Notes where you can see them
Keep reminders and drafts on screen, in colours that help you tell them apart.
Free companion toolWindows
Sticky Notes
Notes on your desktop. Private when you need them to be.
Keep coloured sticky notes on your Windows desktop. Lock the notes that matter behind a PIN, step back through each note’s edit history and back everything up to your own Google Drive.
Version 1.1.0Ask us for the installer and setup guidance.
A useful connectionSticky Notes01Install and start Sticky Notes✓
02Write and arrange your notes✓
03Lock the notes that matter✓
Connect. Configure. Put it to work.
A small tool with a clear purpose
Put your existing tools to work together.
Designed for
- Windows desktop users
- Business owners and office staff
- Anyone keeping private reminders
- Google Drive users who want an automatic backup
Sticky Notes puts coloured notes on your Windows desktop. Each note is its own small window that you can move, resize, recolour or minimise to the system tray, and a notes manager lists every note, including the ones you have hidden.
Notes you want kept private can be locked behind a PIN. A locked note’s text is encrypted on your PC and stays hidden until you unlock it. Every note also keeps its own edit history, so you can step back and forward through earlier versions, and your notes can be backed up to a Google Drive account that you connect yourself.
This is a desktop note-taking tool for one Windows user, not a shared or hosted notes service. Notes you leave unlocked are stored as readable text, and a forgotten PIN can be reset only if you added a recovery email when you created it.
Private notes stay private
Lock the notes that matter, with encryption and automatic re-locking when you step away.
A copy you control
Keep a backup in your own Google Drive and restore it on another PC with the same PIN.
What the tool can do
Explore the details.
See what connects.
Practical capabilities, with the setup and compatibility details explained below.
01
Notes that stay where you put them
Each note is its own window. Move it, resize it, pick one of six colours or minimise it to the tray, and it returns to the same place and size the next time the app starts. The notes manager lists every note, including hidden ones, so none gets lost.
- Six note colours
- Position and size remembered
- Show or hide any note
02
PIN-locked notes
Set one PIN of at least six characters, then lock any note. A locked note’s text and its edit history are encrypted with AES-GCM on your PC, and the note shows a lock screen until you enter the PIN. You can re-lock a note at once or remove its lock when you no longer need it.
- One PIN for every locked note
- AES-GCM encryption of locked text
- Slower retries after repeated wrong PINs
03
Locks again when you step away
Unlocked notes lock themselves after five minutes without keyboard or mouse use on the PC, when Windows itself is locked, and whenever the app restarts, so a note you opened earlier does not stay readable.
- Five-minute idle auto-lock
- Locks with Windows (Win+L)
- Locked again on every restart
04
Edit history for every note
Each note keeps up to 50 earlier versions. Undo and redo step through them, and you can clear a note’s history when you no longer want old wording kept. The history of a locked note is encrypted as well.
- Undo and redo per note
- Up to 50 earlier versions
- Clear the history on demand
05
Backup to your own Google Drive
Connect a Google account and the app keeps one backup file of your notes in that account’s Drive. It uploads shortly after you change a note and checks again every 15 minutes, and Backup Now and Restore from Drive are in the tray menu. The app can see only the file it created, and it tells you rather than guessing when your notes and the backup disagree.
- Automatic upload after changes
- Backup Now and Restore from Drive
- Uses your own Google credentials
06
A way back if you forget the PIN
When you create your PIN you can add a Gmail address for recovery. The app shows a one-time recovery code on screen and emails it to you. Resetting a forgotten PIN later needs that code and a sign-in to the same Google account. Without a recovery email, locked notes cannot be recovered.
- Optional Gmail recovery address
- One-time recovery code
- Same Google account sign-in to reset
At a glance
- Coloured desktop notes in six colours
- PIN-locked, encrypted notes
- Undo, redo and edit history for every note
- Auto-lock when idle or when Windows locks
- Backup and restore with your own Google Drive
- Windows tray menu and notes manager
From installation to first use
A clear path to getting started.
Follow these steps, then use a sample or test job to confirm your connection.
- 01
Install and start Sticky Notes
Request the installer and run it on your Windows PC. During setup you can choose to start Sticky Notes with Windows and to add a desktop shortcut. The app opens in the system tray and shows your first note.
- 02
Write and arrange your notes
Type into a note, pick a colour, then move and resize it where you want it. Add more notes from the tray menu or the notes manager. Minimise a note to the tray when it is in the way; it stays in the manager until you delete it.
- 03
Lock the notes that matter
The first time you lock a note, create a PIN of at least six characters. You can add a Gmail address for recovery at that point; the app then shows a one-time recovery code, so store it somewhere safe. Locked notes ask for the PIN each time you open them.
- 04
Connect Google Drive backup
Choose Backup Now from the tray menu. The setup window walks you through creating your own Google OAuth client ID and saving its credentials file in the app’s data folder, then signs you in with Google. After that, backups run automatically.
Where it fits
See it in
an everyday moment.
Illustrative scenarios showing how the capabilities work together.
A front-desk PC with a mix of notes
Everyday reminders such as call-backs and delivery times stay on screen, while a note with sensitive details is locked behind the PIN and locks itself again when the desk is left idle.
Moving to a new PC
The owner restores the notes from Google Drive on the new machine and unlocks the locked ones with the same PIN.
Compatibility and preparation
What you’ll need.
Check the device, connection and access requirements before your first live job.
Windows- A 64-bit Windows PC and the supplied Sticky Notes installer; no separate .NET install is needed
- A PIN of at least six characters to lock notes
- Optional PIN recovery: a Gmail address, plus a Gmail App Password that you create so the app can email your one-time recovery code
- Optional Google Drive backup: your own Google Cloud OAuth client ID and a Google account to sign in with
- An internet connection for Drive backup and recovery only; writing and locking notes works without one
Is there a Mac, phone or web version?
Sticky Notes is a Windows desktop application for 64-bit PCs. There is no Mac, mobile or web version, and notes are not shared between people or devices except through your own Google Drive backup and restore.
How secure are my notes?
Notes you lock are encrypted with AES-GCM using a key that your PIN protects, and the app slows down repeated wrong PINs. Notes you do not lock are stored as readable text on your PC and, if you use Drive backup, in your backup file, so lock anything sensitive.
What if I forget my PIN?
If you added a recovery Gmail address when you created the PIN, choose Forgot PIN, sign in with that same Google account and enter the one-time code that was emailed to you. Without a recovery email, locked notes cannot be recovered, and the app says so when you create the PIN.
Do I need a Google account?
No. Writing, colouring, locking and the edit history all work on your PC without one. Google is used only if you choose Drive backup or the optional recovery email and sign-in, and both need setup on your side: your own Google OAuth client ID, and a Gmail App Password for the recovery email. The Google Drive privacy policy on this site explains how SmartCode apps use Google data.
Can a backup overwrite my notes?
The app uploads your changes automatically, but it downloads automatically only on a fresh PC or when Drive is clearly ahead and you have nothing unsynced. In any other case it shows a notice instead of choosing for you. It can see only the backup file it created, not the rest of your Drive.
How do I get Sticky Notes?
Use Request the tool for the Windows installer. A direct download button will appear once an approved public release link is published. The installer is a self-contained 64-bit setup, so no separate .NET runtime is needed.
A little help with your setup
Make the connection.
Get the tool, confirm compatibility and connect it to your everyday work.