Trilium for PC: Download & Install on Windows (2026)

Most note apps give you a flat list and a search box, then give up on you at a few thousand notes. This trilium download for pc guide covers the free personal knowledge base built for people whose notes keep growing: a hierarchical note taking app where every note can live in several places at once, protected by encryption and synced through your own server if you want it.

This guide covers the official download route — Trilium is distributed through its GitHub releases, not a download portal — the simple unzip-and-run setup, and how to build your first note tree. No account, no subscription and no cloud lock-in are involved.

What Is Trilium?

Trilium Notes is a free, open-source personal knowledge base application for Windows, macOS and Linux. The original Trilium was created by developer Zadam; today the actively maintained TriliumNext project carries it forward, publishing current builds on the TriliumNext GitHub releases page.

Its core idea is the note tree. Notes are arranged in a hierarchy like folders, but a single note can be cloned into multiple places in the tree, so your project brief can sit under both “Work” and “Ideas” without copies drifting apart. Notes support rich text editing, Markdown, code with syntax highlighting, images, file attachments and even drawn diagrams.

For people building a genuine second brain, Trilium adds the serious features: per-note encryption, relation maps that draw the connections between notes, attributes and scripting, a web clipper, and an optional self-hosted sync server — all without handing your knowledge to a subscription service.

Key Features

Personal knowledge base: Built for large, long-lived collections of notes, research and documentation.
Hierarchical note taking: Organise everything in a note tree, with cloning so one note can appear in several branches.
Note encryption: Protect individual notes or whole subtrees with a password for private material.
Sync server: Optionally run your own sync server to keep multiple PCs (and mobile access) in step.
Relation maps: Draw visual maps showing how notes connect — ideal for research and world-building.
Web clipper: Save web pages and selections into your tree with the browser extension.
Markdown import and export: Bring notes in from Markdown files and export freely — your data stays portable.

System Requirements

Operating System: Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit)
Processor: Any modern dual-core Intel or AMD CPU
RAM: 2 GB minimum, 4 GB recommended for very large databases
Storage: Around 300 MB for the app, plus space for your note database and attachments
Display: 1024×768 or higher
Internet: Only needed for the download and optional sync
Account: None — Trilium is fully local unless you set up sync yourself

How to Download Trilium (Official Method)

Trilium does not use a traditional installer download portal, and that confuses some users. The official route is the TriliumNext GitHub releases page, which the documentation site (docs.triliumnotes.org) links to. Downloading from random “free download” sites risks stale or tampered builds, so use the releases page only.

Official Website: Download Trilium from the official GitHub releases

Step-by-Step Installation

Open the official TriliumNext releases page linked above and find the latest release.
Under Assets, download the Windows desktop package (the Windows zip or installer build for your system).
Save the file to your Downloads folder.
If you downloaded the ZIP, extract it to a permanent folder such as C:\Program Files\Trilium or a folder in Documents.
Open the extracted folder and run the Trilium application file (trilium.exe).
If Windows SmartScreen appears, choose “More info” → “Run anyway” — common for open-source apps without a paid certificate.
On first launch, choose the option to set up a new document/database, then set your password if you plan to use encryption.

Tip: Keep the Trilium folder out of Downloads — browsers and cleanup tools sometimes delete old downloads, and your note database lives alongside the app data. A folder in Documents is a safer home, and you should back it up like any important document.

How to Build Your First Note Tree in Trilium

Create your first top-level notes from the tree panel — for example Work, Personal and Learning.
Add child notes under each one by right-clicking and choosing New Note.
Write a note in rich text, or switch the note type to Markdown or Code depending on the content.
Clone a note into a second branch by using the note’s menu, so it appears in both places at once.
Try the web clipper extension in your browser to save an article straight into your tree.
Use the quick search at the top to jump between notes as the tree grows.

Trilium vs Notion and Obsidian: The Honest Difference

Trilium’s difference is ownership. Notion stores your notes on its servers under a subscription model; Trilium stores everything in a local database on your PC, works offline, and the optional sync server is one you run yourself. Compared with Obsidian, which keeps notes as plain Markdown files in folders, Trilium keeps a structured database with a true tree, cloning, built-in encryption and scripting — richer organisation in exchange for a less file-based model, though Markdown import and export keep your content portable.

Choose Trilium if you think in hierarchies, keep sensitive notes you want encrypted, and like the idea of a knowledge base that will still open in ten years without a subscription. It is a power tool, and the first hour has a learning curve — after that, very little else organises knowledge this deeply for free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Trilium safe to download?
Yes, from the official TriliumNext GitHub releases page linked above — that is the distribution channel the maintainers publish and the documentation site points to. Avoid third-party download portals, which may host outdated or modified builds.

Is Trilium completely free?
Yes. Trilium is free and open source, including the encryption, sync server and scripting features. There is no premium tier and no account.

What happened to the original Trilium?
The original project by Zadam moved into maintenance mode, and the community-driven TriliumNext fork now publishes the current releases. Existing Trilium databases migrate into TriliumNext builds — back yours up first, as with any upgrade.

Does Trilium work offline?
Completely. Notes live in a local database on your PC. Internet is only needed to download the app, use the web clipper, or sync through a server you set up yourself.

Conclusion

If your notes have outgrown flat lists and sticky-note apps, Trilium is the free upgrade worth learning: a real personal knowledge base with a proper tree, cloning, encryption and optional self-hosted sync. Download it from the official GitHub releases, unzip, run, and start building your tree.

Download Trilium from the Official GitHub Releases