The problem with Apple software is that their main revenue is generated by the core OS, not any of the apps. Any app should at least allow export of content to multiple formats. I can then choose my own sync service and run backup as part of my normal approach using Arq. Ideally the app will allow editing of individual files on disk. This is how I have been keeping a backup of all my Apple Notes to date.
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The only way around this is using the Apple Privacy data download service which allows you to export Apple Notes as HTML with their associated attachments. It’s usually dangerous to meddle with app files like this.Īpple Notes doesn’t have an export option except individual notes as PDFs. They are contained in a SQL Lite database in ~/Library/Group Containers/ alongside attachments and images organised by internal note IDs. I can’t easily see or edit the individual notes on disk to make backups or import to another app. This made sync work better (until recently) but was necessarily a proprietary database format. The “new” Apple Notes app moved away from IMAP to an iCloud based format. Markdown is a well understood format that has many apps that can edit and render on any platform Non-proprietary format This means using Markdown formatting saved to a plain text file. I’m not interested in fancy fonts or colours because the system is better at ensuring the formatting works across devices, screen sizes and rendering into the future e.g. I only require basic formatting, images and tables.
Apple Notes on macOS Requirements for a note taking app Simplicity Search also stopped working before fixing itself, and now returns inferior results.Ĭonsidering how much information I have stored in Apple Notes, this made me reconsider what I wanted from a note taking app. I have found that sync is inconsistent across devices (my MacBook, iPad and iPhone each register different numbers of notes) and some notes are not syncing at all. Unfortunately, the iOS 13 and macOS 10.15 releases have been incredibly buggy. I started using it shortly afterwards and now have almost 1,000 notes ranging from book highlights to saved web pages to meeting notes to journal articles. It added a number of new features for formatting, drawing and sync using iCloud instead of via IMAP. With the release of iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 in 2016, Apple introduced a new version of Notes. Published Novem(updated: June 1, 2020) in Productivity.
The best note taking apps for Mac - markdown, open format, cross platform Skip to content David Mytton Start Here About David Publications Sustainable Computing Japan I Use Reading Subscribe Contact Search The best note taking apps for Mac – markdown, open format, cross platform