first run goals
Prove pin and auto-save. Then set one colour you can spot. Leave advanced tools for later. Related: pin always on top, installed, for this computer.
Optional tools later
Right-click tools such as Hash, JSON, and DateTime are useful, but they are not the first-hour sticky notes prove path. Keep the first hour short and documented.
Desk workflow that survives a reimage
Write the install door on the machine card before you change colours. Reminder work fails when a substitute invents a second Downloads mirror during SmartScreen friction. Prefer returning to GitHub Releases for PinnyNotes-Setup-*-x64.msi or the verified winget id 63BeetleSmurf.PinnyNotes every time.
Shared apartments and classroom desks should document which Windows user owns the tray session. Two people sharing one profile will collide on pin defaults and note colours. Separate OS accounts keep maps honest and make uninstall tickets shorter.
Travel laptops benefit from a single documented installer door written beside the notes folder. Lab images drift when someone installs a Softonic-style wrapper that only ranked for reminder-pad searches. Prefer the named Setup MSI filename on the ticket.
PinnyNotes features worth proving early
Prove pin always-on-top first. Then prove auto-save by typing a line, restarting the app, and confirming the text returned. Only after those two prove steps should you explore colours, transparency, dark mode, and right-click tools such as Base64, Hash, JSON, Case, and DateTime.
Spell checking on current releases uses Windows APIs, which improves performance versus older approaches. Tray bring-to-front helps when note windows are buried under browsers. Block minimizing helps when Show Desktop would otherwise hide reminders you still need.
Honesty about rivals
Windows pinned notes remains the right choice when Microsoft account sync is the job. Stickies remains a long-running freeware option with its own habits. Simple Sticky Notes and Notezilla serve other feature sets, including paid tiers on some rivals. This guide does not invent scores; it maps stranger-safe PinnyNotes install doors.
Cutover from any rival means paste text by hand. There is no documented importer in the PinnyNotes README for rival databases. Plan a quiet half hour. Keep a text backup if your team requires rollback.
Package honesty for fleets
winget id 63BeetleSmurf.PinnyNotes is YAML-verified in microsoft/winget-pkgs against the same MSI and portable zip URLs on GitHub Releases. Homebrew has no PinnyNotes cask. Linux binaries are not published on verified tags, and upstream README states Linux is not planned for this client.
Write brew NONE on printed cards. Write Windows-only on the standard. That prevents weekend chat storms when a volunteer hunts for a package that does not exist.
Security posture without invented audits
Prefer official GitHub Releases assets and the verified winget id. Skip claiming third-party audits the README does not publish. Licence is GPL-2.0. Security contact surface is the GitHub security page for 63BeetleSmurf/PinnyNotes. Note text lives locally on the Windows PC you manage after install.
Links that keep work on one host
Pillar: home. Releases: releases. GitHub: GitHub. Download safely: download safely. For this computer: for this computer. Installed: installed. Guides: guides. About: about. Editorial: editorial policy. Safety: is it safe.
Closing checklist
Confirm the tag, the MSI filename, the winget id if used, one pinned note, and auto-save after reboot. That five-box checklist outperforms a three-page essay nobody finishes under stress.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do first in sticky notes?
Create a note, pin it always on top, type a line, restart the app, and confirm the text returned before changing every colour. Prefer official GitHub Releases or the verified winget id, write the Setup MSI filename on the machine card, and prove pin always-on-top plus auto-save once before trusting the desk.
Where is the pin control?
Use the pin control on the note window so sticky notes stay above other windows, then confirm with a browser overlapping the desk. Prefer official GitHub Releases or the verified winget id, write the Setup MSI filename on the machine card, and prove pin always-on-top plus auto-save once before trusting the desk.
Does sticky notes auto-save?
PinnyNotes sticky notes auto-saves; still prove it once after install on your Windows PC. Prefer official GitHub Releases or the verified winget id, write the Setup MSI filename on the machine card, and prove pin always-on-top plus auto-save once before trusting the desk.
What about the tray?
Confirm the tray icon can bring sticky notes forward after they are buried under other windows. Prefer official GitHub Releases or the verified winget id, write the Setup MSI filename on the machine card, and prove pin always-on-top plus auto-save once before trusting the desk.