Evernote Linux Client Nixnote2 Forked, Includes Numerous Improvements

Nixnote2 2.1 fork

NixNote2, an unofficial, open source Evernote client for Linux, was forked recently, with the first experimental release being made available for download back in October. The first stable version of the fork (2.1) was released about about two weeks ago, bringing new features and bug fixes, as well as AppImage binaries to make it easy to run on any Linux distribution.

Nixnote2 lets you create text notes, attach files or images (including inline), and synchronize with your Evernote account. Other Nixnote2 features include:

  • Support for Evernote notebooks and tags
  • Reminders
  • Encrypted text
  • Note pinning
  • Note title background colors
  • Spellchecking
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Themes
  • Supports multiple accounts
  • Import Evernote notes, export notes to PDF, email and print notes
  • Tray icon that lets you create a new note or quick note access

Encrypted / open source Evernote alternatives you might like:


Nixnote2 2.1 fork


Nixnote2 2.1 with tray menu

It looks like the Nixnote2 2.1 fork developer tried to contact the original maintainer, but he couldn't be contacted. That's why instead of merging the new features and bug fixes with the main project, a fork was created.

The fork developer did manage to get access to the Nixnote2 Ubuntu PPA (which was maintained by a third-party), so Ubuntu and Linux Mint users are able to easily install the latest Nixnote2 2.1.

There haven't been any major user interface changes in the Nixnote2 2.1 fork, with maybe the exception of only displaying the note title column by default, and adding the synchronize and email buttons to all editor windows, but there have been many improvements to the way the application works, and bug fixes. The

Changes in Nixnote2 2.1:

  • Search results are now sorted by relevance (in 2.0, search results are sorted by last modification)
  • Added simplified formatting for html copy/paste
  • Redesigned html cleanup to prevent Evernote sync errors. Tidy v5.6 is now used (version 2.0 used the tidy command installed on the system, which could be quite outdated in some cases, like 8 years old for Ubuntu 16.04)
  • Spellchecking was completely refactored and improved. The spell checker is now embedded (not a plugin). Dictionary locale (language) switching now works. User dictionaries are per locale
  • New search and index without diacritics feature
  • Moved configuration and data directory from ~/.nixnote to ~/.config/nixnote2 and ~/.local/share/nixnote2. Easy migration from v2.0 is included, if the ~/.nixnote folder is present on the system
  • Fixed calling various Nixnote2 options from the command line (and thus, assigning global keyboard shortcuts via system shortcuts settings).
  • PDF export improvements
  • Restructured main toolbar
  • Simple working solution with encrypted notes (with the existing 64bit "medium" security RC2 cipher implemented in Nixnote v2.0)
  • Add sync and email toolbar buttons to all editor windows
  • Added more keyboard shortcuts
  • Improved formatting of LaTeX formula (this is still not stable, so it's marked as experimental in the user interface)
  • Added more sort options (in the View menu)
  • Systray menu functionality cleanup, and fixed main window not showing on "new note" when invoked from systray
The application is now also available in the AppImage binary format, making it available on any Linux distribution. There's a limitation regarding this though - themes don't work when using the Nixnote2 AppImage.

These are just a few of the changes between the last Nixnote2 2.0.2 version and the 2.1 version of the fork. You can find the major changes in Nixnote2 2.1 here, and a list of all the changes by visiting this link.

Download Nixnote2 2.1 (fork) Evernote desktop client for Linux




On the project downloads page you'll find AppImage binaries for either the latest stable 2.1 release, continuous builds, and continuous development builds. The Nixnote2 fork wiki includes information about running the AppImage on Linux and how to integrate it in your applications menu.

As I was saying above, the Nixnote2 PPA was updated to include the latest NixNote2 2.1 stable release. You can add the PPA on Ubuntu, Linux Mint and other Ubuntu-based Linux distributions using the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nixnote/nixnote2-stable
sudo apt update
sudo apt install nixnote2

The Nixnote2 fork page also mentions an Arch Linux User Repository package, and how to build the application from source.

To add your Evernote account in Nixnote2, click on the sync icon (or Tools -> Synchronize from the menu) and enter your Evernote credentials, then authorize Nixnote2 to synchronize to your Evernote account.

You'll probably also want to take a look at the Nixnote2 2.1 getting started guide.