If you use Windows and you've tried to find a good journaling app, you've probably hit the same wall I did. The apps everyone links to — Day One, Apple Journal — are Mac and iPhone only. Cozy is the one I built to run on a PC, and it runs on Mac too.
It's a real Windows desktop app, not a Mac app in disguise
Cozy is a native app for both Windows and macOS. It installs like any other program, lives in your taskbar and system tray, and doesn't need a browser tab. Windows 10 and Windows 11 both work — it's just a normal desktop application.
Your journal is a folder of files on your PC
- Plain Markdown. Every entry is a .md file in a folder you choose. You can read them in Cozy, in Notepad, or in any editor.
- No account, no server. There's nothing to sign into and nothing phoning home. Cozy works fully offline.
- No cloud lock-in. Because it's your folder, your journal doesn't live inside anyone's app. You can move it, back it up, or leave.
Quick entry from the system tray
Cozy sits in your system tray with a global keyboard shortcut. Press it and a small window opens so you can jot a line without leaving whatever you're doing. Spellcheck follows your system language. You can drop photos — including iPhone HEIC — plus video (.mov) and audio right into an entry.
One purchase, all your machines
Cozy is a one-time $35, no subscription. One license covers all your Windows PCs and all your Macs. There's no monthly fee and nothing to renew, because there's no server on my end to keep running.
The honest bit: the SmartScreen warning
The first time you run the Windows installer, you may see a blue "Windows protected your PC" screen. That's SmartScreen, and it shows up because my installer isn't signed with a big-name certificate yet — not because anything is wrong. It's safe: click "More info," then "Run anyway." I'd rather tell you this up front than have you hit it and worry. There are step-by-step notes on the download page.
Same journal on Windows and Mac
Because your journal is just a folder, you're not tied to one machine. Keep the folder in your own OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive and open the same journal from Cozy on a PC at your desk and a Mac on the couch. Your operating system handles the syncing — Cozy just reads the files.
If you got here from Reddit
A lot of "best journaling app for Windows" threads end with people recommending Mac-only apps to someone who clearly said they're on a PC. If that's how you found this page, Cozy is what I'd have posted instead — a plain-files journal that actually runs on Windows, made by someone who got tired of the same non-answers.
Related reading: how Cozy compares to Day One, a journaling app without a subscription, and an offline journaling app.