I was a happy Evernote user for ten years. (Click on the Evernote tag below or search for the word Evernote above to read the articles I wrote about that.) It took me a little while to embrace Evernote. I think part of my problem was that I didn’t like the way it looked. But I got used to it and created a lot of notebooks for both my genealogy and my organizing business (and my life!). I kept my genealogy research log in Evernote.
I started with a free version, then moved to a $50 Premium version that allowed me access to my Evernote notebooks even when I was offline. The price was raised to $70 and I paid that for seven years. But then, after Evernote was sold, they raised the price to $130 a year. And they made the Free version all but useless.
I found that price hike egregious, so I decided to jump ship. I did a little research and opted to use Apple Notes, which came with my Mac and iPhone and is available at no additional cost. (I’m already paying extra to Apple for 2TB of iCloud storage space.)
It turns out that the process of transferring my data to Apple Notes isn’t difficult, but it has to be done a notebook at a time. I have 200 notebooks. So I’m working on it a few notebooks at a time. The process is easy. Here’s what I do on my laptop, using the Evernote app (not the website):
- Select a notebook to transfer
- Highlight all the notes in that notebook
- Click File, Export
- Select ENEX format and click Export
- Create a filename that matches the notebook name and click Save.
- Go to Apple Notes
- Click File, Import to Notes
- Select the file you just created, then click Import
- Rename the notebook from the default name Imported Notes
Then go to the next notebook.
I created a little screen share video for those who prefer to see these instructions in action.
It’s worth noting that I’m not transferring everything…there are notebooks that I really don’t need again. I’m making that evaluation as I go along. Little by little the transfer will get done. In the interim, I’m making sure to add all new notes in Apple Notes, not Evernote. Once the Evernote transition is complete, Apple Notes will be my comprehensive go-to repository of notes.
My understanding is that I can use my existing notebooks without paying. The free version limits me to one new notebook with 50 notes but I wouldn’t lose my current notes and I can export, delete and merge existing notes. However, I haven’t tested that because when I went to cancel I was repeatedly offered a lower price to stay on. So I accepted an offer of $65 (less than the $70 I was prepared to pay) for one last year. I figure it will give me some time to make this transfer without feeling any pressure or feeling like I’m shackled. The key, of course, is to keep chipping away at it and not wait until the end of the year to work on it.
It feels great not to have to budget money for what turned out to be a redundant app for me.
