You can save any of your notes as a file on your computer or phone. This is handy for backups, for sending a note to someone, or for moving it to another tool. Notes offers three formats.
Before you start
- You need to be online. Exporting asks the server to prepare the file, so offline you will see a message saying the note cannot be exported right now.
- You need a note to export.
Steps
- Find the note. Open the Notes app and find the note in your list.
- Open its menu. On the note's card, open the Actions menu.
- Choose Export. Select Export…. A list headed Export as appears.
- Pick a format. Select Markdown (.md), Web page (.html) or Plain text (.txt).
- Find the file. Your browser saves the file. A message says Exported as and the format you picked.
Which format should I choose?
- Markdown (.md) keeps headings, lists, bold text and links in a simple text form. It is best for moving notes to other notes apps.
- Web page (.html) opens in any browser and keeps the look of the note. It is best for sharing.
- Plain text (.txt) keeps only the words. It is best when you want the text with no formatting.
File name
The file is named after the note's title. If the title is empty, the file is called note. Characters that cannot be used in file names are replaced with spaces.
While it downloads
The format buttons are turned off while one export is running, so you cannot start two at once. Wait for the message before choosing again.
If something goes wrong
- If you see You are offline, so this note cannot be exported right now, reconnect and try again.
- If you see That note could not be exported, try once more. If it keeps happening, copy the text by hand as a backup.
Other things in the same menu
The Actions menu also lets you pin the note, change its colour, move it to a notebook, duplicate it, copy its link, print it or save it as PDF, archive it and move it to Trash.