How do I create and import backups of my Standard Notes data?

Backups are an important part of the Standard Notes ecosystem, and allow you to keep your data safe and under your possession with full independence from our own circumstances.

Our applications allow you to easily export your data in both encrypted and decrypted formats.

How to create backups of your data:

Desktop and Web:

• In the desktop or web application, select the Open Preferences icon in the lower left corner. Once the Preferences menu is open, select Backups on the left hand side, then go to Data Backups, choose your preferred format (encrypted or decrypted), and press Download Backup
  • If you choose the Encrypted option, one file will be downloaded. This file may be imported back into Standard Notes at any time, and contains all your data, like notes, tags, extensions, and preferences. However, because this file is encrypted, it will require your account password to decrypt the file before the data is successfully imported.
  • If you choose the Decrypted option, a zip file will be downloaded. The first file in the zip file is a decrypted backup file that may be imported back into Standard Notes at any time. The other is a folder containing your notes in individual plain text files along with other information about your account.
• The desktop application creates automatic backups every day while it's running. To access these backups, open the desktop application, then click Backups in the top-level menu. Choose Open Backups Location to access your backups.

Mobile:

• In the mobile application, tap on the hamburger menu button located in the top left corner of the notes list, then tap on the Open Preferences icon, similar to what is found on the desktop and web applications. Once the Preferences menu is open, select Backups from the drop down menu at the top, then go to Data Backups just as you would on the web or desktop applications. Choose your preferred format (encrypted or decrypted), and tap on Download Backup.
  • Backups exported from the mobile app are in the same formats as those exported from the desktop and web applications.

Automatic backup options:

• Daily email backups. Email backups are available to paid subscribers. When enabled, you will receive an email every day containing the entirety of your encrypted data.
• Note history. Revision history for notes is available to paid subscribers. Note history tracks changes to your notes, and allows you to restore notes to previous versions.

How to recover data from your backups:

Now that you safely have backups of your data made at regular intervals, you'll want to know how to recover data from backups if necessary:

• On the desktop or web application, select the Open Preferences icon in the lower left corner. Once the Preferences menu is open, select Backups on the left hand side, and go to the Data Backups section. Choose Import Backup and navigate to your backup file on your device.
• In the mobile application, tap on the hamburger menu button located in the top left corner of the notes list, then tap on the Open Preferences icon, similar to what is found on the desktop and web applications. Once the Preferences menu is open, select Backups from the drop down menu at the top, then go to Data Backups just as you would on the web or desktop applications. Tap on Import Backup and select your backup file on your device.
• You can also use the offline decryption tool.