Open Source Windows Note-Taking Apps
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Note-Taking Apps for Windows
View 61 business solutionsBrowse free open source Note-Taking apps and projects for Windows below. Use the toggles on the left to filter open source Note-Taking apps by OS, license, language, programming language, and project status.
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Obsidian
Community plugins list, theme list, and releases of Obsidian
The Obsidian Releases repository provides the official distribution builds and installers for Obsidian, the popular markdown-based knowledge management and personal wiki application. Obsidian itself is a powerful, offline-first note-taking tool that helps users build interconnected knowledge graphs using markdown files stored locally on their devices, with plugins and community themes for extensibility. This repository houses versioned compiled binaries and packages for multiple platforms such as Windows, macOS, and Linux, enabling users to download stable or nightly builds directly without needing to build the app from source. By maintaining clear version history and downloadable artifacts, it makes it easy for individuals and organizations to audit, rollback, or pin specific Obsidian releases for workflows that depend on stability or particular plugin compatibility. -
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A simple notepad-like text editor with many features. It is designed to be a small and fast.
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Xournal++
A handwriting notetaking software with PDF annotation support
Xournal++ (/ˌzɚnl̟ˌplʌsˈplʌs/) is an open-source and cross-platform note-taking software that is fast, flexible, and functional. A modern rewrite and a more feature-rich version of the wonderful Xournal program. Support for pressure-sensitive stylus and drawing tablets (Wacom, Huion, XP-Pen, etc.) Robust and customizable pen, highlighter and eraser tools, allowing you to write how you want to write. Use layers to make complex notes that are still pleasant to work with. Keep track of the notes by using page previews. Add images and create various shapes, from circles to splines to axis. Snap objects to rectangular grid or degrees of rotation. Create anything from differential equations to electrical circuits or the structural formula of molecules using our built-in LaTeX editor. Customize your toolbar to create a new layout, tailor-made for you. -
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Notepad Next
A cross-platform, reimplementation of Notepad++
A cross-platform, reimplementation of Notepad++. Though the application overall is stable and usable, it should not be considered safe for critically important work. There are numerous bugs and half-working implementations. Pull requests are greatly appreciated. Windows packages are available as an installer or a stand-alone zip file on the release page. The installer provides additional components such as an auto-updater and Windows context menu integration. -
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EdgeEver
AI-native knowledge base & Evernote/Obsidian alternative
EdgeEver is a free, open-source knowledge management application that combines note-taking, information organization, and AI-assisted productivity. It provides a three-pane workspace with rich-text editing, Markdown support, and hierarchical notebooks. Users can capture web articles, images, documents, and other resources through browser extensions and mobile sharing tools. Its integrated AI assistant supports summarization, translation, proofreading, and knowledge organization. EdgeEver also includes visual diagrams, mind maps, structured tables, and searchable knowledge collections. Real-time synchronization keeps notes accessible across desktop, mobile, and web applications, including during offline workflows. The platform supports self-hosting through Docker or Cloudflare and integrates with external AI agents through MCP and ACP protocols. -
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Joplin
Open source note taking and to-do app with synchronization
Joplin is a free and open source note-taking and to-do application that can handle a large number of notes in Markdown format, organize them into notebooks and synchronize them with various cloud services. All notes can also be copied, tagged, searched and modified directly from the app or through your own text editor. Notes that are exported from Evernote can be imported into Joplin, be it formatted content, resources, complete metadata or plain Markdown files. When notes are synchronized with cloud services, notebooks, tags and other metadata can easily be moved, inspected or backed up as plain text files. Supported cloud services include Nextcloud, OneDrive, Dropbox and WebDAV. Joplin is available for Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS and Android, with three types: desktop, mobile and terminal. All of them have similar user interfaces and can be synchronized with each other. -
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Better Notes for Zotero
Everything about note management
Better Notes is a Zotero plugin that expands the application into a connected note-taking and knowledge management workspace. It supports linked notes so researchers can connect ideas, sources, and annotations across their libraries. A template system can automate literature notes, metadata analysis, summaries, and repeatable research workflows. Notes can synchronize bidirectionally with Markdown files and export to Markdown, DOCX, PDF, or mind map formats. Editor enhancements add outlines, relationship views, image tools, and multiple note tabs or windows. Optional AI integrations can assist with writing while keeping the surrounding workflow inside Zotero. The plugin is designed to work immediately while remaining highly customizable through templates and APIs. -
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ZenNotes
