Evernote Backup: How to Backup Your Notebooks
Backing Up Your Evernote Notebooks: A Comprehensive Guide
A key advantage of using Evernote is its dual storage system. Your notes, web clippings, and associated data are saved on both Evernote’s servers and your individual device.
However, relying solely on this system may not provide sufficient data security. Therefore, it’s crucial to implement a robust backup strategy for your Evernote notebooks.
Why Back Up Evernote?
While Evernote employs security measures, unforeseen events like server outages, account compromises, or accidental data loss can occur. Regular backups mitigate these risks and ensure your valuable information remains accessible.
Consider a backup as an essential safeguard. It provides a safety net, allowing you to restore your data should any issues arise with the primary storage locations.
Methods for Backing Up Evernote
Several methods are available to back up your Evernote notebooks, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. We will explore the most effective options.
- Exporting Notebooks: Evernote allows you to export notebooks in various formats, including .enex (Evernote XML) and .html.
- Using Third-Party Backup Tools: Dedicated backup software specifically designed for Evernote can automate the process.
- Evernote's Native Export Feature: This is a straightforward method for creating local copies of your notes.
Step-by-Step: Exporting Your Evernote Notebooks
The most common method involves utilizing Evernote’s built-in export functionality. This allows you to create a local archive of your notebooks.
First, select the notebook you wish to back up. Then, navigate to File > Export Notebook. Choose your desired export format (.enex is recommended for full fidelity) and location.
The .enex format preserves the most information, including tags, formatting, and attachments. This ensures a complete restoration if needed.
Automating Backups with Third-Party Tools
For a more automated approach, consider using third-party backup solutions. These tools can schedule regular backups without manual intervention.
Research and select a reputable tool that aligns with your needs and budget. Ensure the tool supports incremental backups to save storage space and time.
Best Practices for Evernote Backups
To maximize the effectiveness of your backup strategy, adhere to these best practices.
- Regularity: Schedule backups frequently, such as weekly or even daily, depending on how often you update your notes.
- Multiple Locations: Store backups in multiple locations, including an external hard drive and a cloud storage service.
- Verification: Periodically verify the integrity of your backups by attempting a test restoration.
Implementing these practices will provide a comprehensive and reliable backup solution for your Evernote data, safeguarding your important information against potential loss.
The Importance of Backing Up Your Evernote Notebooks
Numerous motivations exist for regularly backing up your Evernote notebooks, and doing so is highly recommended. The primary reason stems from the fact that Evernote’s current system functions as a synchronization tool, not a true backup solution.
Your information is efficiently synchronized across your devices and Evernote's servers. However, synchronization differs fundamentally from backup. Despite built-in safeguards, a complete data loss scenario is possible in any synchronized system, where the remote storage could be compromised, potentially followed by the local storage.
Complete peace of mind regarding the safety of your Evernote notebooks can only be achieved through independent, self-managed backups.
Beyond Evernote's Reliability
Even if you have confidence in Evernote’s data reliability and security record, another critical risk remains: user error. No system can protect against accidental or unintentional data deletion.
Should you inadvertently delete your own data, Evernote, like any synchronization service, will simply execute your command. Without a pre-existing backup, restoring a recently deleted notebook becomes impossible.
Exploring Backup Methods
This guide will detail methods for manually backing up your Evernote notebooks. We will cover both backing up and synchronizing to external cloud storage services, as well as utilizing dedicated backup services specifically designed for cloud-based data like Evernote.
- Manual Backups: Provides direct control over your data.
- Cloud Storage Sync: Offers redundancy and accessibility.
- Dedicated Backup Services: Specialized solutions for comprehensive protection.
Essential Requirements
For this guide, a functioning installation of the Evernote desktop application is paramount, compatible with either Windows or macOS operating systems.
- Evernote for Windows
- Evernote for macOS
Regardless of your typical usage patterns, the desktop application is necessary. It provides the functionality required for local database backups and file exportation.
The ability to create backups and export data relies entirely on having the desktop version installed and operational.
Why the Desktop App is Crucial
The desktop application serves as the foundation for the processes detailed in this tutorial. Alternative methods are unavailable without it.
Specifically, the features of local database management and file export are exclusive to the desktop client.
Safeguarding Your Evernote Data: Manual and Automated Backup Strategies
Protecting your valuable information within Evernote requires a proactive approach to backups. Fortunately, there are two primary methods for independently securing your data, separate from relying solely on Evernote’s servers. These involve exporting notebooks directly from the application and backing up the underlying Evernote database files on your computer.
Exporting Notebooks: A Flexible Approach
The Evernote application provides a user-friendly export function. By right-clicking on any notebook within Evernote, you can select "Export Notes..." and access the Export dialog box.
Beyond exporting in Evernote’s native ENEX format, you have the option to export your notebook contents in more universally compatible formats, such as HTML. Selecting "Options..." during export allows you to customize which note attributes are included in the resulting files.
The in-app export feature is particularly useful for data restoration. Exported notebooks can be imported to completely replace a missing notebook, or utilized as a temporary repository for locating accidentally deleted individual notes.
Manual Database Backups: Comprehensive Data Preservation
For a complete copy of everything synchronized with Evernote servers – including notebooks, tags, and other settings – exporting alone is insufficient. Backing up the local Evernote database files is necessary.
The location of these database files varies by operating system:
- Windows: C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Local\Evernote\Evernote\Databases
- OS X: /Users/[Your Username]/Library/Application Support/Evernote
You can copy all files from these locations to a secure storage medium. The file named yourEvernoteUsername.exb is the most critical component of the backup.
However, this method has limitations. It’s best suited for complete backups and restores, as selectively importing items from a database backup isn’t possible. You must choose between restoring the entire backup or continuing with your current database.
Automating Database Backups for Consistent Protection
While automating the notebook export process isn’t feasible, automating backups of the local Evernote databases is straightforward. Utilize your operating system’s built-in backup tools or a third-party solution like CrashPlan to ensure the Evernote database directory is included in your regular backup routine.
Enhancing Security with Cloud-Based Attachment Backups
Remember that syncing alone isn’t a substitute for a true backup, as syncing systems can sometimes lead to data loss. However, integrating cloud storage can add an extra layer of protection for your attachments.
Begin by creating a dedicated folder within your cloud storage service (e.g., /My Documents/My Dropbox) and name it "Evernote Import".
Within the Evernote desktop application, navigate to Tools -> Import Folders.
Select the Evernote folder you created in your Dropbox directory. Choose the desired Notebook for importing and ensure the Source option is set to "Keep" to preserve the files within the folder after import.
This method doesn’t back up existing attachments, but it establishes a secure location for newly imported files. Any documents, images, or other files imported into Evernote will also remain within the Evernote Import folder, creating multiple copies across your computer, the Evernote servers, and the cloud storage service.
Even without setting up the Import folder, Dropbox remains a valuable location for storing copies of your Evernote exports.
By implementing these manual and automated backup techniques, you can effectively safeguard your Evernote notebooks and benefit from an additional layer of data security through cloud-based attachment synchronization.
Do you have a preferred backup method or a helpful tip to share? Contribute to the discussion below to assist other users in establishing a robust and reliable backup routine.