| Application Name | Sticky Notes |
| Version | See version date in code |
| Short Description | Yet another digital sticky notes application. Has alarms, interactive checkboxes, some other stuff. |
| Supported OSes | Only tested on Windows 10 |
| Web Page | https://github.com/kunkel321/Stickies |
| Download Link | https://github.com/k.../refs/heads/main.zip |
| System Requirements | It is an AutoHotkey v2 app, so it should run on a typical Windows machine.
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| Version History | The AHK Forum thread serves as an update history: https://www.autohotk...hp?f=83&t=135340
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| Author | Kunkel321. Claude AI was used, and a couple of classes from AHK forum member Just me, and one from Hellbent, appear in the code too. I made the custom icon, but the .wav files are freebies collected from all over. |
DescriptionIt's a Desktop Sticky Notes application. It started in January 2025. I wanted to make my own alarm clock with AHK v2 code. It made sense to have a custom message appear with the alarm. The custom message evolved into a sticky note, and the alarm devolved into a secondary feature. I've been using it for about a year, and it seems pretty stable and useful. Of course, stick notes are not for everyone. As indicated in the GitHup repo: The zip contains a "sticky notes.exe" file, but that is NOT a compiled version of "sticky notes.ahk". It is a copy of AutoHotkey.exe from the AHK website, that as been renamed to match the .ahk file. This allows the app to run as a portable app. The caveat is that both same-named files must be kept in the same folder. Double-clicking the exe, runs the same-named ahk. Most of the information below is from the code comments and/or the GitHub repository.
Features and Tips- Create sticky notes that persist between script restarts
- Notes cascade from top-left of screen for better visibility
- Cascading Positions: New note doesn't fully cover previous note
- Notes cycle through different pastel background colors automatically
- Note font color can optionally cycle too, or just use black.
- Several formatting options including fonts, colors, sizing, and borders
- Visual customization: Border thickness changes with bold text
- Border color always matches font color.
- Several languages supported for weekday names and date formats. English is default.
- Stick notes to windows: Notes can be attached to specific application windows
- Window persistence: Notes "stuck to" specific windows reappear when window reopens
- Notes can be unstuck by clicking the window button again
- Alarm System: Set one-time or recurring alarms with custom sounds
- Set alarms for individual notes with optional weekly recurrence
- Many editor dialog options support accelerator keys (Alt+A for alarm, etc.)
- Delete key deletes note from desktop.
- Visual alert: Notes can shake when alarms trigger
- Multiple alarm repeats: Choose between once, 3x, or 10x alarm repetitions
- Alarm sounds: Custom alarm sounds can be added to the Sounds folder
- Smart alarm management: System detects and reports missed alarms on startup
- An alarm can have a: date and/or time and/or recurrence
- The logic for alarms is this:
- > Date + time + no weekly recurrence: plays once on given date, then deletes itself
- > Date + no time + no weekly recurrence: note appears in morning on date with no sound/shake, then alarm deletes
- > Date + time + weekly recurrence: plays on given date, doesn't delete itself, plays again on recurring days
- > Date + no time + weekly recurrence: note appears in morning on date, doesn't delete, reappears on recurring days
- > No date + no time + weekly recurrence: note appears in morning on recurring weekdays
- > No date + time + no weekly recurrence: plays at specified time
- > No date + time + weekly recurrence: plays at specified time on recurring days
- Main window with note management, preview, and search functionality
- Color-coded notes: Notes maintain their color scheme in preview list
- Rich preview: Right-click notes in manager for formatted preview with original fonts/colors
- Search functionality: Filter notes by content in main window
- Selective display: Filter note list to show only hidden or visible notes
- Double-click a note in Note Manager to show/hide
- Include recently deleted note in hidden/visible listview filter
- Deleted notes are identified by deletion time appearing in listview
- Reorder notes, then merge text. Top note's properties are used. Bottom notes are deleted
- Access main window with Win+Shift+S (hidden by default)
- Resize main window, by dragging edge/corner, to see more of note text in listview
- Notes' show alarm times and window attachments in note manager listview
- Multiple selection: Use Ctrl+Click to select multiple notes in manager
- Bulk operations: Select multiple notes to hide/unhide/delete/undelete simultaneously
- Notes are created using Win+Shift+N or from clipboard with Win+Shift+C
- Hotkeys and more can be changed near top of code
- Tips button in note manager shows current hotkeys and other tips
- [ ] Pin checkbox indicates if window is "Always on Top"
- Double-click top bar or right-click for editing options
- Drag notes by their top bar to reposition
- Configurable drag area: Option to maximize note space by minimizing drag area
- Notes auto-save position of note when moved
- Turn off note deletion warning
- Undelete notes
- Deleted notes are purged from ini file after 3 days (Configurable)
- Checkbox Creation: Any text line starting with [] or
- becomes an interactive checkbox
- Checkbox Safety: Alt+Click required by default to prevent accidental toggles
- Header Creation: Any text line starting with # becomes bold
- Hidden or deleted notes can be restored through main window or via note context menu
- Access hidden note menu directly via hotkey
- All note data saved to sticky_notes.ini in script directory
- Check error_debug_log.txt for troubleshooting (if enabled; warning: system hog)
- Use manual "Save Status" after significant changes
- "Load/Reload Notes" refreshes all notes from storage
- System tray icon provides quick access to common functions
- Start with Windows: Option available in tray menu
Screenshots
Screenshot explanation:
1. Sticky Note. The top/center of each note is a "drag area." Drag the drag area to move the note. Double-click the drag area to open the editor. Right-click the note for the context menu. Size of drag area can be customized. The top area of the note can be reserved. (It is not reserved in the image.) The notes have optional borders to visually differentiate them. Border color matches font color.
