the image or take a screenshot.
Click in the field and press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac), or drag the image file into the field.
If the issue persists, contact support.
Issue: My uploaded file shows as a link instead of a preview.
Solution:
Click the link and click the open icon to view the file. Files in descriptions and notes always appear as links.
To show a PDF, Word, or Excel file as a preview on the page, add it to the Knowledge Portal instead.
If the link doesn't open the file, contact support.
Issue: My description stopped accepting text.
Solution:
Check the character counter above the field. Descriptions hold up to 65,536 characters.
Remove content you no longer need, or move longer material into a document and add it as a link or attachment.
If the issue persists, contact support.
Issue: I can't type in the field or the toolbar is grayed out.
Solution:
Check your role. Observers can view items but can't edit them.
Make sure you're on the team the item belongs to, or ask the item's owner for access.
If you have edit access and the field still won't respond, contact support.
Frequently asked questions
Can I paste a screenshot into an Issue or To-Do?
Yes. Open the Issue or To-Do, click in its description, and press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac). The screenshot appears in the description. You can do the same in Rock, Headline, and meeting note fields.
Can I add headings to a description?
Yes. Click in the line you want to turn into a heading, open the ¶: menu, click Paragraph Format, and choose a heading level from Heading 1 to Heading 4.
Can I add a table to a description?
Yes. Click where you want the table, open the +: menu, and click the table icon. Move your cursor over the grid to choose the number of rows and columns, then click to insert the table.
Can I preview a file without downloading it?
In the Knowledge Portal, yes. PDFs appear as a card with a Fullscreen button, and Word and Excel files appear as a preview on the page. In descriptions and notes, a file appears as a link that you click to open.
Can I @mention someone in a description?
Yes. Type @ and the first few letters of a teammate's first or last name, then select them from the list. They'll get a notification. To learn more, see Stay Updated with Ninety's In-App Notifications and Alerts.
Does typing a dash or "1." start a list?
No. To start a list, open the ¶: menu and click the bulleted list or numbered list icon.