TagSpaces is an open-source application designed for organizing and managing local files with tags. It allows users to efficiently categorize, search, and retrieve files while maintaining complete control over their data.
Key Features:
Note Taking & To-Do Management: Create and edit notes in multiple formats, including TXT, Markdown, and HTML, with support for task lists.
Cross-platform Compatibility: Available on Windows, Linux, macOS, and Android, ensuring seamless file management across devices.
Web Clipper Extension: Capture online content directly as local files using the browser extension for Firefox, Chrome, and Edge.
Offline-first Design: Runs entirely offline with no reliance on internet or cloud services, prioritizing privacy and data control.
Tagging System: Organize files by adding tags to filenames or using sidecar files for metadata storage.
Audience & Benefit:
Ideal for individuals and teams who prioritize privacy and seek a flexible tool for managing digital content. TagSpaces empowers users to stay organized without vendor lock-in, ensuring full ownership of their data.
Installable via winget on Windows, TagSpaces provides an intuitive and privacy-focused solution for file management, note taking, and content organization.
README
TagSpaces
TagSpaces is a free and open-source platform for organizing, tagging, and managing your local files. It runs completely offline, with no need for cloud services, internet connection, or vendor lock-in. Available for Windows, Linux, and macOS, it also includes a browser extension (Web Clipper) for Firefox, Edge, and Chrome to capture online content as local files.
src/
renderer/ # Core application logic
main/ # Electron main process
locales/ # Language translation files
node_modules/ # TagSpaces extension modules
cordova/ # Deprecated Android build
dll/ # Live reload support for development
docker/ # Docker container setup
internals/ # Flow and ESLint configurations
resources/ # Images and build resources
scripts/ # NPM task-related scripts
test/ # Unit and E2E tests
web/ # Assets for web version
git clone https://github.com/tagspaces/tagspaces.git
cd tagspaces
git checkout develop # or 'master' for stable release
npm install
Set Up Local Web Service
Create a .env file in release/app/ with a custom key to avoid conflicts:
The desktop version of the application uses a web service which is running locally as a separate process. The web service is responsible for the search index creation and the generation of the thumbnails for most of the images formats. A key is required in order for the main application to communicate with the web server. It should be generated from webpack script in the .env file located in release/app folder. This is an example for an .env file.
KEY=a_custom_key
> Having a custom key, ensures that another instance of TagSpaces will not communicate with the web service of the initial instance, since it is always running on the same port.
Build & Start
npm run build
npm run start
Start in Development Mode
npm run dev
This will start a development server in background, which watches for changes in background and refreshes the application automatically once you have done some changes in the source code.
🧪 Testing
Run unit and integration tests:
npm run test-unit
npm run test-playwright
npm run test-playwright-web
💻 Packaging the Desktop App
Build native apps for each platform:
npm run package-win
npm run package-linux
npm run package-mac
npm run package-mac-arm64
The commands will create packages for Windows, Linux, Mac OS and Mac OS with the M1 processor respectively.
> ⚠️ Run npm run build before packaging.
📱 Android Build (Deprecated)
npm run version-meta
npm run prepare-cordova
npm run package-android
🌐 Web Version
Start the web version locally:
npm run run-web
🔌 Extend with Custom Viewers & Editors
TagSpaces supports extension modules for opening and editing different file types. Learn more on our Extensions Page.
TagSpaces is dual-licensed under the AGPL (GNU Affero General Public License) v3 for open-source projects and a commercial license for vendors or resellers. Contact us if you're interested in using TagSpaces under different terms.
