What is the JNT file format?
A .jnt file, also known as a Windows Journal file, is a note document created by the Windows Journal software application. The .jnt file contains digitally handwritten notes, drawings, and graphics captured using a stylus on a Tablet PC; typed text and embedded images were also supported.
Internally, .jnt uses a proprietary binary format identified by the NB (NoteBook) signature bytes at the start of every file. Companion layout templates carry the .jtp extension.
Windows Journal shipped from Windows XP Tablet PC Edition (2002) through Windows 8.1. In 2016 Microsoft removed the application from Windows 10 via update KB3161102 following the discovery of critical security vulnerabilities in the .jnt parser. On modern Windows the files cannot be opened natively; Microsoft OneNote is the recommended replacement. Existing notes can be exported to PDF or TIFF on a legacy Windows system before migrating.
Security & safety
RISK: HIGHWindows Journal .jnt files were a real exploitation vector: Microsoft removed the Journal application from Windows in 2016 (update KB3161102) precisely because around a dozen vulnerabilities - including remote code execution - could be triggered by a specially crafted .jnt fed to Journal's parser. Do not open .jnt files from untrusted or unexpected sources, and do not install the old Windows Journal app or Journal Viewer just to open one, since they carry those unpatched flaws. To read your own old notes safely, convert them to PDF on a controlled/offline machine and work from the PDF thereafter. Use OneNote for new note-taking.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open JNT files
Windows2 apps
Microsoft OneNote
Free OneNote is Microsoft's recommended replacement, but it does NOT directly open .jnt. Use it for new notes; to bring in old .jnt content, first convert the .jnt to PDF on a machine that has Journal, then insert the PDF. 
Windows Journal (legacy, only on old Windows that still has it)
Built-in On an unpatched Windows 7/8 (or before KB3161102), open the .jnt and use File > Print to the Journal Note Writer or a PDF printer to export. Removed from Windows 10/11 for security - not available on modern systems. Technical details
deep spec| Developer | Microsoft |
| MIME type | application/x-ms-journal |
| File signature (magic bytes) | 4E 42 00 00 - ASCII "NB" (NoteBook header) at byte offset 0 |
| Byte order | Little-endian |
| Container | Proprietary Windows Journal notebook container (format not publicly documented) |
| Content types stored | Digital ink strokes, typed text, embedded images, handwriting-recognition annotations |
| Companion extension | .jtp - Journal Template file storing page layout, ruling style, and background for new notes |
| Supported operating systems | Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1 |
| Internal compression | Ink stroke and image data compressed internally within the binary container |
| Typical file size | Tens of KB to a few MB, depending on ink stroke count and embedded images |
| Handwriting recognition | Ink-to-text recognition results stored as metadata alongside raw stroke data within the file |
| Security vulnerabilities | Multiple CVEs (2015-2016) in the .jnt parser - including denial-of-service and remote code execution flaws - led Microsoft to remove Windows Journal from Windows 10 via KB3161102 in 2016 |
| Superseded by | Microsoft OneNote (Microsoft's recommended replacement for handwritten and typed notes) |
| Primary input device | Stylus or digitizer pen on Tablet PC hardware; mouse input also supported on standard PCs |
| Page model | Multi-page notebook structure; each page stores independent layers of ink strokes and embedded content |
| Released | 2002 (Windows XP Tablet PC Edition) |
| Latest version | Windows Journal format as of Windows 7/8/8.1; app removed from Windows 10 (2016) |
| Specification | learn.microsoft.com |
JNT conversions
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