Simple Notes Desktop

Local-first, cross-platform note-taking with WebDAV sync — the desktop companion to Simple Notes Sync.

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📥 Download

Download the latest release for your platform:

Platform	Download	Format
Windows	Download	.msi / .exe
Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)	Download	.deb
Linux (Fedora/RHEL)	Download	.rpm
Arch Linux	See installation guide	AUR / AppImage

Windows installs update themselves via the built-in updater. On Linux, update through your package manager or by downloading the newest release.

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📱 Screenshots

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✨ Highlights

• 🗄️ Local-first & offline — Notes are stored locally and are instantly editable with or without a server; WebDAV sync runs quietly in the background when connected
• 📝 Markdown editor — Syntax highlighting, formatting toolbar, and live preview (CodeMirror 6)
• ✅ Checklists — Tap-to-check items, drag-to-reorder, 5 sort modes, done/open separator
• 📁 Folders — Organise notes into folders; mark a folder local-only to keep it off the server
• 🗑️ Trash — Soft-delete with restore, permanent delete, and cross-device deletion sync
• 📌 Pin, color & sort — Pin notes to the top, apply Keep-compatible colors, and sort the list five ways
• 🔀 Multi-select — Batch pin, color, move, or delete notes (F6)
• 🎨 15 themes — Breeze, Catppuccin, Nord, Gruvbox, Tokyo Night, Rosé Pine, and more — plus System/Light/Dark
• 🔄 WebDAV sync — Works with Nextcloud, the Simple Notes server, and any WebDAV provider
• 🔒 Local server support — Connect to localhost and private IPs that browser PWAs can't reach
• 📄 Markdown export — Human-readable .md copies written alongside the JSON on the server
• 🔍 Search — Filter notes by title or content as you type
• 🖥️ Native desktop — System tray, autostart, resizable sidebar, and (on Windows) an in-app updater

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🔗 Simple Notes Ecosystem

This app is part of the Simple Notes family — all apps share the same data format and sync seamlessly:

App	Platform	Description
Simple Notes Sync	Android	Mobile app with offline-first sync
Simple Notes Desktop	Windows/Linux	You're here! Native desktop experience

Why Desktop?

The desktop app solves a critical limitation: local WebDAV servers (localhost, private IPs like 192.168.x.x, plain http://) cannot be accessed from browser-based PWAs due to:

• Mixed Content (HTTPS → HTTP) blocking
• CORS restrictions

Simple Notes Desktop uses native HTTP requests, bypassing these browser limitations.

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🚀 Quick Start

1. Download & install

Grab the package for your platform from the Releases page and install it. The app opens straight into a working, offline notebook — no account or server required.

2. (Optional) Set up a WebDAV server

Sync is only needed if you want your notes on other devices.

Option A — Simple Notes Server (Docker)

git clone https://github.com/inventory69/simple-notes-sync.git
cd simple-notes-sync/server
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and set your password
docker compose up -d

Option B — your existing Nextcloud

https://your-nextcloud.com/remote.php/dav/files/USERNAME/Notes/

3. Connect

1. Open Settings (⚙️)
2. Turn Offline mode off and enter your WebDAV URL, username, and password
3. Hit Test connection, then Save
4. Your notes sync automatically in the background 🎉

➡️ Detailed setup: docs/SETUP.md

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⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+N	New note
Ctrl+Shift+N	New checklist
Ctrl+S	Save now
Ctrl+F	Search notes
Ctrl+B / Ctrl+I	Bold / italic (editor)
Ctrl+Z	Undo
F6	Toggle multi-select
Esc	Close dialog / clear search

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📚 Documentation

Document	Description
SETUP.md	Detailed installation & configuration
BUILDING.md	Build from source (developers)
CHANGELOG.md	Version history
CONTRIBUTING.md	Development setup & conventions

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🔧 Troubleshooting

Linux: AppImage doesn't start

Install fuse2 (required for AppImage):

# Arch
sudo pacman -S fuse2

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install libfuse2

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/inventory69/simple-notes-desktop.git
cd simple-notes-desktop

# Install dependencies (pnpm required)
pnpm install

# Start development server
pnpm dev

# Build for production
pnpm build

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📄 License

MIT License — see LICENSE

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