Mainfolk user guide

Your website, in your hands.

Editing your Mainfolk site is easier than it looks. There is no code, nothing to install, and you cannot break it. This guide walks you through it one step at a time, with pictures.

Everything saves automatically No code, ever Changes go live only when you say so
1 · The big picture

The left panel changes things. The right panel shows them.

That one idea is the whole editor. On the left you make changes. On the right you see exactly what a visitor will see. The right side is a live preview: you never type on it directly.

mainfolk.com/sites/your-site/website
1 You edit here 2 Live preview of your site The site editor: a controls panel on the left and a live preview of the website on the right.
The editor: controls on the left, a live preview on the right.

There are two ways to open something for editing, and they do the same thing:

  1. Click it in the list on the left.Each row is one part of your page. Click a row to open its settings.
  2. Or click it in the preview on the right.Click any headline, photo, or button in the preview and its controls open on the left, ready to edit.
You cannot lose your work. Every change is saved the moment you make it. And nothing is public until you press Publish changes, so feel free to experiment.
2 · Getting in

How to open the editor

Start from your dashboard, pick the page you want to work on, and you are in.

  1. Log in at mainfolk.com/login.Use the email you signed up with. We send a magic link, so there is no password to remember.
  2. Open your site from the dashboard.If you run more than one site, choose the one you want.
  3. Choose a page under Pages (for example, Home).The editor opens with that page's controls on the left and the preview on the right.
Already logged in? Open the Help & support menu (top right of the editor) any time to come back to this guide.
3 · The top bar

What the buttons across the top do

The bar along the top of the editor holds the controls you use most often.

The editor top bar
The editor top bar with page name, device preview toggles, hide preview, undo and redo, brand kit, and a red Publish changes button.
← Pages
Go back to the list of all your pages.
Page name & status
The page you are on. "Live · unpublished changes" means you have edits that visitors have not seen yet.
Desktop / tablet / phone
Preview how your page looks on different screen sizes. It is worth a quick look on phone.
Hide preview
Collapse the preview to give the controls more room. Bring it back the same way.
Undo / Redo
Step a change backward or forward. A safety net whenever something looks off.
Brand kit
Set your logo, colors, and fonts once. They flow through the whole site.
… More
Extra actions for the page, such as SEO settings and page options.
Publish changes
The red button. This is what makes your edits go live for the public. Nothing you do is public until you press it.
4 · Sections

Your page is a stack of sections

A section is one band of your page: a hero banner, a block of text, a row of cards, a contact form. The list on the left shows them top to bottom, in the same order they appear on your site.

The section list
The section list: rows for Hero banner, Text block, Feature cards, Image and text, Call-to-action, and Contact form, each with a set of small action icons.
Each row is one section. Click a row's name to open it for editing.

The small icons on each row let you manage that section without opening it. Here is what each one does:

Drag handle
Press and drag to move the section up or down the page.
Move up
Nudge this section one place higher.
Move down
Nudge this section one place lower.
Hide (the eye)
Hide the section from your live site without deleting it. Click again to show it.
Duplicate
Make an exact copy of the section, right below it. Handy as a starting point.
Delete (the trash)
Remove the section. It asks first, and you can Undo if you change your mind.
Open / close (the chevron)
Open the section to edit it, or close it again. Clicking the section's name does the same thing.
5 · Edit text

Change any words on your page

Open a section and its fields appear on the left. Type in a field and the preview updates as you go.

  1. Click the section you want to change.It opens to show its fields, like Eyebrow, Headline, and Sub-headline.
  2. Click into a field and type.Each field has a small grey hint under its name telling you what it is for.
  3. Watch the preview update.Your new words appear on the right. There is no Save button, it saves as you type.
A section open for editing
An open Hero banner section showing Eyebrow, Headline, Accent word, Sub-headline, an Image control, and Primary and Secondary button fields.
Fields for the Hero banner. Every field has a plain-English hint under its name.
Stuck on wording? Open a section with text and use the ✨ Rewrite button to make it warmer, shorter, or more formal. You can always Undo.
6 · Swap a photo

Replace a picture with your own

This is the one people ask about most, so here it is in detail. Every photo on your page has the same four controls.

