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pbek/QOwnNotes

Open-source plain-text notepad and todo manager for desktop, with Markdown editing and Nextcloud / ownCloud sync.

Open-source alternative to:EvernoteObsidianNotion

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What is it?

QOwnNotes is a desktop notepad for GNU/Linux, macOS and Windows that stores notes as plain Markdown text files. It works alongside Nextcloud Notes and ownCloud Notes, so notes written on the desktop can be edited later on a phone or in a web browser through the Nextcloud or ownCloud interface. Files can also be synced with tools such as Syncthing or Dropbox.

The application is written in C++ on Qt and aims for low resource use rather than an Electron-based design. It provides Markdown highlighting with a live preview, wiki-style note links with backlinks, full-text search, and an external-change watcher that reloads files edited elsewhere. Todo lists can be managed through CalDAV servers, and notes can be encrypted with built-in AES-256 or custom scripts.

Extensibility comes from a scripting API, an online script repository, a built-in MCP server for external AI agents, and optional integrations for LanguageTool, Harper and Markdown language servers. A companion browser extension adds notes from selected web text.

Key features

  • 01Stores notes as plain Markdown files that you can open in any editor
  • 02Syncs through Nextcloud or ownCloud, with optional versioning and trash access via the server app
  • 03Markdown highlighting, live preview, inline image previews and heading folding
  • 04Wiki-style note links with auto-completion, backlinks and refactoring
  • 05Manages CalDAV todo lists and Nextcloud Deck cards
  • 06Encrypts notes with built-in AES-256 or custom scripts, and offers Vim mode

Use cases

  • Keeping personal notes and todo lists as plain files you fully control
  • Editing a self-hosted Nextcloud or ownCloud notes collection from the desktop
  • Writing Markdown documentation with spellchecking and language server support
  • Capturing web content into notes through the browser companion extension

Quick start

  1. 1

    Install from the official installation page (see README)

  2. 2

    Clone the source code from GitHub

    git clone https://github.com/pbek/QOwnNotes.git -b release --depth=1
  3. 3

    In the src folder of the cloned repository, run qmake

    qmake
  4. 4

    Compile the application with make

    make -j4

Things to know

  • Building from source requires Qt and a C++ toolchain, which is more work than installing a packaged build.
  • Syncing todo lists needs the Tasks backend on Nextcloud or ownCloud.
  • Licensed under GPL-2.0, a copyleft license.

In collections

Privacy & local-first tools

Topics

#markdown#note-taking#nextcloud#owncloud#plain-text#todo#qt#local-first#bookmark#c-plus-plus

FAQ

What is QOwnNotes?
Open-source plain-text notepad and todo manager for desktop, with Markdown editing and Nextcloud / ownCloud sync. QOwnNotes is a desktop notepad for GNU/Linux, macOS and Windows that stores notes as plain Markdown text files. It works alongside Nextcloud Notes and ownCloud Notes, so notes written on the desktop can be edited later on a phone or in a web browser through the Nextcloud or ownCloud interface. Files can also be synced with tools such as Syncthing or Dropbox.
Is QOwnNotes free to use? What license does it have?
QOwnNotes is open source under the GPL-2.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is QOwnNotes still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to QOwnNotes was on Oct 23, 2026.
What can I use QOwnNotes for?
Keeping personal notes and todo lists as plain files you fully control Editing a self-hosted Nextcloud or ownCloud notes collection from the desktop Writing Markdown documentation with spellchecking and language server support Capturing web content into notes through the browser companion extension
How do I install QOwnNotes?
Install from the official installation page (see README) Clone the source code from GitHub: git clone https://github.com/pbek/QOwnNotes.git -b release --depth=1 In the src folder of the cloned repository, run qmake: qmake Compile the application with make: make -j4
Where can I get QOwnNotes?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/pbek/QOwnNotes

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