HCL Notes 2026 (sneak peek)

On Thursday, November 20, 2025, HCL announced that it would be launching a new beta phase with the upcoming Domino/Notes versions. The new HCL Notes 14.5.1 or HCL Notes 2026. At HCL, this is traditionally known as the “Early Access Program.” Since Tuesday, November 25, 2025, the “EA versions” have been available to download and try out, and HCL welcomes feedback.

HCL kicked things off with a webcast about what’s coming on Thursday, November 20, 2025. You can now watch this webcast on YouTube.

There’s lots of news! Of course, there’s a new version of HCL Domino, as well as updated versions of HCL Sametime and HCL Traveler. But today, I want to focus on the HCL Notes client.

Notes 14.5.1 provides the following general enhancements:

Enhanced installation process for the Notes and all client kits on Windows
The Notes installation program now installs deployed modules and places them in the file system, similar to the fast and robust installation methods already in use for the Mac client.

Updated the default font
Enhanced the design by updating the default font to Inter font. This font is recognized in the industry for its clarity and modern aesthetic, contributing to a more polished and professional look.

Notes 14.5.1 provides the following user interface enhancements:

Enhanced the user interface framework
Improvements include: The colors of the tabs have been refined to achieve a more cohesive visual presentation.
The Open menu is now docked by default, making its navigation icons readily available.
The focus color on the navigator has been updated to enhance visibility.
The color of the action bar has been revised to elevate the overall visually appeal.

Enhanced the Properties panel
The Properties panel offers a modern interface within the side shelf, allowing for user-friendly navigation. You can choose to open it in a new window for increased flexibility. Additionally, it supports round-trip editing. When you’re finished, the panel can easily be closed to free up your area.

If Designer is installed, old Properties panel will be shown in Notes and Designer. Contact you administrator to turn off this new properties panel in the Notes ini: DISABLE_ENCHANTED_INFOBOX=1.

Enhanced forms
The user interface of Notes Mail, Calendar, Contact, Notebooks and To Do forms are more visually appealing and user-friendly experiences.

Enhanced dialog boxes
The following dialog boxes are updated: Quick find, Create folder, Move folder, Login, Add calendar, Sametime, Alarms panel and Replication schedule dialog box.

Updated Controls
The following controls are updated: radio box, check box, time-zone control, date picker, list box, picker fields, text field delimiters and tabbed table.

Restyled templates
The following popular templates have been given a new look and feel.

Notes Log
Directory
Directory Catalog
Widget Catalog
Monitoring Configuration
Subscriptions
IdP Catalog
Cluster Analysis

Others: The color orange is used in templates for Notes, while blue is used in those for the Administrator client.

Notes 14.5.1 provides the following calendar improvement

Calendar view improvements

Designated colors and icons for various calendar types, providing clarity and enhancing the visual organization of scheduling tools.

The color scheme of the action bar has been updated.

Notes 14.5.1 provides the following Workspace improvement:

The workspace has been enhanced with a set of new icons that maintain a consistent size by default. Additionally, the interface layout has seen significant improvements, and a new feature allows users to enlarge the previous workspace icons for better visibility and usability. See Preferences – Quick reference

Notes 14.5.1 provides the following Sametime web chat enhancement:

Sametime web chat is integrated with HCL Notes, now offering a modern chat experience that supports read receipts and chat reactions, as well as search chat messages and a new preference to switch back to the older chat experience within the chat window. See How do I set up integrated web chat or change chat settings?

Note: Windows Sametime server 12.0.4 (provided on My HCLSoftware Portal with Domino 14.5.1 EA1) is required to support this feature. To install the new 12.0.4 server, administrators can follow the steps in Installing Sametime Chat on Windows in the Sametime 12.0.3 documentation.

As usual, HCL makes new versions available on its download portal. If you look under “HCL Domino” there, you will be directed to the “Domino Early Access Program.”
(Direct link)

An overview of the release notes

System requirements
System requirements are available on the HCLSoftware Support site:

Performance is something we at panagenda have always been concerned with. And I would say we are good at making the Notes client fast. With this release of Notes 14.5.1, the installer only takes 38 seconds to install in my environment. That’s mind-blowing compared to older client versions.

Early Access Forum

As always, your input and feedback are crucial to HCL. Let them know what you think about the product and new features by submitting your feedback in their HCL Domino 14.5.1 Early Access Discussion Forum. If you participated in a previous Domino Beta or Early Access Program, you can continue to use that account and no sign-up is required.

We were also excited to test the new Notes Client in conjunction with the MarvelClient upgrade.

I can announce, we support HCL Notes 2026 with MCUpgrade. Try it out! (> MCU 14.5.x)

HCL is setting a strong pace with the launch of the new Early Access phase for HCL Notes and HCL Domino 2026. With a more modern user interface, streamlined installation, upgraded templates, and meaningful improvements across the Notes client, this release already feels like a confident step toward the future of the platform. The combination of visual refinements and practical usability enhancements shows that HCL is listening closely to community feedback—and acting on it.

For us at panagenda, performance has always been a core focus, so seeing the Notes client install in just 38 seconds was a standout moment. And with MarvelClient Upgrade already supporting HCL Notes 2026, organizations can start testing without hesitation.

As always, the Early Access Program is only as strong as the feedback it receives. If you work with Notes and Domino, now is the perfect time to explore what’s new, share your thoughts, and help shape the final release.

I’m excited to see where HCL takes us from here 2026 is already off to a promising start.

We are currently seeing the EA1 release. There are usually three EA versions before a final release is available. Things are progressing rapidly. Take advantage of this opportunity to find out more at an early stage and provide feedback.