Available
Download for macOS
Apple Silicon DMG or ZIP for the v0.3.2 prerelease.
All products
Notely
Private notes, tasks, files, and graphs in one local library.
Notely is a local-first notes and knowledge workspace for people who want serious writing and connected thinking without surrendering their knowledge base to the cloud. The latest v0.3.2 prerelease adds desktop-style block selection, resizable multi-column notes, richer link and table workflows, multilingual local discovery, and PDF/image text recognition.
Notely 0.3.2 is available for macOS Apple Silicon, Linux, and Windows x64.
Latest prerelease: v0.3.2Local semantic searchPortable .notely libraries
Choose your platform
Pick the v0.3.2 prerelease for the machine you are on. macOS offers Apple Silicon DMG and ZIP builds, Linux offers x64 and arm64 packages, and Windows offers installer and portable x64 builds.
Available
Download for Linux
Choose an x64 or arm64 AppImage or Ubuntu/Debian package.
Available
Download for Windows
Choose the x64 installer or a portable executable.
The macOS build is ad-hoc signed and verified, but it is not Apple-notarized. Notely v0.3.2 remains a prerelease. The Windows builds are currently provided for x64 machines as either an installer or a portable executable.
What's new in 0.3.2
The v0.3.2 prerelease makes the Note surface feel more like a complete knowledge workspace, with multi-block editing, flexible columns, richer local content, and smarter discovery across larger libraries.
Desktop-style block editing
Select ranges of blocks, move or act on several blocks together, and drag content into resizable multi-column layouts without leaving the Note surface.
Richer content, still local
Paste links as plain URLs, linked text, or safe website cards; export notes to PDF; and index text from local PDFs and images in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Smarter connected discovery
Multilingual hybrid search, exact-passage navigation, local semantic Connections, and graph communities make larger libraries easier to explore without uploading note content.
Awritingspacethatstaysonyourmachine.
Notely stores notes, attachments, diagrams, tasks, and local history in portable library files instead of treating your private writing as cloud inventory. Open a library, write, export, back it up, and keep ownership of the file.
Modernwriting,withMarkdownunderneath.
The latest Note surface keeps writing close to the finished page: click rendered blocks to edit, type plain-language macros, continue smart lists, edit tables, complete wiki links and tags, and keep markdown portable underneath.
Note
A unified block-based writing surface with slash commands, smart lists, callouts, tasks, code, tables, and formatting helpers.
Connect
Wiki links, backlinks, embeds, heading links, graph navigation, tag boards, and hover previews.
Own
Local libraries, encrypted backups, library health checks, Markdown export, and no upload-by-default model.
Seven ways to work with the same library
Notely is a private notes and knowledge workspace where the same local library can become a writing desk, knowledge graph, task board, file library, and timeline.
Note
Unified read/write
A block-based writing surface where the finished page becomes editable in place while Markdown stays under the hood.
- Readable block editing
- Slashless macros
- Table controls
Table
Library overview
A structured note overview for reviewing status, project, tags, task progress, word count, and recent updates.
- Status and project fields
- Task counts
- Pinned-note context
Graph
Knowledge map
A living knowledge map for wiki links and backlinks, with draggable nodes, connected motion, selected notes, and fit-to-view navigation.
- Draggable connected nodes
- Fit and reset controls
- Selected-note preview
Tasks
Kanban from notes
A task board generated from markdown checkboxes, with lanes, drag-and-drop, priorities, due dates, and undo.
- Lane movement
- Due and priority badges
- Right-click actions
Tags
Tag board
A tag-based task board that groups work by #tag so topics, projects, and contexts become visible.
- Grouped task columns
- Clickable source notes
- Checkbox toggles
Files
Library files
A library-wide files view for images, videos, documents, PDFs, text/code files, and Notely canvas assets.
- Filters by file type
- Rename and download
- Source-note references
Log
Timeline alpha
An optional alpha timeline that collects daily-note entries and ## Log sections into one chronological feed.
- Daily-note context
- Log sections
- Open source note
What Notely includes
Unified Note surface
Read and write on the same polished page. Click rendered blocks to edit, then return to the finished reading view without switching modes; Markdown remains underneath.
Modern block-based writing
Autosave, smart lists, slash commands, slashless macros, wiki link and tag completion, selection formatting, editable tables, and keyboard-first navigation.
