Notes disappeared on Mac, why and how to recover [Complete Method]

Notes missing on Mac? 5 ways to recover your notes on Mac

Apple Notes is a note-taking app available on both iOS and macOS. In the Information Age, we've grown accustomed to jotting down notes for everything from sudden inspirations to crucial work agendas.

However, notes might disappear from your Mac for some unknown reasons. How do you recover missing notes on Mac? This tutorial introduces 5 ways to recover notes on Mac.

This text does not have actual translation content, as it is an anchor tag in HTML. The `` tag is used to create hyperlinks, and the `id` and `name` attributes are used to locate specific positions within a webpage.

Recover Lost Mac Notes with Data Recovery Software

Even if you cannot retrieve your lost notes with the above three methods, you can still get them back with a professional data recovery software – Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

When it comes to selecting software to recover lost notes on your Mac, Mac Notes Recovery Software is your top choice. As a professional, secure, and user-friendly tool, it stands out in the realm of data recovery software.

- It enables you to recover lost notes due to accidental deletion, disk formatting, virus attacks, system crashes, and more. - It assists users in recovering deleted files on Mac from the Trash, including notes that were lost due to accidental deletion. - You can use this tool to restore Mac notes from backups made in Time Machine or iCloud Drive. - If you've synced your notes with iCloud Drive, the software also offers an iCloud Recovery feature to help you restore missing notes on your Mac.

Please follow the steps below to recover lost notes from your Mac in three simple steps:

Step 1: Select the disk to scan

In the main Data Recovery Wizard utility window, all drives connected to your Mac will be listed. Select the drive from which you want to recover lost/deleted files and click on the “Search for Lost Files” button.

Note: Before data recovery, it's better to click “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar and create a backup for your Mac to prevent further data loss. After the backup, the software can recover data from the Mac backup, and your computer can write new data again.

Step 2: Select the lost data/files that you want to recover

Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will scan the disk volume you select immediately, and display the scan results in the left panel. If you're looking for specific files, you can sort the results to locate the file you need.

Step 3: Recover Lost/Deleted Data

Once the scan is complete and the files to be recovered are found, preview them and then click on “Recover” to start restoring your deleted/lost Mac files.

Please share this article on social media to help others learn how to fix the issue of missing notes on Mac and how to recover disappeared notes on their Mac.

Notes Disappeared from Mac? Recover from Recently Deleted Folder

How long ago did you delete the content from the Notes app? By default, the app keeps your content for 30 days after deletion. If you can't find the removed notes in the Recently Deleted folder, consider using a Mac data recovery tool, which can also effectively restore deleted notes on a Mac.

So, if you're looking for a Note file that you might have accidentally deleted, check the Recently Deleted folder:

Step 1: Open the Notes app on your Mac.

Click the “Recently Deleted” folder on the left sidebar.

Step Three: Find the missing note, right-click on it, and choose “Move To > My Mac.”

The Notes app on Mac only keeps your deleted notes for 30 days. If you can't find your recently deleted notes or you permanently erased them, the most efficient way to get your data back is by using a professional Mac file recovery tool.

Recover Disappeared Mac Notes from Temporary Folder

When you use the Notes app, Mac creates temporary files named .storedata in your User Library folder. So, if your notes have suddenly disappeared from your Mac, you can browse the .storedata file to look for the lost notes:

Step 1: Open Finder, then press the keys Command, Shift, and G on your keyboard. (Or go to Go in the top menu bar and select Go to Folder.)

Step Two: Copy and paste ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.notes/Data/Library/Notes/ and press Enter. You'll see a folder with around three files in it. (The data we're looking for is stored in “NotesV1.storedata-wal.”)

Step Three: Move these files to a desktop folder, and rename each one with the “.html” extension. When asked if you want to add the extension, click “Use .html.” When you're done, your files should look something like this (with the file icon displaying as your browser's icon – Firefox is orange, hence the color):

Step 4: Double-click on one of these files to open it in your default browser, and you should see your notes displayed in HTML format. You can then search for and recover your content by pressing “Cmd + F” (or “Ctrl + F”).

