diff --git a/backend/open_webui/retrieval/utils.py b/backend/open_webui/retrieval/utils.py
index 7edc3c35ac..539adda329 100644
--- a/backend/open_webui/retrieval/utils.py
+++ b/backend/open_webui/retrieval/utils.py
@@ -509,7 +509,9 @@ def get_sources_from_items(
             note = Notes.get_note_by_id(item.get("id"))
 
             if note and (
-                user.role == "admin" or has_access(user.id, "read", note.access_control)
+                user.role == "admin"
+                or note.user_id == user.id
+                or has_access(user.id, "read", note.access_control)
             ):
                 # User has access to the note
                 query_result = {