Move ideas around like objects, not rows.
Notes live on a board. Drag them, resize them, bring them forward, rename them, tint them, or delete and undo without breaking your flow.
Local-first notes, loose by design
Your desktop can be a thinking surface again.
Note Canvas is a native macOS workspace for people who think in fragments: floating notes, sticky reminders, markdown snippets, images, and separate workspaces that stay messy in a useful way.
Workspace style
Freeform
Drag, stack, resize, and color-code notes instead of sorting everything into rigid lists.
Native shell
macOS first
Built as a desktop app with keyboard shortcuts, local persistence, and a custom login callback.
Formats
Text, markdown, images
Keep rough notes, preview markdown, pin image references, or drop in fast post-its.
Sync model
Optional
Work locally by default, then sign in with Google when you want your workspace state backed up.
Post-it mode
Keep quick reminders visible without turning your board into a document editor.
Workspace sync
Switch boards, keep titles and layout, and optionally sync the whole state through the companion server.
What it does well
Organized enough to trust, loose enough to think.
The app is not trying to be a team wiki or another tab-heavy document tool. It is for personal boards, scratch space, visual grouping, and quick spatial memory.
Mix rough text, markdown, images, and sticky notes.
Some thoughts need structure, others need speed. Note Canvas supports both, including markdown preview and image notes on the same canvas.
Stay local until you want backup and sync.
Workspaces are saved on-device first. Google login and sync stay optional, which keeps the app usable even when you just want a fast private board.
See the board
A note app that looks like it wants to be touched.
The interface is deliberately physical: layered windows, sticky color, markdown previews, image resizing, and workspace switching without leaving the board.
Full workspace
Keep long-form notes, small reminders, and references on one surface.
The board metaphor makes context visible without forcing everything into one note.
Fast capture
Create, drag, and resize without mode switching.
Useful for triage, planning, and scratch work that would feel cramped in a single editor.
Mixed media
Markdown, image notes, and workspace structure together.
Keep quick visual references next to edited text and switch boards when you need a clean slate.
Built for daily use
Small actions stay small.
New note, new post-it, image insert, workspace switch, and autosave all happen with very little ceremony. The app feels closer to moving paper around a desk than maintaining a database.
- Separate workspaces keep topics apart without hiding the spatial layout that helps you remember things.
- Autosave and local persistence keep the board resilient even before you sign in.
- Markdown preview lets rough notes become readable without sending you into a different app.
Companion server
A simple sync layer, not a product maze.
The Quarkus backend handles Google authentication, JWT-backed sessions, and workspace sync. The landing page stays honest about that: the desktop app is the product, and the server exists to support it.
- Google sign-in is used only when you want account-backed syncing.
- The same workspace model carries note position, sizing, titles, colors, and image state.
- The app still makes sense as a local-first desktop tool, which is the right default for this category.
macOS desktop app
Built for people who think better with a board than a sidebar.
Use it as a personal planning wall, a temporary project surface, or a place to collect notes that are too spatial for a linear editor.