Sticky Notes

What it is

Each note is its own small window that you can move, resize, colour and pin on top of other windows. Notes save themselves as you type and come back where you left them the next time you start the program.

The notes list shows every note, open or closed, with a search box. Close a note to tidy it away; double-click it in the list to bring it back.

Everything stays in a small database in your own user folder. Sync is optional and off until you turn it on, and even then your notes only travel to a server in your own home.

Screenshots

The notes list: a search box, four coloured notes with the time each was last changed, the Open, Delete, Backup, Restore and Sync buttons, and the line Saved on this computer, Synced at 23:42. — The notes list.

A blue note headed Club meeting, with the new note, Notes, Pin and menu buttons at the top and bold, italic, underline, strikethrough and list buttons at the bottom. — A note, with its formatting buttons.

The Sync window: a sync server found on the network, its address, a pairing code, and the buttons Use this computer as the sync server, Connect and Cancel. — Connecting to a sync server.

Features

Notes

Six colours, and a pin to keep a note on top
Bold, italic, underline, strikethrough and bullet lists
Saves as you type, and when you close a note
A searchable list of all your notes
Backup to a file, and restore from one
Times shown in your own time zone

Sync at home

Keeps your notes the same on every computer at home
Any computer running Sticky Notes can be the server, or use a home server
New computers find the server by themselves and join with a one-time code
Encrypted between your computers; nothing leaves your network
A note changed on two computers keeps both versions
Works offline: changes wait until the server is back

Installing

Windows

Download StickyNotes-0.3.3-Setup.exe and run it. It installs for your user only, so no administrator password is needed, and adds Sticky Notes to the Start menu.
Leave Allow Sticky Notes through Windows Firewall ticked if you will sync. Windows asks once for administrator permission to add the rules; if you say no, Sticky Notes still installs, and Windows asks about the firewall later instead.
The installer is not code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen may warn you first: choose More info, then Run anyway.

Linux

Download local-sticky-notes_0.3.3_amd64.deb and install it:
```
sudo apt install ./local-sticky-notes_0.3.3_amd64.deb
```
Start Sticky Notes from your applications menu.

On other Linux systems, use the portable download: extract it and run ./StickyNotes/install.sh, which installs for your user only.

Notes are kept in %LOCALAPPDATA%\LocalStickyNotes on Windows and ~/.local/share/LocalStickyNotes/ on Linux, and are left alone when you upgrade or uninstall. Close Sticky Notes before upgrading.

Sync between computers

Sync needs one computer at home that is usually on to be the server. The server comes with Sticky Notes, so there is nothing else to install.

On the computer that will be the server, open the notes list, choose Sync…, then Use this computer as the sync server. It runs in the background, keeps running when Sticky Notes is closed, and starts when you sign in.
On that computer, choose Sync… > Add another computer. It shows a six-digit pairing code, good once, for ten minutes.
On each other computer, choose Sync…. The server is found by itself (or type its name or address). Pick it, type the code and choose Connect.

Notes sync every minute, and when Sticky Notes starts and closes. Text, colour and pinning are shared; where each note sits on the screen stays on each computer. Deleting a note deletes it everywhere.

If a firewall runs on the server computer, allow Sticky Notes sync server on your home network (TCP port 8765, and UDP port 5353 so other computers can find it). Windows asks the first time the server starts.

On a home server

For a Linux machine without a desktop, install the separate sync server package, start it, and get a pairing code:

sudo apt install ./sticky-notes-server_0.3.3_amd64.deb
sudo systemctl enable --now sticky-notes-server
sudo sticky-notes-server pair

Then connect each computer as in step 3. sticky-notes-server devices lists the paired computers and revoke removes one.

Downloads

Version 0.3.3, 3 November 2026.

Sticky Notes 0.3.3 for Windows

Installer for 64-bit Windows 10, 11 and Server 2022 or later. Installs for your user only; no administrator rights needed, except once for the optional firewall rules. Includes the sync server.

StickyNotes-0.3.3-Setup.exe · 37.9 MB · 3 November 2026

SHA-256 c696f142f615a3ba0ac98ebbe9abffcbd8e21a2854b6cfdca7c190e6b9695f42

Download

Sticky Notes 0.3.3 for Linux

Package for 64-bit Ubuntu 24.04 or later, Kubuntu, Debian 13, Mint 22 and other Debian-based systems. Includes the sync server.

local-sticky-notes_0.3.3_amd64.deb · 108.9 MB · 3 November 2026

SHA-256 b1fe871f2357781868e4aac7a28f3e4f0d20f0662b4b70e07dcf4cdc589dd11e

Download

Sticky Notes 0.3.3 for Linux, portable

For other 64-bit Linux systems, or to install without sudo: extract it and run StickyNotes/install.sh.

local-sticky-notes-0.3.3-linux-x86_64.tar.gz · 79.1 MB · 3 November 2026

SHA-256 bfcd1b9d9d071f8556854d335ab0d8d46abe7f98a41a436202cfe2fd626df74c

Download

Sync server on its own, for Linux

For a home server or virtual machine without a desktop. Runs as a system service. Not needed if a computer running Sticky Notes is your server.

sticky-notes-server_0.3.3_amd64.deb · 16.9 MB · 3 November 2026

SHA-256 7d458f6ee06657c236462d6adc8a6467ca60022e291b97cc6ec3f091fbee3fe5

Download

Sticky Notes 0.3.3 source code

Python and PyQt6 source, with the tests and the build scripts for Linux and Windows. GNU GPL version 3 or later.

sticky-notes-0.3.3-source.tar.gz · 68 KB · 3 November 2026

SHA-256 1181d03c0cf9deab34e506e37370ed9a2f34396a0e3b246d1eb8279208a3d0b3

Download

Checksums

SHA-256 checksums of all the files above.

SHA256SUMS · 0 KB · 3 November 2026

SHA-256 f40b8adbc053ed9c053302e3af858dbb2d99e779da1127f8df28be0cd3e85497

Download

Also on the BBS in the file area Heisenbergs Files. The read me covers everything on this page in more detail.

The Windows installer is built here under Wine and has been tested on Windows Server 2022. If something doesn't work on your PC, please let me know.

What's new

0.3.3: computers find the sync server more reliably (a Windows laptop could miss it and need the address typed in). The Windows installer can add the firewall rules, and uninstalling removes them.

0.3.2: the first public release. On Windows the sync server now refuses to share its port with a second server; stopping the server is quicker on Linux. Released under the GNU GPL.

0.3.1: any computer running Sticky Notes can be the sync server, switched on from the Sync window.

0.3.0: sync between computers at home, through a sync server on your own network.

0.2.2: times shown in your own time zone; a note's time only changes when its text does; only one copy of the program runs at a time.

Licence and source

Sticky Notes is Copyright © 2026 Michael Slater. It is free software: you may copy, change and share it under the GNU General Public License, version 3 or (at your option) any later version. It comes with no warranty. The source is in sticky-notes-0.3.3-source.tar.gz above; it is written in Python with PyQt6, and builds for Linux, and for Windows on Windows or under Wine.

Contact

Questions, bug reports and suggestions are welcome. Email slaterm@theiguru.au, or leave a message for the sysop on the Kalgoorlie Retro BBS (telnet bbs.theiguru.au).

Email the sysop About Kalgoorlie Retro Gaming