Mastering "Blocks" in Notion!

Feb 18, 2024

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"Blocks" are one of Notion's unique features, but because they are unique to Notion, they can also be a point where people often get stuck at first.

This time, we will explain in detail what blocks are, the types of blocks, and how to use them, so that even Notion beginners can understand!

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🎬 Director: Rei
✍🏻 Writer: Mino Kurumi

1. What is a "block"?

Notion allows you to include not only text, but also images, tables, videos, and maps.

All content that can be included on a page, such as text, images, and tables, is called a "block."

Everything configured on this page is also a block.

In other words, it is no exaggeration to say that Notion is made up of "blocks," as these are very important elements.

Notion's "Blocks" feature is often likened to Lego blocks, and just like Lego, they can be freely assembled and easily rearranged .

You can arrange them vertically from top to bottom in a single column, or you can create a layout with two or three columns horizontally. You can also mix and match images and videos in addition to text.

Once placed, the blocks can be easily rearranged by dragging and dropping. This allows you to intuitively place the blocks, allowing you to create pages freely.

2.What types of blocks are there?

How many types of blocks do you think there are?

In fact, there are more varieties than you might imagine, with over 50 in total!

Part of a block

Not only text, but also pages, TODO lists, headings, and bullet points are all blocks.

There are also various other types of blocks, such as tables, embedded images and videos, and embedded linked tools such as social media.

🔗See the list of blocks here

Thanks to the wide variety of blocks with different functions, you can create a variety of pages in Notion.

3. Let's place some blocks

Now let's actually place some blocks and try them out!

3-1. Add a block

Adding a block is very easy.

1. Hover your cursor over the page and click the "+" button that appears
2. When the menu appears, select the block you want.

Text can also be typed directly onto the page without selecting a block.

Once you get more familiar with it, try adding blocks using shortcuts . You can add blocks not only using the "+" sign shown above, but also by typing in a shortcut.

To use the shortcut, simply type the name of the block you want to add, followed by a half-width slash "/" or a full-width semicolon ";" .

Example: Add a ToDo list block with a shortcut

📄 Shortcut Examples

Create a to-do list: /todo

Create a new page: /page

Create a bulleted list: /bullet

Create headings: /h1,/h2,/h3

Once you master the shortcuts, you can create pages faster using only the keyboard. Be sure to try them out once you get used to them!

3-2. Modifying blocks

Once you create a Notion block, you can easily change it to another block.

1. Click the "⋮⋮" (block handle) mark on the left side of the block
2. Click "Convert Block Type" and select the type of block you want to change.

Changing blocks is very useful when you want to change normal text into headings or bullet points. You can also delete or duplicate blocks using the " ⋮⋮ " mark.

3-3. Rearrange the blocks

You can also rearrange the order of blocks by long pressing the "⋮⋮" mark (block handle) and dragging it.

To rearrange the columns, tap and hold the "⋮⋮" icon and drag it to the desired location . You can also change the layout to two or three columns by tapping and holding it and dragging it to the right edge of the column.

Even if you decide you want to change the order after assembling the page to a certain extent, it's very convenient because you can easily move it by just dragging.

summary

That's all for the explanation of the "Block Feature"! Be sure to try using the various blocks to master Notion.

I have also explained the "database" which is one of the first things that can be difficult to understand when using Notion in a previous article, so please read that as well if you are interested.