Keyboard-first local Markdown notes with Vim motions, diagrams
ZenNotes is a free, open-source, local-first Markdown note-taking application for Windows, macOS, and Linux, with a self-hosted web edition. It stores notes as ordinary Markdown files without requiring a proprietary database. Its keyboard-focused editor supports Vim motions, command shortcuts, and customizable navigation. Users can work in editing, preview, or split-screen modes with multiple tabs and reference panes. Markdown rendering includes mathematical notation, Mermaid diagrams, wiki links, and embedded media. Built-in organization tools provide tasks, tags, daily notes, archives, and full-text searching. A first-party MCP server allows compatible AI assistants to interact with the same note collection. Command-line tools, floating windows, and macOS Raycast integration extend note management beyond the main interface. -
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Trilium Notes
Build your personal knowledge base
Trilium is provided as either desktop application (Linux and Windows) or web application hosted on your server (Linux). Mac OS desktop build is available, but it is unsupported. Synchronization with self-hosted sync server, strong note encryption with per-note granularity, relation maps and link maps for visualizing notes and their relations, and scripting, see Advanced showcases. Scales well in both usability and performance upwards of 100 000 notes, touch optimized mobile frontend for smartphones and tablets, night theme, evernote and Markdown import & export, as well as web clipper for easy saving of web content. If you want to use Trilium on the desktop, download binary release for your platform from latest release, unzip the package and run trilium executable. Install the application on both a server, for web access and data synchronization, and desktop instance(s). This allows all the data to be stored on the server. -
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Lorien
Infinite canvas drawing/whiteboarding app
Lorien is a fast, lightweight infinite-canvas drawing and note-taking application designed for brainstorming, sketching, and freeform diagramming without the bloat of traditional bitmap editors. Instead of storing raster image data, Lorien saves each brush stroke as vector-like points and reconstructs drawings at runtime, resulting in extremely small save files and smooth performance even on large canvases. The app runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and it’s built using the Godot game engine, which gives it a responsive and modern user interface across platforms. Users get features like infinite zoom, undo/redo, and a grid that stretches endlessly, making it well suited to both quick scribbles and detailed conceptual layouts. Lorien supports pressure-sensitive tablets for natural drawing, and it includes a range of basic tools — from freehand brush and eraser to shapes and selection tools — so you can mix freeform sketches with structured diagrams. -
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Open Notebook
An Open Source implementation of Notebook LM with more flexibility
Open Notebook is an open-source, privacy-focused alternative to Google’s Notebook LM that gives users full control over their research and AI workflows. Designed to be self-hosted, it ensures complete data sovereignty by keeping your content local or within your own infrastructure. The platform supports 16+ AI providers—including OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama, Google, and LM Studio—allowing flexible model choice and cost optimization. Open Notebook enables users to organize and analyze multi-modal content such as PDFs, videos, audio files, web pages, and Office documents. It combines full-text and vector search with context-aware AI chat to deliver insights grounded in your own research materials. With advanced features like multi-speaker podcast generation, customizable content transformations, and a comprehensive REST API, Open Notebook provides a powerful and extensible research environment. -
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TagSpaces
TagSpaces is an offline, open source, document manager with tagging
TagSpaces is a free, no vendor lock-in, open source application for organizing, annotating and managing local files with the help of tags. It features advanced note taking functionalities and some capabilities of to-do apps. The application is available for Windows, Linux, Mac OS and Android. We provide a web clipper extension for Firefox, Edge and Chrome for easy collecting of online content in the form of local files. File and folder management - TagSpaces provides a convenient user interface for browsing, viewing and man files and folders. The application supports two ways for tagging files. The default one embeds the tags directly in the name of the file, the other one uses a so called sidecar files for persisting the tags. The search functionality supports fuzzy functionality and can filter your locations for files and folders containing one or more tags. -
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Beaver Notes
Open-source, local-first workspace for notes, projects
Beaver Notes is a free, open-source note-taking application designed for private, local-first knowledge management. It allows users to create and organize Markdown-based notes without requiring an account or internet connection. The software supports folders, tags, internal note links, and protected notes. Users can maintain personal knowledge collections while retaining control over where their information is stored. Its flexible synchronization approach supports personal cloud storage and self-hosted infrastructure. The application emphasizes privacy by avoiding editor telemetry and unnecessary data collection. A Tauri-based rewrite introduces a smaller application architecture and expands cross-platform functionality. Available for desktop operating systems, with mobile development underway, Beaver Notes combines structured note organization with offline accessibility. -