How to Recover Missing Notes from iCloud on Mac

iCloud might sync your notes between your Apple devices. This means that if you deleted a note on your Mac, you might be able to recover it from an iCloud backup:

Step 1: As soon as you notice the missing notes, disconnect your Mac from the network (or choose Preferences > iCloud and uncheck the box next to Notes).

Step 2. Go to icloud.com, and sign in with your Apple ID. Select “Notes.” Find the deleted note and save it to a local file.

If that doesn't work, you can use a utility like iMyFone D-Back to recover notes from iCloud.

Step 1: Choose iCloud Restore

From the left pane, select “iCloud,” then choose “Restore from iCloud Backup” to recover your notes. Tap “Next” and sign in to your iCloud account.

Step 2: Select the category "Notes"

This utility will quickly scan all recoverable data from your iCloud account. Check the “Notes” category, then click “Next.”

Step 3: Recover Notes from iCloud

Select the notes you want to restore, tap the eye icon to preview their contents, and then hit the “Restore” button to get them back.

Step 4: Save Your Restored Notes

Choose a secure location on your Mac's hard drive to save the recovered notes. You can also save the recovered notes to your cloud storage, such as Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive.

How to Restore Notes from Time Machine on Your Mac

You can use the built-in Time Machine backup feature on your Mac to automatically back up all your files, including apps, music, photos, email, documents, and system files. After you create a backup, you can restore your notes from it.

Without any other apps, you can quickly and easily restore vanished, deleted, or missing notes that seem to be nowhere to be found by using Time Machine. To perform Mac Notes recovery, follow this guide.

Step one: Connect the backup drive to your Mac and open Time Machine.

Step 2. Open the backup file and find the note file you need.

Step 3. Select the notes you want to recover, then click the “Restore” button.

Why are my notes missing from my Mac?

Yet, Mac notes missing issue happens all the time, and many people have encountered such situations:

• Notes disappearing after major macOS updates
• Accidentally deleting notes
• Disabling iCloud backup
• Software issues due to macOS errors
• Storing notes with third-party accounts

Don't worry. If you haven't yet emptied the Recently Deleted folder, you can quickly restore any missing notes from there. Or, if you've been syncing or backing up your Mac, you may be able to get them back from iCloud or Time Machine.

Additional tip: Where are Notes stored on a Mac?

Typically, your Mac notes will be restored from the Recently Deleted folder, iCloud, and Time Machine backups, and third-party apps will save them back to their original location. To check and view your recovered notes, you should know where Mac stores the notes. Here are the storage locations for Notes on a Mac, iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and so on.

"This string of text denotes a file path in the macOS system. In English, it would be translated as: '~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Notes/Data/Library/Notes/' Here, '用户库' corresponds to the individual user's Library folder within each user account, typically hidden in the Finder and needs special steps to view. This path leads to where the Apple Notes application saves its data."

You can easily find the location of Notes in Finder by following these steps:

Pull down the “Go” menu in Finder, and choose “Go to Folder.” Type in the path ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.notes/ and find the exact file called NoteStore.sqlite – this is where the actual note data is stored.

Frequently Asked Questions About Missing Notes on Mac

Read through the questions and answers below for more help on Mac note recovery.

Where are my notes?

Where do deleted files go? It depends on the device and how you deleted the file. On a Mac, deleted files go to the Trash. If you delete a file from an external hard drive, the deleted file won't go to the Trash. Instead, it will remain on the hard drive, marked as free space.

2. Where are Notes stored on a Mac?

You can find your temporary notes at ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Notes/Data/Library/Notes/.

3. Why have my Apple Notes disappeared?

Notes on a Mac can be lost due to account issues, software crashes, system failures, human errors, or other reasons.