Sticky Notes That Actually Live on Your Desktop
You've probably tried a dozen sticky note apps. They either bury your notes behind a management window, or they clutter your desktop until you close them in frustration. PaperTodo takes a different approach: each note is its own independent window that sits directly on your desktop, ready when you need it and out of the way when you don't.
What It Does
PaperTodo is a lightweight Windows desktop sticky-note app built natively with WPF on .NET 10. There's no web wrapper here — it's a native application designed for fast startup and low resource use. The core idea is simple: every paper is an independent window living on the desktop, with no layered management console to open first.
The app offers two paper types. Todo papers are checklists with drag-and-drop ordering, continuous swipe multi-selection, and smart splitting of multi-line paste. Completed items can be cleared automatically or moved to the bottom. Note papers support lightweight Markdown and visual notes with three levels of real-time rendering, plus support for pasting or dropping local images.
When you're done with a paper, you can collapse it into a compact capsule with a click or Ctrl+W. These capsules automatically dock to screen edges, freeing up desktop space. Hover over a capsule and a lightweight preview card slides out — you can scroll, check, or uncheck visible tasks right in the hover card without opening the full paper window.
Why It's Cool
The edge capsule system is genuinely clever. Most sticky note apps force a binary choice: the note is either open and taking up space, or closed and out of sight. PaperTodo's collapsed capsules dock to screen edges and slide out on hover. It's a small interaction detail, but it changes how you think about keeping notes around — they're always accessible without being intrusive.
Independent windows mean no app-switching. There's no central dashboard to navigate. Each paper is its own window on your desktop. You write when you want, check things off when done, and everything saves automatically. The interaction path stays short because there's no management layer in the way.
The preview cards do more than preview. Hovering over a todo capsule lets you check off tasks directly in the card. For note capsules, you get instant Markdown rendering and image placeholders. The README mentions intent prediction and seamless handoff — the idea being that the preview card understands when you want to open the full paper versus just glance at it.
It's opinionated about what it doesn't do. PaperTodo deliberately avoids complex project-management models. There are no boards, no tags, no hierarchies. The philosophy section is explicit about this: no unnecessary interaction layers, no unnecessary visual focus. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by a productivity app that wants to manage your entire life, this restraint is refreshing.
Native WPF matters here. For a desktop utility that's supposed to be always available, startup time and memory footprint actually matter. A web-wrapped Electron app running in the background isn't ideal for something you want to glance at and dismiss. PaperTodo's native approach keeps it out of your way in a literal sense.
How to Try It
Getting started is straightforward:
- Head to the GitHub repository and download the latest release. The app is free on GitHub.
- If you prefer the Microsoft Store, there's a paid listing that supports development — the GitHub version remains free.
- Check the User Manual for detailed usage instructions.
- The app is Windows x64 only, so keep that in mind if you're on another platform.
There's also an official website with more information. The project is currently at v4.0.0-beta2, so expect some rough edges, but the core functionality is there.
Final Thoughts
PaperTodo won't replace your task manager or your note-taking system, and it's not trying to. It's for the specific use case of wanting a few quiet, useful notes on your desktop — the kind you glance at, check off, and forget about until you need them again. The edge capsule system and hover previews are the standout features here, and they solve a real problem: keeping notes accessible without letting them take over your screen. If you're on Windows and tired of sticky note apps that either disappear or dominate your workspace, this is worth a look. The project is actively developed and open to co-creation, so the beta label is more of an invitation than a warning.
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