How to Use Windows Sticky Notes for Quick Reminders

Windows Sticky Notes lets you keep colorful reminder notes on your desktop — visible every time you open your computer. Here's how to use this built-in tool.

In this guide (5 steps):

1.Open Sticky Notes
2.Create a New Note
3.Change the Note Color
4.Resize and Move Notes
5.Delete a Note When Done

Open Sticky Notes

~15s

Press the Windows key, type "Sticky Notes," and press Enter. The Sticky Notes app opens with a blank note ready for typing. If you previously created notes, they reappear in the same positions on your desktop.

Create a New Note

~24s

In the open note, click the "+" button in the top-left corner or press Ctrl + N to create a new note. Type your reminder, list, or phone number. The note saves automatically — you do not need to press Save.

Quick Tip

Sticky Notes are always visible on your desktop when the app is running. If you minimize a note by accident, right-click the Sticky Notes icon in the taskbar to bring it back.

Change the Note Color

~16s

Click the three-dot menu (⋯) at the top of the note. Choose a color: yellow, green, blue, pink, purple, gray, or charcoal. Using different colors for different purposes makes notes easier to find at a glance — for example, yellow for shopping, blue for phone numbers.

Resize and Move Notes

~15s

Drag any corner of the note to resize it. Drag the top bar of the note to move it anywhere on your desktop. Larger notes are easier to read; smaller notes take up less screen space.

Delete a Note When Done

~23s

Hover over the note and click the "X" (delete) button in the top right. A confirmation appears — click "Delete" to remove the note permanently. Or click the three-dot menu and select "Delete note."

Quick Tip

Keep important long-term notes (emergency contacts, account numbers stored securely elsewhere) in a dedicated notes app rather than Sticky Notes — Sticky Notes are meant for temporary reminders, and deleted notes cannot always be recovered.

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Windows Sticky Notes is a free, built-in app that creates colorful digital note cards that sit on your desktop. Every time you start your computer, your sticky notes appear on screen — making them perfect for reminders, to-do lists, shopping lists, phone numbers, or anything else you want to see each time you log in.

Sticky Notes are like digital versions of those yellow paper Post-it notes, but without the clutter and without running out. You can create as many as you want, resize them, change their colors, and move them anywhere on your screen.

The app is already installed on Windows 10 and Windows 11 — no download needed. You open it from the Start Menu by searching "Sticky Notes." Once open, you can type directly into the note.

Sticky Notes in Windows 10 and 11 also sync to the cloud through your Microsoft account. This means your notes appear on any Windows computer you sign into with the same account — and you can view them on your phone through the OneNote app or Microsoft's Outlook app.

One of the most useful features is that you can format text within sticky notes. Hold Ctrl and press B for bold, Ctrl + I for italic, or Ctrl + U for underline — making it easy to highlight the most important parts of a note.

When you no longer need a note, hover over it and click the X button to delete it. Or right-click the Sticky Notes icon in the taskbar and open a list of all your notes to manage them from one place.

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