Notion

ApplicationNotion Labs

Also called notion app, notion desktop

Notion LabsProductivity

An all-in-one docs and databases app in an Electron desktop wrapper. The process is Notion.exe. It is not OneNote.

What you need to know

Notion is a cloud workspace in Notion.exe. OneNote is a Microsoft notebook.

The desktop app wraps notion.com. Databases and pages live in a Notion workspace. OneNote notebooks do not open here. Notion Calendar is a different process.

What is it?: Docs and databases
Still current?: Yes, see Current status
Official download?: Use the vendor link in this article

Feex says

If Notion.exe is large, I treat it like other Electron apps: many tabs in one workspace. I would not repair ONENOTE.EXE to fix a Notion cache.

What is Notion?

Notion is Notion Labs' workspace of pages, databases, and wikis. Notion.exe is the Windows desktop wrapper. OneNote is ONENOTE.EXE and a different file model.

If you have never used it

If your team lives in Notion pages and linked databases, this is the Notion desktop wrapper, not OneNote. Download it from notion.com/desktop. You can use Notion in a browser. The Windows app is Electron (Notion.exe). OneNote stores notebooks in sections and syncs through Microsoft. It does not open a Notion workspace.

What is it used for?

Pages and wikis

Nested docs a team shares. OneNote sections are not this block editor.

Linked databases

Tables, boards, and relations inside Notion. That is not an Access .accdb and not an Excel book.

Offline cache of a workspace

The desktop app keeps a local cache. The source of truth is still Notion's cloud.

Who is it for?

Teams whose wiki already lives in Notion
People who want a tray app instead of a browser tab
Anyone who should not paste OneNote pages here and expect sections to survive

Current status

Actively developed. This article is the Windows desktop app, not Notion Calendar.

How old is it?

Notion launched in 2016. The Windows app is a later Electron shell around the same web product. OneNote dates to 2003 and is a different Microsoft notebook. Notion Calendar is a separate exe this company acquired as Cron.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Desktop

Web

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per the vendor
RAM	Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more.

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows what you open inside the app
RAM demand: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
Notion.exe	Electron desktop wrapper

Startup components

Notion can launch at logon from its own setting. That is not OneNote Send to OneNote.

File locations

Common Notion locations
Typical install	C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\Programs\Notion\Notion.exe

File formats

Notion pages (cloud)Markdown exportPDF export

Common problems

Cache growth

Notion documents a cache reset. Do not delete AppData while Notion.exe is running.

People export OneNote and expect a perfect Notion import

Different models. Sections and ink do not become Notion databases automatically.

Getting unstuck

Use the website if the desktop wrapper is stuck

notion.com in a browser is the same workspace. The exe is optional.

Confirm Notion.exe, not ONENOTE.EXE

Open file location. Notion Labs is this product. Office16\ONENOTE.EXE is the sibling.

Install from notion.com/desktop

A "Notion portable" search ad is the wrong file.

Alternatives

OneNote, Obsidian, and a browser tab overlap. OneNote is Microsoft. Obsidian is local Markdown. This app is Notion's cloud.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	www.notion.com/desktop Official installer or vendor page
Help	www.notion.com/help Vendor support
Official site	www.notion.com/desktop Start here, not a random exe host

Related hardware

RAM follows Electron and open pages. A GPU does not speed a Notion database.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Notion official site · Vendor product page
Notion help · Vendor support
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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