A lightweight notes app for Windows.
A small native app that opens instantly, stays out of the way and keeps every note as a plain file on your PC.
Small, native and quick
Kolada is a native Windows app, not a web page in a wrapper. The installer is about 5 MB, it installs for your user only with no admin prompt, and the app opens to your last note in 47 ms.
There is no splash screen and no sign-in. Kolada lives in the tray, its taskbar menu lists your recent notes, and Win Alt N opens a quick note from anywhere.
Light on screen, not on features
At rest Kolada is just your note. Panels appear when the pointer comes near and fade when you write. Behind that quiet page are the tools you would expect from a full notes app:
- Live Markdown: headings, lists, checklists, tables and links render as you type.
- Search that ignores accents, tolerates typos and reads text in PDFs and pictures.
- Version history: drag a slider back through every version of a note.
- Tasks with plain-word dates like @fri 4pm, and Ctrl T for what is due.
- Minimal mode: a small window that stays on top of your work.
- Light (paper) and dark (graphite) themes, right-to-left text and IME input.
Your notes are plain files
Every note is a Markdown file in a folder you choose, Documents\Kolada unless you pick another. You can open them in any editor, back them up however you like, and uninstalling Kolada leaves them exactly where they are.
Questions
What is a good lightweight notes app for Windows?
Kolada is a native Windows notes app with a 5 MB installer that opens in 47 ms. It needs no account and stores notes as plain Markdown files.
Does Kolada need admin rights to install?
No. The installer from kolada.app installs for your user only. Kolada is also in the Microsoft Store.
Does Kolada work offline?
Yes. Kolada works fully offline. It only goes online to fetch pictures you paste from a web page and, outside the Store, to check for updates once a day.