2. Alt+Click interactive checkbox items to toggle. Checkboxes are typed into the note text by starting a new line with [ ] or [ x ]. Checkbox text doesn’t wrap. Long items will override the note width setting. Headers are made bold by starting the line with #.
3. Note Editor. Most of the formatting options are found here. Make checkbox items or headers as seen in image. The top group of dialog controls are for formatting. Default colors of new notes cycle with each new note, but you can manually select colors or click “random” for random colors. The bottom group of controls are note options. The “Add Alarm” button opens the Set Alarm dialog seen in the image. The “Stick to Window” button opens a dialog with a list of the current visible windows on your computer (not seen in image). Stuck windows auto show/hide with their associated window. The Width box is for the width of the note. The editor will mostly change width too.
4. Alarm Settings Dialog. Single occurrence alarms delete themselves from the note after playing. An alarm can have a date and/or time. Timed alarms can have custom sounds. Choose from a folder of .wav files. There is a sound ‘test’ button and a ‘stop’ button. Timed alarms can also “Shake.” The duration and amount of shake are customizable. Untimed dated or recurring alarms silently unhide themselves the morning of the associated date or weekday.
5. Alarm date picker dialog.
6. Sticky Note context menu. When a note is alarmed, additional items (‘Stop’, ‘Delete Alarm’) are added to the menu. The “Show Hidden” and the “Undelete a note” items popup a submenu of the hidden or deleted items. Deleted items get purged from the ini settings file after X days.
7. Submenu showing hidden items. Choose an item to unhide it. Or double-click item in Manager listview.
8. Submenu showing recently deleted items. Choose one to undelete, or choose multiple from the Note Manager list.
9. Number nine?
10. Sticky Notes Manager gui form. It is hidden by default. Default hotkey to show it is Win+Shift+S. Size of Note Manager is saved in .ini file.
11. Click the Tips button for list of hotkeys and other tips.
12. The buttons on the top are for mostly ‘app-level’ commands.
13. The Filter Settings for the colorized ListView of notes. Deleted notes are hidden by default. Use edit box to filter list by note text. Filter status is saved between sessions.
14. Select a note from the list and right-click for a two-second pop up preview. List row colors match note back and font colors. Left double-click to toggle visibility of note. Note: You might need to unhide a note before editing or deleting it. Drag edge of Note Manager window to resize the list and show more notes. List is sorted by first column which is creation date. Column two shows note text. If any deleted notes are shown, then column two will have Deletion date/time stamp preceding the note text. Column three has the Alarm date and/or time, and lists the stuck-to window.
15. The buttons on the bottom are for mostly ‘note-level’ commands. You can Ctrl+Click to select multiple items. Multi-selected items can be bulk hidden/unhidden or deleted.
16. System tray icon right click menu has a few options such as ‘Start with Windows’ and ‘Open Note ini File.’
UsageInstallation- None. This app is totally portable. Just kill the app and delete the folder to get rid of it.
- However: There is an option to 'Start with Windows.' This will put a link in your Startup folder. If you later want to get rid of the app, uncheck this option first, so the link is removed.
Using the Application- Use the Download link above to save the ZIP file.
- Right-click the downloaded ZIP file and choose "Extract".
- Open the folder and double-click the "sticky notes.exe" file to run the app.
- Do one of the Hotkey commands as seen below to make your own notes, or right-click a sample note for options.
- Read the Tips for tips and check out the user configuration section near the top of the code.
Hotkeys- Win+Shift+N - Create new note
- Win+Shift+C - Create new note from clipboard text
- Win+Shift+S - Toggle main window visibility
1-11-2026 update:
- Win+Shift+M - Show a pop up menu of hidden notes. Choose an item to unhide it.
Uninstallation-The only change made to your system is the entry in your Startup folder--And that has to be manually added by the user, via right-clicking the SysTray icon and checkmarking "Start with Windows."
-If you want to get rid of the app, run it, right-click the SysTray icon, and make sure "Start with Windows" is unchecked.
-Then right-click the icon again, and choose "Exit".
-Once the app has been exited, delete the folder.
Known Issues- In note listview, if notes are sorted, colors will not sort with them--that is why sorting is disabled.
- Please consider that bold text, and checkbox text, does not wrap -- Increase note width if needed.
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