With so much of our work, studies, and personal thoughts moving online, protecting what we write has become just as important as protecting our files and passwords. Encrypted digital notebooks are built to give you full control over your private notes by securing them with end-to-end encryption. Unlike regular note-taking apps that often store plain text on company servers, these notebooks ensure that only you can unlock your data. In this article, we will explore three trusted tools: Cryptee, Turtl, and Standard Notes. Each of these makes it simple to keep your journals, research, and confidential records safe from breaches, leaks, and unauthorized access.

Table Of Contents

• Encrypted Notebooks
• Cryptee
• Turtl
• Standard Notes
• Conclusion

Encrypted Notebooks

An encrypted digital notebook is a secure platform designed to store your notes, journals, documents, and personal information while protecting them with end-to-end encryption. Unlike traditional note-taking apps that may store your data on company servers in plain text, encrypted notebooks ensure that only you hold the keys to access your information. This makes them especially useful for professionals, students, researchers, or privacy-conscious individuals who want to safeguard sensitive ideas, confidential records, or personal reflections.

Key Risks

• Data Breaches – Notes stored in plain text can be stolen during hacks.
• Unauthorized Access – Service providers or attackers may read your private data.
• Data Leakage – Sensitive info shared across devices without encryption is exposed.
• Loss of Privacy – Journals, research, or confidential work can be misused.

Best Practices

• Use a strong master password (and enable 2FA if available).
• Regularly backup encrypted data to a safe location.
• Keep apps updated for latest security patches.
• Avoid syncing notes to untrusted cloud providers without encryption.
• Only install from official websites/app stores to prevent tampered versions.

Cryptee – Encrypted Documents Editor

A privacy-first encrypted digital notebook and storage platform for notes, documents, and photos, accessible across devices with end-to-end encryption.

STEPS:-

1: Download Cryptee

You can download Cryptee from its official site: https://crypt.ee

2: Login with username & password

3: Choose between Docs or Photos

4: Enter your encryption key (do not lose it!)

5: Create folders → upload files

6: Make folders hidden (ghost mode)

7: Reveal ghost folders with the eye icon + summon name

8: Rename, move, archive, or delete folders securely

Turtl – Encrypted & Synced notes, bookmarks, passwords and files

An open-source, encrypted note taking app for personal & team use.

STEPS:-

1: Download Turtl

You can download Turtl from its official site: https://turtlapp.com/download/

2: Login with username & password

3: Add new notes (+ icon)

4: Choose one of the following: File, Image, Bookmark or Text note

5: Choose file or URL

6: Then click on save button

7:  Add Text note

8: Select board type, title, and add note text then click on save button

9: We can add our personal boards also

10: Give board title and click on save button

11: Now in personal board we can also add text, images, file etc.

12: I am adding text note here

13: It is look like this

Standard Notes – A safe place for your notes, thoughts, and life’s work

A secure, simple, open-source note app for long-term privacy.

STEPS:-

1: Firstly, Download Standard Notes

You can download Standard Notes from its official site: https://standardnotes.com/ 

2: Create account with email & password

3: Type email & password, then click on next button.

4: Confirm the password

5: Verify

6: Organize your notes using tags. Select the blue “+” icon to create new notes within a tag, and assign each note a clear, descriptive title.

7: To secure your notes, right-click on the desired folder and enable the password protection feature.

8: Once password protection is enabled, your notes will appear in a locked state.

 

9: To add a passcode, click the menu icon (≡) located at the bottom left corner.

10: Navigate to the Security section.

11: Add passcode

12: Set a passcode of your choice, then re-enter it to confirm.

13: Each time you reopen the application, you will be required to enter your passcode to access your notes.

14: You can also enhance security by enabling the two-factor authentication (2FA) option.

15: Then, open your authenticator app and scan the displayed QR code (or manually enter the secret key) to link your account with 2FA.

16: Locate your secret key, save it securely by writing, copying, or downloading it, as it is required to recover authentication codes if you lose access to your authenticator app, then proceed to the next step.

17: Finally, Enter your saved secret key in the first box, then input the authentication code from your authenticator app in the second box, and click “Next” to complete verification.

 

Other Recommended Encrypted Digital Notebooks

• Notesnook : https://notesnook.com/
• Joplin : https://joplinapp.org/
• Logseq : https://logseq.com/ 

Conclusion

We explored three powerful encrypted digital notebook tools—Cryptee, Turtle, and Standard notes—to secure sensitive notes and private data. These tools make it possible to protect against cyber attacks, unauthorized access, and data breaches. By adopting encryption, you ensure that even if attackers intercept your notes or files, they remain unreadable without the correct key.

To learn more on Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT). Follow this Link.

Author: Nisha Gite is a Researcher and Technical Writer specializing in Information Security. Follow her – Linkedin.