Transparent Todo List on Desktop - See tasks on startup

Published on June 18, 2026

You Downloaded the App — Now What?

You just installed YYNote and opened it for the first time. The interface looks clean, but you’re not sure where to begin. There’s a tray icon, a main window, and something about “desktop widgets” — but no obvious “Add Todo to Desktop” button.

That’s exactly the point. Unlike traditional todo apps that live in their own windows, YYNote places your todo list directly on the desktop as a transparent widget. But first, you need to enable this feature.

The good news: it takes about 30 seconds once you know where to look. This guide walks you through every step so your todo list appears on your desktop wallpaper — always visible, never covered by other windows.

Why Desktop Todo Widgets Beat Traditional Apps

Traditional todo apps have a visibility problem. You write a todo on your phone in the morning, but when you sit down at your computer to work, that todo is invisible. Your phone is in your pocket. The todo app is behind a browser window. You forget it exists.

YYNote solves this by writing todos on your wallpaper. The todo list appears as a transparent floating panel directly on your desktop. No window to open, no Alt+Tab to press. When you arrive at your computer in the morning, your todo list is already there — sitting on the wallpaper, waiting.

Smart date and time recognition means you can type natural phrases like “3pm tomorrow meeting” and YYNote automatically parses them into proper due dates. No tapping through date pickers.

Tags, lists, and auto-tagging keep your todos organized without manual effort. Archive completed tasks, export to Excel, and sync across Windows, Android, iOS, and HarmonyOS devices.

Five recurring pattern options handle repeated tasks — daily standups, weekly reviews, monthly reports — without re-entering the same thing every time.

Three Steps to Add Todo to Your Desktop

Step 1: Download and install YYNote

Visit the official website and download the Windows client. Run the installer and follow the prompts. Launch the application and create an account using your phone number. Your data syncs automatically to the cloud.

Step 2: Configure Desktop Widget Quantity

Right-click the YYNote tray icon in your system tray. Select “App Settings.” Find the “Desktop Widget Quantity” option and set it to 1 or higher. This tells YYNote how many desktop widgets to display.

Step 3: Switch to Todo List

Look for the widget on your desktop. Click the module switcher (usually in the top-left corner of the widget) and select “Todo.” Your todo list now appears transparently on your wallpaper. Double-click the desktop to add new todos directly.

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