diff --git a/frontend/app.js b/frontend/app.js
index 35a83c0..a516818 100644
--- a/frontend/app.js
+++ b/frontend/app.js
@@ -631,18 +631,20 @@ function noteApp() {
             // Store code blocks and inline code with placeholders to protect from other patterns
             const codePlaceholders = [];
             
-            // Frontmatter (must be at start) - protect it
-            html = html.replace(/^(---\n[\s\S]*?\n---)/m, (match) => {
-                codePlaceholders.push('<span class="md-frontmatter">' + match + '</span>');
-                return `\x00CODE${codePlaceholders.length - 1}\x00`;
-            });
-            
-            // Code blocks - protect them
+            // Code blocks FIRST - protect them before anything else
             html = html.replace(/(```[\s\S]*?```)/g, (match) => {
                 codePlaceholders.push('<span class="md-codeblock">' + match + '</span>');
                 return `\x00CODE${codePlaceholders.length - 1}\x00`;
             });
             
+            // Frontmatter (must be at VERY start of document, not any line)
+            if (html.startsWith('---\n')) {
+                html = html.replace(/^(---\n[\s\S]*?\n---)/, (match) => {
+                    codePlaceholders.push('<span class="md-frontmatter">' + match + '</span>');
+                    return `\x00CODE${codePlaceholders.length - 1}\x00`;
+                });
+            }
+            
             // Inline code - protect it
             html = html.replace(/`([^`\n]+)`/g, (match) => {
                 codePlaceholders.push('<span class="md-code">' + match + '</span>');
@@ -681,6 +683,10 @@ function noteApp() {
             // Restore protected code blocks
             html = html.replace(/\x00CODE(\d+)\x00/g, (match, index) => codePlaceholders[parseInt(index)]);
             
+            // Add trailing space to match textarea's phantom line for cursor
+            // This ensures the overlay and textarea have the same content height
+            html += '\n ';
+            
             return html;
         },
         
diff --git a/frontend/index.html b/frontend/index.html
index 8cc72ff..e523e95 100644
--- a/frontend/index.html
+++ b/frontend/index.html
@@ -431,11 +431,29 @@
         }
         
         /* Editor styling */
-        .editor-textarea {
-            font-family: 'Monaco', 'Menlo', 'Ubuntu Mono', monospace;
+        /* Shared editor styles - MUST be identical for textarea and overlay */
+        .editor-textarea,
+        .syntax-overlay {
+            font-family: 'Monaco', 'Menlo', 'Ubuntu Mono', 'Consolas', monospace;
+            font-size: 14px;
+            line-height: 1.6;
             tab-size: 2;
+            letter-spacing: normal;
+            word-spacing: normal;
+            white-space: pre-wrap;
+            word-wrap: break-word;
+            overflow-wrap: break-word;
+            padding: 1.5rem;
+            margin: 0;
+            border: none;
+            box-sizing: border-box;
+        }
+        
+        .editor-textarea {
             background-color: var(--bg-primary) !important;
             color: var(--text-primary) !important;
+            resize: none;
+            overflow: auto;
         }
         
         /* Syntax Highlighting Overlay */
@@ -448,6 +466,8 @@
         .editor-wrapper .editor-textarea {
             position: relative;
             z-index: 1;
+            flex: 1;
+            width: 100%;
         }
         .editor-wrapper.syntax-highlight .editor-textarea {
             color: transparent !important;
@@ -457,18 +477,17 @@
         .syntax-overlay {
             position: absolute;
             inset: 0;
-            padding: 1.5rem;
             pointer-events: none;
-            white-space: pre-wrap;
-            word-wrap: break-word;
-            overflow: hidden;
-            font-family: 'Monaco', 'Menlo', 'Ubuntu Mono', monospace;
-            font-size: inherit;
-            line-height: inherit;
-            tab-size: 2;
+            overflow: auto;
             color: var(--text-primary);
             background-color: var(--bg-primary);
             z-index: 0;
+            /* Hide scrollbars but allow programmatic scrolling */
+            scrollbar-width: none; /* Firefox */
+            -ms-overflow-style: none; /* IE/Edge */
+        }
+        .syntax-overlay::-webkit-scrollbar {
+            display: none; /* Chrome/Safari */
         }
         
         /* Zen Mode Styles */
@@ -487,10 +506,7 @@
         .zen-mode-active .zen-editor-container .editor-wrapper {
             background-color: var(--bg-primary);
         }
-        .zen-mode-active .zen-editor-container .editor-textarea {
-            font-size: 18px;
-            line-height: 1.8;
-        }
+        .zen-mode-active .zen-editor-container .editor-textarea,
         .zen-mode-active .zen-editor-container .syntax-overlay {
             font-size: 18px;
             line-height: 1.8;
@@ -535,7 +551,7 @@
         .syntax-overlay .md-heading { color: var(--accent-primary); font-weight: 600; }
         .syntax-overlay .md-bold { color: var(--text-primary); font-weight: 700; }
         .syntax-overlay .md-italic { color: var(--text-secondary); font-style: italic; }
-        .syntax-overlay .md-code { color: var(--accent-secondary, var(--accent-primary)); background: var(--bg-tertiary); padding: 1px 3px; border-radius: 3px; }
+        .syntax-overlay .md-code { color: var(--accent-secondary, var(--accent-primary)); background: var(--bg-tertiary); border-radius: 2px; }
         .syntax-overlay .md-link { color: var(--link-color, var(--accent-primary)); }
         .syntax-overlay .md-link-url { color: var(--text-tertiary); }
         .syntax-overlay .md-list { color: var(--accent-primary); }
@@ -2089,7 +2105,7 @@
                                     @dragenter="onEditorDragEnter($event)"
                                     @dragleave="onEditorDragLeave($event)"
                                     @paste="handlePaste($event)"
-                                    :class="'flex-1 w-full p-6 resize-none focus:outline-none editor-textarea' + (draggedItem && dropTarget === 'editor' ? ' link-drop-target' : '')"
+                                    :class="'flex-1 w-full resize-none focus:outline-none editor-textarea' + (draggedItem && dropTarget === 'editor' ? ' link-drop-target' : '')"
                                     :style="'background-color: var(--bg-primary); color: var(--text-primary);' + (draggedItem && dropTarget === 'editor' ? ' outline: 2px dashed var(--accent-primary); outline-offset: -2px; box-shadow: 0 0 20px var(--accent-light);' : '')"
                                     :placeholder="draggedItem && dropTarget === 'editor' ? '💡 Drop here to insert at cursor position...' : 'Start writing in markdown...'"
                                 ></textarea>