You have a handwritten page, a few web clippings and a voice recording from a meeting, and you want them in one searchable place. Evernote for Windows is built for that job. Version 11.40.3 came out on October 28, 2026, and adds a new audio player with a waveform for scrubbing and live transcripts that are now saved on the note.
First steps after installing Evernote 11.40.3
The installer is 385.6 MB, so allow some time on a slow connection. The app is free under a proprietary licence, and the package ID is Evernote.Evernote.
Start by adding a few typed notes, then try scanning a handwritten page. You can also add to-dos, photos, images, web pages and audio. Once notes exist, test the search, since everything you input is described as instantly searchable.
Audio player, transcripts and tasks in this release
The latest changelog centers on recordings. The new audio player has a waveform for scrubbing, speaker avatars and pins, and a playback speed selector. Live transcripts are now saved on the note, and on replay they appear beside the audio in a resizable panel.
Tasks inside notes now show priority and a description icon, matching the Tasks view. The tags also point to an AI assistant, a calendar and checklists. Audio summaries now remember the last prompt you picked.
When Notepad++, Joplin or Obsidian fit better
Alternatives include Notepad++, Joplin, Obsidian, Logseq, Notion and Standard Notes. If you mainly want a plain text editor, Notepad++ is the closer match to that need. Evernote is aimed at mixed content, with tasks, schedule, scanned notes and sharing in one place.
Check privacy and feature differences against these apps yourself before moving a large note archive.
What's new in 11.40.3
Version 11.40.3 adds a new audio player with a waveform and playback speed selector, and saves live transcripts on the note. Search Best Matches now honor operators like tag and intitle, and .enex files with characters such as "&" in image captions import correctly.
Evernote pros and cons
Pros
- Handles typed notes, scanned handwriting, photos, web pages and audio
- Live transcripts are saved on the note and shown beside the audio
- Tasks in notes show priority and a description icon
- Notes can be shared, and shared notebooks show their own name in the list
- Free to download
Cons
- The 385.6 MB installer is large for a note app
- Previews are not available on this page
- Proprietary licence, with no open-source option
Is Evernote safe?
The installer comes straight from win.desktop.evernote.com, the official Evernote server, and our site keeps no copy of it. The publisher is Evernote Corporation and the license is proprietary. No independent scan results were available for this build, so check the file yourself if you need extra assurance.
How to install Evernote
- Press the download button to get the official file.
- Run the installer you saved and confirm the Windows security prompt if the publisher matches.
- Follow the setup steps, then start Evernote from the Start menu.
