Are you an avid digital note-taker? Here’s some big news!

According to an April 5th blog post from Microsoft’s Renee Malone, the company’s digital note-taking app, Journal, has made the transition from an experimental app to a full-fledged Microsoft app. The app will now be known as Microsoft Journal.

What Is Journal?

Microsoft Journal is a tool that allows you to make digital notes using a stylus. There are quite a few other apps that allow this, but Microsoft Journal is unique in a few ways.

Arguably, its most innovative feature is its seamless incorporation of Artificial Intelligence to make your note-taking much more intuitive.

For example, the app allows you to do lots of handy little things like creating headlines by underlining words, starring items by drawing an asterisk next to them, erasing notes simply by crossing them out, and so on. The best part is that you won’t even need to be online for these features to work.

In addition to its AI-powered simplicity, Journal enhances your note-taking experience in other ways, such as by integrating with your calendar so that you can easily take notes for your meetings.

You can also import PDFs and annotate them. Overall, Microsoft Journal is a pretty handy digital note-taking tool. If you would like to try it, simply follow the instructions in the next section.

How to Try Journal for Yourself

Using Microsoft Journal is pretty straightforward as the app is available for free download from Microsoft Store.

First, navigate to the Microsoft Store. Then, using the search button on the top menu, search for Journal. Alternatively, you can simply find and download the app here.

There are a few system requirements to keep in mind, however. Before you get started, take a look at your system architecture. Unfortunately, Microsoft Journal will only work on Windows 10 version 19042 or higher. It will also work on Xbox.

You’ll also need ARM64 or x64, and for the best experience, you’ll want a device with integrated touch though this is not required.

Get Started With Microsoft Journal

Microsoft Journal is the next generation of digital note-taking apps, with lots of useful features—all of which are available for free. If this excites you, go ahead and try it out!

Once you've downloaded and installed Microsoft Journal, you should consider making an investment in a high-end stylus for the full experience.