winotes

An unofficial Python wrapper for Windows Sticky Notes, built by reverse-engineering the app's local SQLite database (plum.sqlite). No official API exists — this talks directly to the database and automatically restarts the app after every write so changes appear instantly.

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Requirements

• Windows 10 / 11 with the Sticky Notes app installed
• Python 3.10+
• No third-party packages — stdlib only (sqlite3, subprocess, uuid, etc.)

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Installation

pip install winotes

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Quick Start

from winotes import Winotes

sn = Winotes()

# List all notes
for note in sn.list_notes():
    print(note["id"], note["theme"], note["text_plain"])

# Create a note
sn.create_note("Buy milk", theme="Blue")

# Update a note
sn.update_note(note_id, text="Buy oat milk", theme="Green")

# Delete a note (soft delete by default — recoverable)
sn.delete_note(note_id)

# Search notes
results = sn.search_notes("milk")

After any write, the app is automatically killed and relaunched so you see the changes immediately.

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Custom DB Path

By default the wrapper finds the database at:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\plum.sqlite

You can override this if needed:

sn = Winotes(db_path=r"C:\Users\you\...\plum.sqlite")

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API Reference

Winotes(db_path=DEFAULT_DB_PATH)

Creates the wrapper. Raises FileNotFoundError if the database can't be found.

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list_notes(include_deleted=False) → list[dict]

Returns all active notes. Pass include_deleted=True to also return soft-deleted notes.

Each note dict contains:

Key	Type	Description
id	str	UUID of the note
text_plain	str	Content with internal block markers stripped
text_raw	str	Raw content as stored in the DB
theme	str	Colour theme (see themes below)
is_open	bool	Whether the note window is open
is_always_on_top	bool	Whether the note is pinned on top
created_at	datetime	Creation time (UTC)
updated_at	datetime	Last modified time (UTC)
deleted_at	datetime | None	Deletion time, or None if active
window_position	str | None	Raw window position string
parent_id	str	ID of the parent user record

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get_note(note_id) → dict | None

Returns a single note by its ID, or None if not found.

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create_note(text, theme="Yellow", is_open=True, is_always_on_top=False) → dict

Creates a new note and returns it. Restarts the app.

sn.create_note("hello world", theme="Pink")
sn.create_note("line one\nline two", theme="Blue", is_always_on_top=True)

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update_note(note_id, text=None, theme=None, is_open=None, is_always_on_top=None) → dict | None

Updates any combination of fields on an existing note. Only the arguments you pass are changed. Returns the updated note, or None if not found. Restarts the app.

sn.update_note(note_id, text="updated content")
sn.update_note(note_id, theme="Charcoal", is_always_on_top=True)

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delete_note(note_id, soft=True) → bool

Deletes a note. Returns True if a note was affected. Restarts the app.

• soft=True (default) — sets DeletedAt timestamp; the note is hidden but recoverable via restore_note().
• soft=False — permanently removes the row from the database.

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restore_note(note_id) → dict | None

Clears the DeletedAt timestamp on a soft-deleted note, making it active again.

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search_notes(query, case_sensitive=False) → list[dict]

Returns all active notes whose plain text contains query.

results = sn.search_notes("TODO")
results = sn.search_notes("API", case_sensitive=True)

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Themes

The valid theme values are:

Yellow · Blue · Green · Pink · Purple · Gray · Charcoal

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CLI Demo

Running the script directly prints a summary of all current notes:

python -m winotes

============================================================
WINOTES — current notes
============================================================

  [Yellow  ]  8b154dd4-a795-4c3e-b2cf-6aa7010e0937
  Created : 2026-02-28 10:49
  Preview : Hello!

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How It Works

Windows Sticky Notes stores all data in a SQLite database (plum.sqlite) with no official access API. This wrapper:

1. Reads notes directly from the Note table via sqlite3.
2. Parses the internal text format — each paragraph is prefixed with a \id=<uuid> block marker which is stripped on read and regenerated on write.
3. Converts timestamps from Windows FILETIME (100-nanosecond ticks since 1601-01-01) to Python datetime objects.
4. After writing, kills Microsoft.Notes.exe and relaunches the app via explorer.exe shell:AppsFolder\... so it re-reads the database cleanly.

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Caveats

• This relies on undocumented internals and could break if Microsoft changes the database schema in a future update.
• If Sticky Notes is syncing with a Microsoft account, externally created/modified notes may be overwritten by the next sync cycle.
• Hard-deleting a note (soft=False) that exists on the server may cause sync conflicts.