The photo controls
A photo control showing the current image, and buttons: Replace photo, Stock photo, Library, Remove, with a directions line.
  1. Open the section that has the photo, and find the Image control.You will see a small preview of the current photo and four buttons beside it.
  2. Replace photo puts your own picture in.Choose a photo from your computer or phone. JPG, PNG, or WEBP files work best.
  3. Stock photo searches thousands of free professional photos.Type what you want (for example "candles" or "main street"), then click one to use it.
  4. Library reuses a photo you have already added.Everything you have uploaded lives here, so you never have to upload the same picture twice.
  5. Remove takes the photo back out.The spot falls back to its default. Add a new one any time.
This only changes the one photo you are on. Other pictures stay exactly as they are. Use large, sharp photos where you can, they always look better than small blurry ones.
7 · Add a section

Add something new to the page

Need a new band on your page, like a row of photos, a set of hours, or a contact form? Add a section.

  1. Click + Add section at the top of the section list.A gallery of building blocks opens, each with a short description of what it is.
  2. Pick the block you want.It is added to the bottom of your page, ready to edit and move.
  3. Edit it and drag it into place like any other section.
Add a section: the block gallery
The Add a section panel: a grid of blocks such as Hero banner, Image and text, Text block, Menu, Events calendar, Hours, Testimonials, Contact form, and more.
Every block has a one-line description so you can pick the right one.
A green Live tag means the block keeps itself up to date automatically (for example an events list or a menu). In a hurry? Try Patterns for ready-made layouts, or ✨ Add with AI to describe a section and have it built for you.
8 · Rearrange & remove

Reorder, hide, duplicate, or delete

You are never stuck with a layout. Use the row icons from step 4, or drag.

  1. Reorder: drag a section by its handle (the six dots), or use the up and down arrows.
  2. Hide: click the eye to take a section off the live site without deleting it. Great for something seasonal.
  3. Duplicate: click the copy icon to clone a section as a starting point.
  4. Delete: click the trash icon. It asks first, and Undo brings it back.
9 · Publish

Make your changes go live

Your edits are saved as a private draft as you work. The public does not see them until you publish.

See "Live · unpublished changes" near the page name? That is the signal that you have edits waiting. Visitors are still seeing the old version until you publish.
  1. Review your page in the preview, and check it on phone with the device buttons.
  2. Click the red Publish changes button, top right.Your updates go live within a few seconds.
  3. That's it. The status returns to a calm "Live" with no pending changes.
Want a second opinion first? Share the draft preview link with someone before you publish. Only people with the link can see it.
10 · Pages & menu

More than one page

Most sites have a few pages: Home, About, Contact, and so on. Everything above works the same on every page.

  1. Click ← Pages at the top left to see all your pages.
  2. Open any page to edit it, or add a new one.You can rename a page and choose which one is your home page.
  3. Your menu (the links across the top of your site) is set in the Header & Footer area, so visitors can find every page.
Remember to publish each page after you edit it. Publishing applies to the page you are on.
Common questions

A few things people ask

Can I break my website?

No. Your changes are a private draft until you press Publish, Undo reverses anything, and hiding or deleting a section is reversible. Experiment freely.

I made a change but the website looks the same.

Two things to check. First, the preview on the right shows your draft, but the public site only updates after you press Publish changes. Second, if you were already looking at your live site in another tab, refresh it after publishing.

Where do my uploaded photos go?

Every photo you upload is saved to your Library, so you can reuse it anywhere without uploading it again. Find it under the Library button on any photo control, or the Media area of your site.

Do I have to save?

No. There is no Save button because there is nothing to forget. Every edit is saved automatically the instant you make it.

How do I change my logo or colors?

Use the Brand kit button in the top bar. Set your logo, colors, and fonts once and they apply across your whole site.

I am still stuck. Can a person help?

Absolutely. Open the Help & support menu in the editor and choose Contact support, or email us from the contact page. We are happy to help.

Ready to give it a try?

The best way to learn the editor is to open it and change one thing. You cannot break it, and you can always Undo.

Open the editor Contact support