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CherryTree
A hierarchical note taking application
CherryTree is a free, open-source note-taking application designed to organize information in hierarchical tree structures. It supports rich text formatting and syntax highlighting for numerous programming languages. Users can create nested notes containing images, tables, hyperlinks, code blocks, and mathematical equations. The application offers advanced searching, text replacement, spell checking, and customizable document organization. Notes can be stored in XML or SQLite formats, with optional password protection for single-file documents. CherryTree supports importing content from other note-taking applications and exporting documents to PDF, HTML, or plain text. Its combination of structured organization and flexible editing makes it useful for personal knowledge management, technical documentation, and research. -
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Lumina-Note
Markdown note-taking app with live preview, bidirectional links
Lumina Note is a free, open-source, local-first Markdown note-taking application for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It stores notes as ordinary Markdown files that remain accessible outside the application. Its editor supports live preview, reading mode, bidirectional links, and knowledge graph visualization. Users can organize interconnected information through WikiLinks, backlinks, and linked documents. PDF reading, annotations, images, and flashcards expand its knowledge management capabilities. An integrated AI agent can create, summarize, reorganize, and connect notes across an entire vault with user permission. Supported AI providers include OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, and local Ollama models. Custom commands, agent skills, and experimental plugins allow users to extend its functionality. -
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Project Graph
A node-based visual tool for organizing thoughts and notes
Project Graph is a free, open-source visual knowledge organization application designed for brainstorming, note-taking, and project planning. It provides an infinite canvas where users can create interconnected nodes to represent ideas, relationships, and complex information. The application supports text, images, mathematical formulas, quotations, audio, and video. Users can organize information through nested groups, directional connections, tree structures, and automatic layouts. Keyboard-driven node creation and customizable shortcuts simplify rapid idea development. Project Graph also provides autosaving, backups, undo and redo operations, and data importing and exporting. Built with React, TypeScript, and Tauri, it supports JavaScript extensions for customizing workflows, interfaces, and node functionality. -
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TreeSheets
Hierarchical spreadsheet: a free-form data organizer
TreeSheets is a free, open-source data organization application that combines the flexibility of spreadsheets, outliners, mind maps, and text editors. It uses hierarchical grids that allow information to be nested within individual cells. Users can organize complex ideas, projects, tasks, and structured information without maintaining separate documents. Its interface supports rapid navigation and editing through keyboard shortcuts. TreeSheets provides flexible cell formatting, expandable structures, and multiple levels of detail within a single document. It is suitable for brainstorming, project planning, requirements gathering, and personal knowledge management. Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, it offers a lightweight alternative to conventional spreadsheets and hierarchical note-taking tools. -
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Notesnook
A fully open source & end-to-end encrypted note taking alternative
Notesnook makes it impossible for anyone to spy on your notes. Unlike Evernote and other note taking apps, your data is private, not open for everyone to see. Ditch other note taking apps that don't care about your data privacy. With app lock and private notes vault, your personal diary & journal are always safe. Worried that your friend will read your private notes? Notesnook fixes that by having an app lock built-in. Use a pin or biometrics to protect your notes. Protect your online journal or personal diary with an extra layer of security. Your notes vault is a super secure way to store your passwords, credentials & other secrets. Free or Pro, you get the same level of privacy. Making privacy a paid feature means only the privileged few deserve it but privacy is your right. And rights don't have a price tag, or do they? To verify that your notes are actually encrypted (and we aren't just lying), you can use our open source tool, Vericrypt. -
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QOwnNotes
QOwnNotes is a plain-text file notepad and todo-list manager
QOwnNotes is a fully open-source markdown-focused note-taking and personal information manager that runs natively on Linux, macOS, and Windows, with a strong emphasis on plain-text storage and cross-device synchronization. Because all notes are stored as markdown files in user-controlled directories, you avoid vendor lock-in and can sync through services like Nextcloud, ownCloud, Dropbox, or Git without proprietary cloud dependency. The application is optimized for performance and minimal footprint, so it runs smoothly even with large note libraries, and it includes features like a live markdown preview panel that lets you see rendered text alongside raw markdown as you type. QOwnNotes supports hierarchical folders and tagging, making it easy to organize, filter, and retrieve information quickly, and it also integrates to-do lists and task markers directly in your notes. -
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Makagiga
To-do manager, notepad, RSS reader...
