Stickle

Notes that stay on your desktop — encrypted on your computer and sent nowhere.

Get it from the Microsoft Store (Windows 10 and 11, recommended)Windows zip (x64 and arm64, runs without installing)Linux AppImage (x86_64)

Every feature free · Open source (GPL) · Support Stickle

Notes on the desktop — categories, marks, checklists and highlights

Stickle is a free app that keeps notes on your Windows and Linux desktop. Notes are saved as you type, encrypted on your computer and never sent anywhere. There is no account and no Stickle server. Sort notes into categories and marks and show just the ones you want on the desktop, find a note right on the desktop, and line notes up as they snap to each other. Write headings, highlights, checklists and code blocks in Markdown, and get deleted notes back from a trash that keeps them for a year. Everything works offline, and it is open source (GPL) with no ads and nothing locked. Stickle is in preview (0.4). Syncing the same notes between your computers, through a cloud folder you already use, and a macOS version are on the way.

Features

Saved as you type

There is no save button. Notes are kept as you write, and come back where they were, at the size they were, every time you start your computer.

Encrypted, on your computer only

Notes are encrypted on your computer and sent nowhere. No account, no server, and a recovery key to get them back if you ever need it.

Categories and marks

Put notes into categories such as Work or Home, and mark them To do, Urgent or Important. Show one category on the desktop, or filter the list in the Stickle window. A note's title bar shows its category as an icon, so a long name never fills it.

Find on the desktop

Open the find box with a shortcut, and only the notes that match stay on the desktop as you type. Hidden notes and the trash are searched too.

Notes that line up

Drop a note near another note or the edge of the screen and it snaps into line. Hold Shift while dragging to move the notes stuck to it together.

Checklists and code blocks

Headings, bold and highlights in Markdown, and checkboxes you tick with a click. Indent list items with Tab, and copy a code block in one go.

Shortcuts from anywhere

From any program, open a new note, find a note on the desktop, or hide every note for a moment (the tray icon fades while they are hidden). Press F1 to see every shortcut at a glance.

A trash that keeps notes for a year

Deleted notes stay in the trash for a year, so you can always bring them back. The note you just deleted comes back in one step.

Offline, free and open source

Every feature works without the internet. No ads and nothing you have to pay to unlock — GPL open source. Everything can be done from the keyboard.

Coming next

Next preview (0.5): Automatic backups you can restore, export of every note, and bringing notes over from Windows Sticky Notes and other sticky-note apps
On the way to 1.0: Reminders, and secret notes behind a password of their own
1.0: Sync between your computers through a cloud folder you already use (end-to-end encrypted), and macOS

There are no dates, and plans may change.

See the full roadmap →

Screenshots

Just one category's notes on the desktop

Find on the desktop — only the matching notes stay

The Stickle window, filtered by a category

Double-click a note to edit its Markdown

Press F1 to see every shortcut at a glance

See-through while you work in another window

Deleted notes stay in the trash for a year