Evernote Not Responding and Freezing a LOT

[Pyrefox 11]

For several days now, I noticed Evernote is freezing a lot more. Sometimes it freezes while I'm typing, sometimes while I'm pasting an image I have in my clipboard, sometimes when it's sync'ing. It will randomly return or not, and when it doesn't return I have to reopen it.

I was using a very outdated version when this started happening (I don't update as long as problems start happening), so I figured I would finally update, but it's still the same (if not worse).

[Don Dz 165]

Sometimes signing out in the File menu, exiting the program completely, rebooting, and signing back in, helps.

If it doesn't, I would look at how much RAM you have, and maybe interaction with other programs.

[PinkElephant 8,114]

Plus the question if you are running the EN installation on a SSD ?

Many complains in the forum could be routed back to run EN with a lot of content on a spinning drive HDD.

[Pyrefox 11]

I'll try signing out and rebooting later, thanks for the idea.

RAM is fine. When I noticed EN freezing for the first time I thought it was low memory, but when I checked the Task Manager, it was under 30% usage from all programs. If it's interacting with something else, then I wouldn't know, but I can try running EN for a while later without other things opened (especially Chrome).

Also, I use an SSD, so that's not the case either.

[PinkElephant 8,114]

Maybe reorganizing the database might help. This option is in the extended Help menu (press and hold alt/opt Key before opening the help menu with the mouse).

If it is interaction with something else, it is probably a game of try and error.

Since you are paying your dues, maybe issue a support ticket.

[Pyrefox 11]

Do you mean "Optimize Data Base"? (Not sure if that's the option in english, as my EN is in portuguese, hehe)
I clicked that and now I'm seeing an "Updating Notes in Data Base" progress bar. It's also rebuilding indexes...

[PinkElephant 8,114]

I am traveling at the moment, and my Win Desktop is at home. I can’t double check at the moment.

So I can’t tell you, but maybe try one after the other. Give it time, it needs to work through all the data, which may take a while. Do not start the next job until the one before went through.

We had cases here in the forum where it was reported that one ( - 1 - ) corrupted note caused a lot of trouble. After each run you will maybe get a protocol with dead ends discovered. Some of them you have to fix manually, like copy the content of a bad note into a new one and delete the old one. In these cases make sure they really got deleted from trash as well.

[Pyrefox 11]

It took a little while, but didn't return any errors and didn't point out any glitched notes.
If it stops freezing, I'll report back here so we know it fixed the freezing!

[PinkElephant 8,114]

It can solve internal stuff.

If there is interaction between programs however, this will not fix anything.

[Pyrefox 11]

It keeps happening, apparently. I was typing just now and right when I noticed it stopped registering the keys, I looked up and it was Sync'ing, as most of the times this has been happening, and then it stopped responding forever. I tried to wait it out, but it just crashed aftwerwards.

The data base thing didn't fix it, but I still have to try signing out and restarting Windows and running EN without other programs... I just can't do it right now.

[PinkElephant 8,114]

You can just eliminate one issue after the other.

If you do not find a cause, at the end would be a complete uninstall, reinstall and rebuild the whole thing from the server data.

I wish you luck you find the problem before.

[Dave-in-Decatur 3,959]

17 hours ago, Pyrefox said:

I was typing just now and right when I noticed it stopped registering the keys, I looked up and it was Sync'ing, as most of the times this has been happening

Perhaps it would help to change the automatic sync time so that it doesn't sync so often. Tools menu > Options > Synchronization, and look under Synchronization options (Opções de sincronização?).

[jefito 5,589]

Another thing to try would be to go to Tools / Options / Search, and set the "Search as you type delay" to 0 seconds. You'll need to press the Enter key to initiate a saerch, but it might take some lag out of the process.

[Pyrefox 11]

I just changed the auto sync from 5min to 15min, and the search delay to 0 seconds... thanks for these tips. I'll see how EN behaves now, and if this works to stop freezing, I'll report back here

[Trustee 0]

Hi, I have the same problem...does it exist a solution?

[PinkElephant 8,114]

"A solution" means there is "a problem". Unfortunately there are several things that may slow down the client.

Try what was already posted in this thread, one by one.

One more thing: Other users got their performance back when the emptied the directory C:\Users\{username}\Evernote\Databases\Attachments. What is in there are temporary copies that are not needed. But if there is a collection of them, EN seems to read trough all of them, slowing things down.

