Author note (Internal article note)

Last Modified on 04/16/2026 2:05 pm EDT

Sometimes, you need a place to leave notes for other authors (or yourself) that isn't the Version Notes field. This might include notes on who the subject matter expert is, or that if you update this article, you should also update another article, or some type of quality control note (such as Article Confidence levels if you use KCS).

This type of note is exactly what Author notes are for (previously known as Internal notes).

Author notes:

  • Are notes you want front-and-center when you or other authors are editing a given article.
  • Display only in app.knowledgeowl.com. Readers can't ever see them.
  • Accept simple text, including lists and hyperlinks.
  • Will be displayed at the top of all versions of the article.
  • Are available in the Manage Articles CSV export.
  • If used in a template article, will be copied to new articles created from that template.
  • If in an existing article, will be copied when a new article is created from that existing article.

Add an author note/internal note

Authors with the default Editor or Writer role can add author notes. If you're using a custom role, you'll need to have the Internal notes custom author role permission to Create new internal notes.

Authors who don't have permissions to create, edit, or delete internal notes will still be able to see author notes created by other authors who do.

The information below varies based on whether you're using our 2026 new editor or old editor.

To figure out which instructions to follow:

  1. Open any article for editing.
  2. If the lefthand navigation is collapsed and the editor otherwise has a totally white background, follow the New editor documentation.
  3. If the lefthand navigation is expanded and the top of the editor and the righthand column have a grey background, follow the Old editor documentation.

Here are side-by-side examples of the new editor and the old editor:

The new article editorSample New editor
The old article editorSample Old editor

Try out the new editor
We'd love your feedback on the new editor. To switch to the new editor, open any article for editing and select the Switch to new editor link at the top of the editor.

Add author note in new editor

To add an author note in the new article editor:

  1. Open the article for editing.
  2. Select + Add a note next to Author note:
    The Add author note modal opens.
  3. Select the style badge you'd like your note displayed with. We default to Neutral. The editor block updates to preview the style you've selected.
  4. Enter the text for your note in the editor pane. Use the simplified editor controls to add text highlighting, hyperlinks, and lists. Here's a simple one-line note with a hyperlink added:
    Sample author note with a hyperlink.
  5. When you've finished your note, select Save. Your author note is instantly saved and displays in the editor using the style you selected:
    Sample author note displayed in the editor

Add internal note in old editor

To add an internal note in the category editor and old article editor:

  1. Open the article for editing.
  2. Select the Add Internal Note link to the right of the title:
    Select Add Internal Note
         The Create Internal Note modal opens.
  3. Add the text of your note in the Note HTML. If you're just putting in regular sentences, you don't need to add HTML. If you're using lists, hyperlinks, and so on, add raw HTML.
    1. It's often easiest to use the article editor to create the note, then toggle to Code View to copy the raw HTML and enter it into the note.
    2. Refer to What HTML is supported in internal notes? for more information on which HTML you can use.
  4. Use the Style dropdown to select the style display for your note. We default to Alert Info.
    1. A simple one-line note in the Alert Warning style might look like this:
      Sample Create Internal Note modal with a one-line note in the Alert Warning style
  5. Select Create Note. The modal closes and the article editor displays with the note near the top, in the style you selected:
    Sample display of an Internal Note in the Alert Warning style
  6. You don't need to resave the article itself for the note to be saved.

Edit an author note

Authors with the default Editor or Writer role can edit author notes. If you're using a custom role, you'll need to have the Internal Notes Permission to Edit internal notes.

Authors who don't have permissions to create, edit, or delete internal notes will still be able to see internal notes created by other authors who do.

Once an internal note exists, you can edit it to make updates.

The information below varies based on whether you're using our 2026 new editor or old editor.

To figure out which instructions to follow:

  1. Open any article for editing.
  2. If the lefthand navigation is collapsed and the editor otherwise has a totally white background, follow the New editor documentation.
  3. If the lefthand navigation is expanded and the top of the editor and the righthand column have a grey background, follow the Old editor documentation.

Here are side-by-side examples of the new editor and the old editor:

The new article editorSample New editor
The old article editorSample Old editor

Try out the new editor
We'd love your feedback on the new editor. To switch to the new editor, open any article for editing and select the Switch to new editor link at the top of the editor.

Edit an author note in new editor

To edit an author note in the new article editor:

  1. Open the article for editing.
  2. Select the triple dot menu in the upper right corner of the Author note card, then select Edit:
    Select the Author note triple dot menu, then select Edit.
    The Edit author note modal opens.
  3. To change the style of the note's display, select the style badge you'd like your note displayed with.
  4. Use the simplified editor controls to edit the text of your note.
  5. Once you're done making changes, be sure to Save them. Your author note is instantly updated. You don't need to resave the article to save these changes.

Edit an internal note in old editor and category editor

  1. Open the article for editing.
  2. Select the Edit Note link that appears just above the note:
    Click the Edit Note link
         The Edit Internal Note modal opens.
  3. Edit the HTML or change the style as you'd like. Once you're done making changes, select Edit Note to save your changes.
  4. The note updates immediately based on the changes you made. You do not need to resave the article or category for the note to save.

Remove an author note

Authors with the default Editor or Writer role can remove internal notes. If you're using a custom role, you'll need to have the Internal Notes Permission to Remove internal notes.

Authors who don't have permissions to create, edit, or delete internal notes will still be able to see internal notes created by other authors who do.

You can also delete an author note completely.

The information below varies based on whether you're using our 2026 new editor or old editor.

To figure out which instructions to follow:

  1. Open any article for editing.
  2. If the lefthand navigation is collapsed and the editor otherwise has a totally white background, follow the New editor documentation.
  3. If the lefthand navigation is expanded and the top of the editor and the righthand column have a grey background, follow the Old editor documentation.

Here are side-by-side examples of the new editor and the old editor:

The new article editorSample New editor
The old article editorSample Old editor

Try out the new editor
We'd love your feedback on the new editor. To switch to the new editor, open any article for editing and select the Switch to new editor link at the top of the editor.

Delete an author note in new editor

To delete an author note in the new article editor:

  1. Open the article for editing.
  2. Select the triple dot menu in the upper right corner of the Author note card, then select Delete:
    Select the Author note triple dot menu, then select Edit.
    The Delete author note modal opens.
  3. To fully delete the author note, select Delete.
  4. The note is immediately removed from the article editor. You don't need to save the article to save the deletion.

Remove an internal note in category editor and old article editor

To remove an internal note from the old article editor or from the category editor:

  1. Open the article for editing.
  2. Select the Remove Note link that appears just above the note:
    Select Remove Note
  3. A confirmation modal opens to ask you to confirm that you want to delete the note. Select OK to delete the note.
  4. The note is deleted immediately; you don't need to resave the article or category for the deletion to complete.

What HTML is supported in internal notes?

We've kept these notes pretty lean. They will support HTML:

  • Paragraph <p>
  • Numbered list <ol>
  • Bulleted list <ul>
  • List items <li>
  • Hyperlinks <a href="www.mylink.com">Link text</a>
  • Bold text <b> or <strong>
  • Italics <i>
  • Paragraph breaks <br>

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