Standard Notes is an encrypted note-taking application that keeps notes private across devices. It is used for journals, research, credentials, and long-term reference material where the writing should stay readable for years and unreadable to anyone else.
Standard Notes is a note-taking application that encrypts everything before it leaves the device. You write in a note type chosen for the content, such as plain text, rich text, Markdown, a task list, a code note, or a spreadsheet, and the encrypted copy syncs to your other devices through an account that stores nothing readable. Folders are built from tags that can be nested, notes can be pinned or archived, and saved views filter the collection by conditions like recently edited or a word in the title. Revision history keeps earlier versions, and a passcode can lock the application or individual notes.
Standard Notes appeals to people who would otherwise avoid putting anything sensitive in a notes app. Journal entries, client details, licence keys, and interview transcripts can sit in the same collection because the service itself cannot read them, and the export format is designed so the data outlives the application. The cost of that approach is some ceremony: an account, a password that cannot be reset by support, and a recovery key to keep safe. Anyone used to the frictionless feel of Simplenote may notice the extra steps, but the structure pays off once a collection passes a few hundred notes. Note types also mean one app can hold prose, tasks, and small tables without a separate tool for each.
Standard Notes is the option to choose when the contents of the notebook matter more than the notebook's features. Encryption is not a switch to remember; notes are encrypted before they leave the device, and the account holds only unreadable data, so a breach of the service does not expose what was written. That protection extends to the smaller decisions too: individual notes can require a passcode, the application can lock itself, and a second factor protects the account. Note types keep the experience practical rather than austere, with dedicated editors for prose, Markdown, tasks, and code, and an authenticator type for the one-time codes that would otherwise live in another app. Organisation scales through nested folders, smart views, pinning, and archiving, while revision history means a deleted paragraph is recoverable rather than lost. The one-click export exists for the day you want out: the entire collection leaves as a single file.
Key capabilities and highlights.
Standard Notes encrypts notes on the device with keys the service never receives, so the stored data is unreadable to anyone but the account holder. That applies to every note type, including the ones that hold passwords or account tokens.
A note can be plain text, rich text, Markdown, a task list, a code note, or a spreadsheet, with the editor matching the content instead of forcing one toolbar on everything. An authenticator type stores one-time codes as well.
Notes sync between desktop, browser, and mobile apps through the encrypted account, and everything remains readable offline once downloaded. Changes made without a connection are encrypted locally and pushed through when the device comes back online.
Tags are turned into nested folders by dragging them together, which keeps a large collection navigable without a separate hierarchy to maintain. Notes that need attention can be pinned to the top of the list, and finished material can be archived out of the way.
Custom views can be built from conditions, such as notes edited in the last day or titles containing a particular word, then reused as a standing filter in the sidebar. It is the practical way to keep a long-running project visible without moving notes around.
Earlier versions of a note are kept, so the long-term history of a document can be reviewed rather than guessed at. Restoring an older revision turns an accidental overwrite into a small correction, which matters most for journals and documents edited over months.
The application can require a passcode at launch, individual notes can be protected so they open only after a password is entered, and the account can be secured with a time-based second factor. Recovery keys should be stored somewhere safe.
The whole collection can be exported with one command into a single text file that can be re-imported later, which answers the question of what happens if the service or the company disappears. Nothing is trapped in a proprietary container.
Browse historical releases and previous builds.
Common questions about Standard Notes.
It is used for notes that deserve protection: journals, client records, research, and login details or tokens that would otherwise sit in a plain text file. Everything is encrypted, so the same app can hold material you would not put in an ordinary notes service.
No. Notes are encrypted on the device before they are sent, and the keys needed to read them never reach the service, which stores only unreadable data. That is why a forgotten password cannot be reset by support and why a recovery key matters.
Plain text, rich text, Markdown, task lists, code notes, and spreadsheets, along with an authenticator type for one-time codes. Each type has an editor suited to the content, so a to-do list does not look like a document.
Yes. Once notes have been downloaded, they stay readable and editable without a connection, and changes are encrypted locally before being sent when the device is online again. Nothing depends on being continuously connected.
Individual notes can require their own password, and the application itself can demand a passcode when it opens. Account access can additionally be protected with two-factor authentication, which is worth enabling if the collection holds anything sensitive.
Use the export option, which writes the entire collection to a single text file that can be imported again later or converted for another tool. Regular exports are a sensible habit even when everything else is working correctly.
It is built differently. Many services encrypt stored data but hold the keys themselves, which means staff or an attacker with server access could read it, whereas here the keys stay on your device. That design also means there is no password reset without your own credentials.
Standard Notes is an encrypted note-taking application that keeps notes private across devices. It is used for journals, research, credentials, and long-term reference material where the writing should stay readable for years and unreadable to anyone else.
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