jrnl

What jrnl is

jrnl is a free, open-source command-line application for creating, searching, and viewing journal entries. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and can be used offline. Entries can use natural-language timestamps, while inline tags help with searching and filtering. You can keep multiple journals in one file or across several files, for example to separate work and personal writing. Journals are stored as readable plain-text files that can be placed in shared folders to sync between devices. jrnl also supports AES encryption; new encrypted writes use the jrnl v3 format. When encrypting a journal, it asks whether to save the password in the system keychain. Passwords cannot be recovered or reset, so losing one makes the encrypted data inaccessible. Entries can be sent to configured external editors such as Visual Studio Code, Vim, and Notepad++. The application supports importing entries and exporting data in JSON, Markdown, plain text, XML, and YAML. Its installation guide recommends pipx with Python 3.11 or later. For help, the project directs users to submit a GitHub issue.