Trilium Notes organizes large knowledge bases with hierarchical notes, metadata, and scripting.

Trilium Notes is not designed for quick phone jotting: it has no native mobile app, and keeping notes synchronized across devices requires running your own server. Its many note types and organizational concepts also take time to learn, so it is better suited to building a structured knowledge base than capturing a passing thought.

Where it works well

For a large collection, Trilium Notes provides a tree of unlimited depth. A note can be cloned into multiple branches, so the same content can appear in different parts of the hierarchy without maintaining separate copies. This is useful when a reference belongs to more than one topic but should still be edited in one place.

The program supports more than standard rich text: notes can contain code, canvas drawings, Mermaid diagrams, mind maps, relation maps, saved searches, and web views. Collections can also be organized as calendars or tables. These formats let a knowledge base hold different kinds of material within one system, and Trilium Notes also supports attributes and templates for adding metadata and creating consistently structured notes.

Structure, protection, and automation

Labels and relations provide ways to describe and connect notes beyond their position in the tree. Templates can give recurring entries a common structure, while saved searches can gather notes that match chosen criteria. Together, these features help maintain organization as a collection grows, without requiring every item to fit into only one branch.

Individual protected notes can be encrypted with a password and remain locked until the session is unlocked. For users who want to customize their workspace, JavaScript scripting can add widgets, automate tasks, or create small tools inside notes. These capabilities make the application more adaptable, but they also add concepts to understand before the workflow feels familiar.

Desktop use and synchronization

The desktop application works offline, so notes can be used without a server when they remain on one computer. To synchronize between computers, set up a Trilium server on a machine, a VPS, or Docker, then connect each desktop installation through its sync settings. The server also provides web access, including a way to use notes from phones through a browser rather than a native mobile application.

Trilium Notes is available for Windows 10, Windows 11, macOS, and Linux. A Linux and Docker server option supports self-hosting, which gives users control over where synchronized notes are kept but means that server setup and operation are part of the arrangement.

Project and migration context

The project began with zadam and later entered maintenance mode when the original author stepped back. Development now continues under TriliumNext, the team maintaining the program under the GNU AGPL v3 open-source license. The desktop application and server are both free to use.

Notes from older zadam/trilium versions can be opened, and the database is upgraded automatically. Because that process changes the database, make a backup before opening an existing collection. On first launch, choose whether to start a new document or connect to an existing server.

Who should consider it

Trilium Notes fits users who want a personal wiki with deep hierarchies, reusable notes, metadata, and scripting, particularly when the collection is expected to become extensive. People looking primarily for fast mobile capture should account for the lack of a native phone app and the need to self-host synchronization; the program’s strengths are in structured desktop knowledge management rather than a minimal notepad workflow.