A private writing app. No account, no server, no one reading over your shoulder. Free to download for Mac and Windows.
Most people in recovery are told to write. Journal it, get it out, keep a record. Then they are handed a notebook that anyone can pick up, or an app that wants an email address, a subscription, and a copy of every word on somebody else's server.
Memoir is the version of that we wanted and could not find. It runs on your own machine. Your entries are ordinary Markdown files in a folder you choose, encrypted at rest, readable in any text editor if you ever want to walk away with them. Nothing is uploaded. There is no account to make and nobody to ask for permission.
It was built for our own use and it is offered here on the same terms we would want it offered to us. Free, no strings, no data taken. If it is useful to you, use it.
Plain Markdown, a daily word target, streaks and word-count milestones if you want the nudge. OpenDyslexic is built in as a font option.
Photos, location, and voice notes for when the thought arrives on a walk rather than at a desk.
One button for when you are stuck. It sends roughly two hundred words back and returns a prompt to get you moving. Optional, and off until you add your own key.
A PIN on open, AES-256 encryption on everything at rest, and a quick-hide screen for when somebody walks into the room.
Entries are Markdown, photos are photos. Point it at a synced folder and it syncs. Delete the app and your writing is still there.
No export needed, because nothing was ever locked in. There is no lock-in to escape from.
Free. No sign-up, no email address, no tracking on the download.
1.6 MB instead of 130. Needs a free one-time install of Node.js, then you double-click a file and it opens in your browser. Same app, same features.
Or the standalone versions, nothing else to install
macOS 10.15 or later. Built for Intel, runs on Apple Silicon under Rosetta. Nothing to install beforehand.
Download for MacSHA-256
350c7c5955f19502afec1ff0851bc323c73f7159c4d11739a1f16d5b389869f1
Windows 10 or later, 64-bit. No installer, unzip and run. Nothing to install beforehand.
Download for WindowsSHA-256
d7de109c597bd9ab5273eb0eda13220bde92ef7bf754deb69d0b8477303178ab
The two standalone versions are unsigned. Your computer will warn you the first time you open one, because we have not paid Apple or Microsoft for a certificate. The warning is about the paperwork, not about the app. You get past it once and never see it again. The light version is not affected.
Install Node.js from nodejs.org if you have not got it. Take the LTS version and accept the defaults. This is a one-time thing.
Unzip the download anywhere you like.
Windows: double-click Start Memoir.cmd. Mac: double-click Start Memoir.command.
A small terminal window opens and your browser opens on the app. Leave the terminal window alone while you write. Closing it closes Memoir.
On a Mac, if the file will not run, right-click it and choose Open, or run this once in Terminal:
chmod +x "Start Memoir.command"
Unzip the download and drag Memoir into your Applications folder.
Right-click the app and choose Open, then confirm. Do not double-click it the first time, macOS will simply refuse.
If macOS still says the app is damaged, open Terminal and run:
xattr -cr /Applications/Memoir.app
Then open it normally. On an Apple Silicon Mac you may be asked to install Rosetta. Accept it.
Unzip the download anywhere you like, for example a Memoir folder inside your user folder.
Run Memoir.exe. When SmartScreen appears, click More info, then Run anyway.
There is no installer and nothing is written to the registry. To uninstall, delete the folder.
Choose a folder for your entries. Anywhere you like. A synced folder works fine if you want it on more than one machine.
Set a password. It encrypts your entries at rest, which also means there is no recovery if you lose it. We cannot reset it for you, because we do not have it and never will.
The Surface button stays inactive until you paste an Anthropic API key into Settings. Leave it blank and everything else works normally. Keys come from console.anthropic.com and any usage is billed to whoever owns the key.
If something breaks, or you want a version for a machine we have not built for, write to adam.palk@rebootuk.org.uk. It is a small operation and the reply comes from a person.
Nobody gets better in a room where they are being watched.
The Reboot Project