Write without friction
Headings, to-dos, toggles, callouts, tables, code and pictures. Type / for any block, or use Markdown shortcuts as you go.
Free and open source · for Windows
Write, plan and study in one quiet place.
Thought Desk keeps your notes, databases, assignments, calendar and flashcards together in one fast app. It runs on your own computer, works offline, and your notes stay yours.
Windows 10 and 11 · about 4 MB
Thought Desk is for Windows for now. Linux and a Microsoft Store version are on the way.
4 MBto download
115 MBof memory while it's open
Offlineeverything works without internet
Open sourcethe code is public on GitHub
One app for the whole semester
Notes link to assignments, classes land on the calendar, and flashcards live inside the pages you study from.
Your day starts at Home. Today's classes, what's due soon and the open to-dos from every page, so you always know what's next.
Classes and deadlines in one calendar. Import your schedule from Canvas, Google Calendar or Outlook, drag things to another day, and get a reminder before anything's due.
Track anything. Reading lists, projects, habits or applications, as a table, board, gallery, calendar, chart or timeline, with formulas and automations.
Study what you wrote. Type flashcards straight into your notes. Spaced repetition brings each card back just before you'd forget it.
Everything in its place
The things you'd usually spread across several apps, in one that stays out of your way.
Math, typeset as you type
Type $x^2$ and it becomes a formula. Paste from ChatGPT or Wikipedia and the math comes along, chemistry included.
Databases, eight ways
Table, board, gallery, list, calendar, chart, timeline and form views, with formulas, relations, rollups and automations.
Made for the semester
Courses with their own colours, assignments with due dates, grades weighted the way your syllabus says, and lecture notes in one click.
Reminders that show up
A nudge the evening before something's due, and before each class or event, even while the app is minimized.
Find anything
Ctrl+K searches every page, assignment, event and file. Backlinks show everywhere a page is mentioned.
Catch ideas anywhere
Press Ctrl+Shift+Space from any app to save a note, a to-do, an assignment or an event without losing your place.
Ready to hand in
Export a page as PDF or as a Word document with real equations, or every note as Markdown that opens in Obsidian.
Make it yours
Light or dark, six colour themes or one of your own, accent colours, three page fonts and keyboard shortcuts you choose.
Your notes stay on your computer
Thought Desk doesn't keep your notes on a server. Nothing to sign up for, and nothing lost if a company changes its plans.
Kept where you choose
Your notes live in a folder on your PC. Pick it, move it and back it up like any other files.
No tracking
No analytics, no ads, no account needed. The app only goes online to check for a new version.
Easy to take with you
Export every note as Markdown at any time, in folders like your sidebar, ready to open in Obsidian.
Fast, even after years of notes
Thought Desk is written in Rust and uses the browser engine already in Windows instead of bringing its own. It was tested with 7,500 pages, 17,000 flashcards and a 50,000-row database, and stays quick.
Coming soon
Write together, live
Invite a friend to a page and write it together, seeing each other's cursors as you type. Only that page is shared; the rest of your notes stay on your computer. When you're done, you both keep the page.
Questions
Is Thought Desk free?
Yes. It's free to download and use, and its code is open source under the GNU AGPL licence.
Where are my notes kept?
On your computer, in a folder you can choose in Settings → Storage. They're never uploaded. You can export them all as Markdown whenever you like.
Does it work without internet?
Yes, everything works offline. The app only goes online to check for a new version.
Is there a version for Mac or Linux?
Not yet. Thought Desk runs on Windows 10 and 11 today. Linux builds and a Microsoft Store version are on the way.
Windows says it "protected your PC". Is the installer safe?
The installer isn't code-signed yet, so Windows doesn't recognise it. Click More info, then Run anyway. The code is public, and every release is built from it on GitHub.
How do updates work?
Thought Desk checks for a new version when it starts and installs it with one click. Your notes stay as they are.
Can I bring my notes from Notion or Obsidian?
Paste Markdown and it keeps its headings, lists, code and math, and a database can import a CSV file. There's no one-click import from Notion yet.
Where can I get help?
Email support@thoughtdesk.org, or report a problem on GitHub.
Your desk is ready.
Windows 10 and 11 · about 4 MB
Thought Desk is for Windows for now. Linux and a Microsoft Store version are on the way.