Write freely. Return anytime.
Heldnote is a local-first notepad that keeps every version of every note — in your browser, on your device. No account, no server, no setup.
Free · no account · nothing to install
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Every version, held
The note as it was an hour ago, yesterday, last month — still there, one click away, restored without losing what you have now.
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Yours, locally
Notes live in your browser's own storage. They leave your device only if you back them up — to a file, or to your own Google Drive.
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Honest about storage
The status bar states two facts separately: what Heldnote has stored, and what your browser promises about keeping it. They are never blended into one reassuring green light.
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Prose or diagrams
The writing sheet is serif, for reading. One toggle in the toolbar switches it to monospace, for the notes where columns have to line up — ASCII and box-drawing diagrams, tables, code, log excerpts.
Questions
- Do I need an account to use Heldnote?
- No. There is no sign-up, no email and no login. Heldnote has no user accounts because it has no server to hold them — open the page and start writing.
- Where are my notes stored?
- In your own browser, in its IndexedDB storage, on the device you are using. Nothing is uploaded. Because that storage belongs to one browser on one device, notes do not appear in another browser unless you move them there with a backup file or a Google Drive backup you control.
- What does version history keep?
- Heldnote checkpoints a note as you write and keeps those earlier versions alongside the current text. Any version can be previewed and restored without discarding what you have now. Older versions are trimmed when browser storage runs low, and the status bar says when that happens rather than hiding it.
- Can I write ASCII diagrams and tables in Heldnote?
- Yes. The writing surface uses a serif face by default for reading prose, and the editor toolbar has a monospace toggle for notes where column alignment matters — ASCII and Unicode box-drawing diagrams, tables, code and log excerpts. The setting is remembered across sessions.
- Is Heldnote free and open source?
- Yes, free with no paid tier, and the source is published on GitHub so you can read exactly what it does — published for inspection, not licensed for reuse. It ships as plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript modules with no framework, no build step, no analytics and no third-party requests at runtime.