Connected knowledge
Wiki links, heading links, hover previews, inline embeds, missing-link create cards, backlinks, and graph navigation keep ideas close to their context.
Tasks built into notes
Turn checklist items into a real Tasks board with lanes, due dates, priorities, drag-and-drop movement, preview toggles, context actions, and undo while Markdown remains portable underneath.
Files inside the library
Paste or drop files into Note and Notely copies them into the active library. Images, video, audio, PDF, text, code, and canvas assets can preview from the library.
Encrypted portable libraries
Desktop libraries live in local .notely SQLite files, with password/recovery-key unlock, encrypted backups, Markdown import/export, health checks, and safety copies.
Search, commands, and shortcuts
Find notes across titles, content, and tags; open commands with Double Shift; jump through headings; and keep common writing actions on the keyboard.
Templates, history, and recovery
Save templates, compare note history in a diff view, restore from local snapshots, export Markdown archives, and keep a documented recovery path for library moves.
More than another notes sidebar
Notely combines the feel of a focused writing app with the structure of a modern productivity workspace and the ownership model of local files—without requiring a cloud account or a stack of plugins to become useful.
Local-first by design
Your notes, files, and canvases live in a portable .notely library file instead of a remote account database.
Encrypted when it matters
Encrypted desktop libraries use a password plus recovery key model, with local unlock preferences and encrypted backup exports.
Markdown stays portable
Import and export Markdown archives so your work can move with you, including library assets when the archive manifest is present.
Diagrams and visual thinking
Mermaid code fences render as diagrams, and Notely canvas assets can be created, edited, previewed, and stored inside the same library.
Reading that feels finished
Read mode supports callouts, embeds, task checkboxes, link previews, image zoom, code copy controls, and a sticky page outline.
Built for keyboard flow
Search, command palette, editor shortcuts, wiki navigation, heading outline, and selection formatting reduce mode switching.
Library health and safety
Settings can run integrity, schema, missing-blob, orphan-reference, and link-preview cache checks before risky library operations.
Local history without panic
Note history captures local snapshots and compares revisions before restore, so recovery stays reviewable instead of risky.
Built for people who want ownership and depth
Notely is for writers, researchers, builders, students, founders, and anyone who wants a private local workspace that can grow from simple notes into a connected local knowledge base.
For focused private writing
Use Notely as a private writing and knowledge workspace for daily notes, research, long-form drafts, and personal knowledge management.
For connected thinking
Map ideas with wiki links, backlinks, embeds, graph view, heading links, hover previews, and missing-link creation flows.
For project execution
Keep project notes, tasks, tags, files, code snippets, tables, PDFs, and decisions together without turning your notes into a cloud workspace.
Privacy model
Notely starts from local ownership and adds portability from there.
Local .notely library files
Password and recovery-key unlock
Encrypted backups
Markdown import, export, and archive portability
Library health checks and safety copies
No account required for local use
Optional self-hosted sync planned
Notely questions, answered
What is Notely?
Notely is a private, local-first notes and knowledge workspace for desktop. It combines a unified Note surface, connected wiki links, graph navigation, tasks, tags, files, canvas assets, and portable .notely library files, with Markdown kept underneath for portability.
What views does Notely include?
Notely includes Note, Table, Graph, Tasks, Tags, and Files views. It also has an optional alpha Log timeline for daily-note entries and ## Log sections.
Does Notely upload my notes by default?
No. Notely is local-first: desktop libraries live in local .notely SQLite files. Optional encrypted sync is planned, but the current product is built around local ownership first.
Can Notely store files and attachments?
Yes. Files pasted or dropped into Note are copied into the active library and referenced from Markdown. Notely can preview images, video, audio, PDF, text, code, and canvas assets from the library.
Can I export my notes?
Yes. Notely supports Markdown import and export, encrypted backup export/import, and portable library files so your writing is not locked inside a hosted account.
Which platforms does Notely support?
Notely 0.3.2 is available for macOS Apple Silicon as a DMG or ZIP, Linux x64 and arm64 as AppImage or .deb packages, and Windows x64 as an installer or portable app.
Build a knowledge base you actually own.
Download the desktop beta, open a local library, and try a private knowledge workflow with unified writing, reading, tasks, graph navigation, files, tags, and Markdown portability underneath.