Windows Day One app
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I am considering switching from another popular journal app available for Windows to Day One, and was encouraged to see the new Day One app in the Microsoft Store.
BUT: The Day One app for Windows does not yet offer even all the basic features of the free Mac and iOS versions of Day One, much less the advanced features available for the Premium version. Therefore my questions:
What is the road map for the Day One Windows app? When will the basic features of the free version for Mac and iOS be available in the Windows app? When will the advanced features of the Premium version be available for the Windows app?
Before I commit to Day One I want to at least know that all the current features available in the free version on other platforms are available for Windows also.
Before I commit to Day One I also want to know if I have the option of paying for the Premium version in order to enjoy the enhanced features Mac and iOS users already enjoy.
Please help me make the change by making Day One for Windows comparable to what the other platforms already have!
I’m sure I speak for many others who are on Windows and would like to use this great journaling app!
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Hi, @termoe6a3ea39505! I completely understand your reservations about getting Day One Premium. While the team is working hard to bring parity to the apps, we currently can’t give a specific timeline for when that will be achieved. That said, are there any specific Premium features you’re interested in? For example, Shared Journals is now available on the Windows app too. We also have a 1-month free trial for Premium to help you decide if it’s right for you.
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Hi staff-cara! Thanks for the quick reply – I appreciate that!
For the start I’m more interested in basic feature parity in the free version, such as:
- Password protection
- Offline use
- Export to PDF and HTML (not just JSON)
- On this Day
- Map view
Without such feature parity in the basic version, I feel uneasy about considering the Premium version. I appreciate the free trial offer for Premium, but at this stage there are too many basic features missing to really see if Premium is a worthwhile investment.
I understand that you can’t give a specific timeline, but do I understand correctly that bringing feature parity to the Windows app is something that has been decided and that the team is working toward? That would be encouraging!
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Hi @termoe6a3ea39505 – Yes, we are planning to bring feature parity to the Windows app eventually, we just have to balance our priorities, so we can’t be much more specific than that at this stage.
That said, I’ve added your vote for the features you mentioned to our internal tracker, so our developers can take that into consideration as they continue to add improvements.
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Hi staff-donnie! Thanks for the quick response and passing on the feature requests to the developers. Glad to read that feature parity is planned and looking forward to the Windows app gaining the great features the other platforms already enjoy.
Your (and staff-caras‘) quick responses encourage me that Day One is under active development. Recording life events in a journal app is a personal investment one wants to be secure far into the future.
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Thanks @termoe6a3ea39505 – You’re absolutely right: journaling is a deeply personal investment, and we’re committed to making sure Day One remains a secure, reliable home for those memories long into the future. We appreciate your patience as we continue working toward full feature parity. Thanks again for your support – it truly keeps us going!
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Hi, I’d like to jump in here and add my thoughts as a new user (Still trialling) of the Android and Windows apps.
I’m still getting to grips with the Android version and have also installed the Windows app. One feature that’s missing from the Windows app is password protection. My PC is used by multiple people, and I don’t want them to have access to my journal.
Can you add my request to your long list of things to do please!
Regards,
John
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Thanks @johncappello4062619764 – I’ve added your vote for the password feature on Windows.
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For everybody reading this thread – I think we have to be realistic here.
- DayOne has web app since February 2023, so 2.5 years already
- Since then there were 0 announcements or press-releases regarding it’s development, so I understand there were hardly any feature parity updates
- In previous thread regarding lack of development question by OP on what exactly was accomplished in those years – was ignored
- Windows app, which is basically a wrapper for web app, was released on March 2025
- In October 2024 159 people left Automattic because of WordPress drama
- In April 2025 – there was another round of job cuts where 16% of the workforce in Automattic was laid off
- I remember reading reports that basically a whole Android team was dismantled during those “restructurings”, but I’m not 100% sure, but you know, “there is no smoke without fire”
- Right now on Automattic career page they have only 24 open positions (while there are roughly 1500 employees in total), so total hiring is only at 1.5% of all staff
- And – there are bugs which are not fixed in Android or Mac version as well for months or even more than a year, I’ve personally made 4 reports about them here
And all official answers about development we have here are phrases like “we are planning”, “have to balance priorities”, “can’t be more specific”, “it’s big undertaking”, “We appreciate your patience”. Nothing specific, no plans, no roadmap for users, which pay the subscription by the way. They say “parity is planned” while there is no actions in couple of years to prove those words, is it not?
Taking this all into consideration – I’d not expect for Day One to noticeably improve in future, and we can wait for even this feature parity for several more years easily. And I’m not even sure other platforms will get a proper development. And it’s a huge shame, as before, when I was using Day One on Mac and iOS only – it was probably the most polished and nice app I remember. But things change.
It’s the first time I’m really starting to consider leaving Day One for another platform, and I’m not sure what to do, as I don’t know any app which still gives all the features of Day One (or maybe didn’t research properly). At least I have a Macbook and can use the app there, but if I had a Windows – sheesh, how much worse would it be.
- DayOne has web app since February 2023, so 2.5 years already
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(Android/Windows User) I currently have a 27 day streak, which is the longest I have ever been able to stick with journaling. I love the app and switched to it from PolarStep for recording hiking adventures and much longer trips, mostly because it is a journal first and not just a picture book. I LOVE the printed books I have seen on the Facebook page, but I did not see that you can only print them from the Apple versions before I started using the app. A friend even gave me his old iPad, but it will not run the current version of the app.
The only reason I am still looking at other journaling apps is because I would like to print a personal journal and an adventure journal every year. I also have ideas for printing family history books from my genealogy hobby and Day One addresses pretty much all of the issues I’ve had with putting them together. I understand not being able to give features a definite timeline, but I’m assuming the company makes money from people ordering books, so it seems like a pretty basic, necessary feature?
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@dpolovinkin Thanks for laying out your perspective so clearly. I understand your concerns, but I can assure you that Day One is still being actively developed for all platforms, including Web/Windows.
Examples of recent features added to the web app include On This Day, Auto-add location/weather, and additional language support: https://dayoneapp.com/releases/on-this-day-now-available-on-web/
Feature parity across platforms is still on our roadmap, and it’s an ongoing process. We don’t share detailed timelines publicly, which we appreciate can add to the frustration, but work is continuing and feedback like yours does help guide priorities.
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@pamelaamoore Book printing across all platforms is definitely high on our wishlist and we hope we can implement it before too long. Thanks for your feedback.
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