ZettelForge implements the slip-box method properly rather than as a folder of Markdown files. Every note gets a Folgezettel address — 1, then 1a branching off it, then 1a1 — and because new notes branch rather than insert, nothing is ever renumbered and no link ever rots. Notes flow through the real workflow: a quick-capture inbox for fleeting notes, then literature notes, then permanent notes, then structure notes that act as maps of content. You link with [[links]], reference other slips with ((addresses)) and cite sources with [@keys] drawn from a reference store that imports and exports BibTeX and CSL-JSON and generates a bibliography for you. Discovery is the point: backlinks, keyword entry points, related notes, unlinked-mention suggestions and a deliberate surprise-me panel that pulls up something you had forgotten. Search supports #keyword, type:, ref:@key and is:orphan operators, and a graph view shows the whole box.
What it does
Folgezettel addressing (1, 1a, 1a1) where notes branch and are never renumbered, so links never rot
Named sequences with keyboard navigation forward, back, up to parent and across branches
Fleeting to literature to permanent to structure-note workflow with a quick-capture inbox
[[Links]], ((address references)) and [@citations] in a split source-and-preview Markdown editor
Reference store with author-year keys, BibTeX and CSL-JSON import and export, and a generated bibliography
Discovery tools: backlinks, keyword entry points, related notes, unlinked mentions and a surprise-me panel
Search operators #keyword, type:, ref:@key and is:orphan, plus Ctrl+P by title or address
Force-directed knowledge graph of the entire slip-box
Export a note to Markdown or HTML, or the whole box as a static site, Markdown bundle or PDF
Windows installer (.exe) — installs in a couple of clicks, no extra runtimes needed
Platform:
Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
Version:
1.0.0
Download size:
78 MB
Requires:
Runs fully offline. No account, no subscription, no internet connection needed. Not code-signed yet, so SmartScreen may warn on first run - choose More info, then Run anyway.
Licence:
Free forever for one slip-box with up to 60 notes (inbox notes do not count), 20 references and 15 attachments. A licence key unlocks unlimited notes and boxes, the graph view, templates, static-site, PDF and bibliography export, encrypted vaults, advanced discovery and unlimited history.
