Embeds

Add live external content directly inside your Objects.

An Embed is a block in the editor that displays live content from an external service — a YouTube video, a Miro board, a Google Maps location, a Mermaid diagram. Instead of just linking to the source, the content renders inside your Object so you can see and (in many cases) interact with it without leaving Anytype.

Why it matters

Embeds keep your work in one place. A project page can show:

• The Miro brainstorm next to the meeting notes

• A YouTube tutorial that explains the technique

• A Google Maps route to the venue

• A Mermaid diagram of the system architecture

…all without bouncing between tabs and apps. When you come back to the page weeks later, everything you need is still there — and the embedded content reflects whatever's current at the source.

Adding an Embed

The fastest way:

1. In the editor, type / to open the menu and type the name of your desired Embed—full list here. Or scroll down to the Embeds section.

2. Pick the type and paste the URL when prompted.

You can also paste a URL directly into the editor. The paste menu offers four options:

• Mention — insert as a clickable link in the text flow

• Bookmark — create a bookmark card with preview metadata

• Embed — embed the live content (only works for supported services)

• Link — paste as plain URL

If the URL is from a recognized embeddable service, Embed is the default. For unknown services, you'll see only Mention, Bookmark, and Link.

Supported Embeds

Video and audio

• YouTube — paste any YouTube URL, including timestamped links

• Vimeo — paste a video URL

• Bandcamp — paste an album or track URL

• SoundCloud — paste a track or playlist URL

• Apple Music — paste a song, album, or playlist link

Diagrams and visual

• Mermaid — write Mermaid syntax inline, rendered as a flowchart, sequence diagram, or other Mermaid output

• Miro — paste a Miro board URL (anyone with a public Miro link can view; private boards require viewer access)

• Excalidraw — embed an Excalidraw diagram editor as a block, edit inline (temporarily disabled due to performance issues)

• Figma — paste a Figma frame or file URL

• draw.io — paste a published diagram URL

Maps and locations

• Google Maps — paste a Maps URL or coordinates

• OpenStreetMap — paste a location URL

Code and content

• LaTeX — see here for more information: Inline LaTeX

• GitHub Gist — paste a Gist URL

• CodePen — paste a Pen URL

• CodeSandbox — paste a sandbox URL

Social and reference

• Twitter / X

• Reddit

• Facebook

• Instagram

File embeds

Beyond external URLs, you can embed files directly from your Objects:

• Image — drag in an image, paste from clipboard, or use /image

• Video — drag in or use /video

• Audio — drag in or use /audio

• PDF — drag in or use /pdf

These embeds are connected to the File Object — the file becomes its own Object in your Channel that you can find, link, and tag.

File block default style

For File blocks (Image, Video, Audio, File), you can choose between two display modes:

• Embedded preview — the file renders inline (image visible, video player active, audio player ready)

• Compact link — a small link with the filename, opens the full file when clicked

The default is set in Vault Settings > Application > Editor Personalization > File block default style. You can also override per-block: hover over a file block, click the three-dot menu, and choose the alternate style.

Resizing and arranging Embeds

Most embed blocks (especially videos, maps, and visual content) have a resize handle. Drag the handle to make the embed larger or smaller. Changes are saved per-block.

You can put an embed in a column alongside text by dragging it next to another block — see Blocks for column layouts.

Mermaid syntax (quick reference)

Mermaid is a text-based diagram language. Type /mermaid to insert a Mermaid block, then write syntax like:

graph TD
  A[Start] --> B{Decision}
  B -->|Yes| C[Do thing]
  B -->|No| D[Do other thing]

Anytype renders this as a flowchart in real time. Mermaid supports flowcharts, sequence diagrams, Gantt charts, class diagrams, and more — see the Mermaid documentation for full syntax.

Tips

Embed reference, link to source for citation. A Wikipedia article is best linked (it's not very embeddable); a Miro board is best embedded (you want to see it). Pick the format that matches how you'll use it.

Use Mermaid for living diagrams. Mermaid diagrams are text — if you change the diagram in your Object, the change persists. Compare with a screenshot of a diagram, which goes stale the moment you change something.

Embeds rely on the external service. If YouTube changes their embed API or a Miro board is deleted, the embed in your Object stops working. Important content should also be saved as a Bookmark or downloaded copy as a backup.