Makagiga is an open-source, easy-to-use, portable application for doing a variety of tasks, such as todo listing, text editing, or RSS reading. Plugins are used to implement its various capabilities. -
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Kivixa
A privacy-first cross-platform productivity workspace for notes
Kivixa is a free, open-source, privacy-focused productivity workspace combining note-taking, drawing, planning, and offline AI assistance. It supports rich Markdown documents, handwritten notes, PDF annotations, and an infinite drawing canvas. Users can organize projects, tasks, calendar events, and interconnected knowledge graphs. Its local AI engine supports multiple language models for summarization, semantic searching, and contextual questions. MCP integration enables AI-assisted file operations with user confirmation. Offline speech recognition, voice notes, and text-to-speech expand its accessibility tools. Automatic version snapshots preserve document history and allow earlier versions to be restored. Built with Flutter and Rust, Kivixa also offers focus timers, Lua scripting, and cross-platform synchronization. -
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Rnote
Sketch and take handwritten notes
Rnote is a free, open-source, vector-based note-taking and drawing application designed for handwriting, sketching, and document annotation. Written in Rust and GTK4, it provides an adaptive interface optimized for stylus input and drawing tablets. Users can write naturally with pressure-sensitive pens and customizable stroke styles. Its canvas supports infinite expansion, continuous pages, and fixed-size document layouts. Rnote includes tools for creating shapes, selecting objects, and manipulating existing drawings. Users can import PDF documents and images for annotation or export their work in several formats. Additional capabilities include multiple document tabs, customizable backgrounds, autosaving, printing, and command-line automation. -
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Hypernomicon
Hypertext-infused philosophy personal database software
Hypernomicon is a personal productivity/database application for researchers that combines structured note-taking, mind-mapping, management of files (e.g., PDFs) and folders, and reference management into an integrated environment that organizes all of the above into semantic networks or hierarchies in terms of debates, positions, arguments, labels, terminology/concepts, and user-defined keywords by means of database relations and automatically generated hyperlinks (hence ‘Hyper’ in the name). Hypernomicon keeps track of all these things in a highly structured, thoroughly indexed and user friendly relational database, automatically generates semantic hyperlinks between all of them, and presents this information in many different forms so that you are constantly informed of ways all of your information is related that you had not realized. -
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Znote
znote.io public repository
Znote is a local-first Markdown editor that combines note-taking, executable code blocks, and AI-powered assistance. It stores documents as standard Markdown files directly on the user's computer. The application provides a WYSIWYG editor with themes, focus mode, tabs, tags, and full-text searching. Users can execute JavaScript and Node.js code inside notes to retrieve information, process data, and generate visualizations. Its integrated AI assistant can reference local files, summarize content, and perform actions through connected tools. Znote also supports voice transcription, web searching, and Model Context Protocol integrations. Compatible with existing Obsidian vaults, it allows users to export documents to HTML, PDF, or executable scripts. -
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Heynote
A dedicated scratchpad for power users
Heynote is a free, open-source scratchpad and note-taking application designed for developers and productivity-focused users. It provides persistent text buffers for storing temporary notes, code snippets, calculations, and other working information. The editor organizes content into individual blocks, each supporting its own programming language or editing mode. Users can write and format code with syntax highlighting for numerous languages, including Python, JavaScript, JSON, and Markdown. Heynote includes a calculator mode, currency conversion, inline images, and multi-buffer searching. Its editing tools support multiple cursors, automatic formatting, and customizable keyboard shortcuts. Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, it combines the simplicity of a scratchpad with specialized development utilities.