[Pyrefox 11]

Before I report what I have so far, I believe the client getting slowed down so easily is a problem.

Now, I noticed while working on a text only note that the freezing / not reponding thing has not happened. The note that was crashing EN all the time had a few dozen images inside it (and pasting a new image was sometimes the cause for EN to freeze).

The text-only note, though, still feels slower than a text-only note should feel. Selecting text is super laggy, to the point I stopped holding SHIFT to select text and I just go with the mouse, because this way EN won't lag for every character I select, but it's still too slow.

 

At this point I have tried:

• Restarting Windows;
• Restarting Evernote;
• Closing all other programs after a reboot and running EN only (no Chrome hogging RAM lol);
• Changing auto-Sync from 5 to 15 min (helped a bit, because it was freezing during Sync, so less Sync = less freezing);
• "Optimize Data Base" (I don't know if this is the exact name of the option, since my EN is in portuguese, but it's the first option below "About..." in the Ctrl+Help Menu);
• "Recreate Search Index for Anticipated Typing" (same as above - option is in pt, so it could be something else in englsh - also from the Ctrl+Help Menu).


None of these stopped the slowness and freezing, although EN is not crashing in the text-only note.

EDIT: I went to the Databases\Attachments folder and it only had one image there. Deleted it anyway, but I don't believe it will help much. If it does, I'll report back!

[CalS 5,280]

Another option to try is to adjust how often edited notes are saved.  Go to Tools - Options - Note and adjust Automatically save edited note every to something like 300.seconds.  Also turn context off at Tools - Options - Note and be sure Show Context is unchecked.  

[RgaDawg 35]

This started happening with my newest update to Evernote_6.20.2.8626.
If there is any key or click activity when EN starts to sync, Crash, crash, crash
I eventually had to put EN in full manual sync only - once per day to prevent it from starting a sync while I am doing something
I have sent many, many crash reports via the EN crash dialogue
Maybe it will get fixed next version
I don't have any resource issues as mentioned in this post

 

[Pyrefox 11]

Changed "Automatic Note Saving" to 300s (it was at 30s!!). I understand if something happens I could lose up to 5min of work, but it's better to redo that than get constantly slowed down. I'll report if it helps! Thanks for the suggestion!

EDIT: RgaDawg, if it started happening after the update, then it's probably some issue external to Evernote's client, because I had a pretty outdated version and it started happening here, and then when I updated it didn't fix anything. Probably some issue with how EN "talks" to the server, or something like that, but I'm still applying all suggested changes to see if I can at leat minimize it.

[Roger I 0]

I've had nearly daily freezing / locking up in 6.20 GA.   I finally gve up and reverted back to 6.18.4.8489 which is the last stable version I have used.  (6.19.2.8555 was also quite buggy and I revered back from it too).

 

 

[upsidedown 4]

Using 6.20.2.8626 (308626) Public (CE Build ce-62.3.7750) here on Windows 10 v1903 build 18362.356, SSD hard disk and 8GB RAM.  Paying user.

I'm finding Evernote to be so unstable as to be almost unusable now.  It's going into a "not responding" state several times a day, usually right at the time when I'm trying to type something in quick before I forget.  

Evernote, please sort this.  It's a great tool but if this carries on I'll be inclined to not renew my subscription and look for alternatives.  It's that frustrating.

 

[gazumped 11,666]

1 hour ago, upsidedown said:

Using 6.20.2.8626 (308626) Public (CE Build ce-62.3.7750) here on Windows 10 v1903 build 18362.356, SSD hard disk and 8GB RAM.  Paying user.

I'm finding Evernote to be so unstable as to be almost unusable now.  It's going into a "not responding" state several times a day, usually right at the time when I'm trying to type something in quick before I forget.  

Evernote, please sort this.  It's a great tool but if this carries on I'll be inclined to not renew my subscription and look for alternatives.  It's that frustrating.

 

Hi.

Have you

1. tried all the fixes listed above?
2. reached out to Evernote Support for assistance? (We're not them: mainly user-supported forum here.)
3. backed up your Databases folder to your desktop?

When you've completed those steps and if the app is still misbehaving,  try removing the complete installation with Revo Uninstaller (it reaches the files other uninstallers don't usually touch).  Then download and re-install the app from Evernote.com and log in with your normal user details so that the database and search indexes can be rebuilt from the server.

[SawTooth1953 0]

I use EN on 2 PCs and 2 iPads and an iPhone.

As has been reported above, I too get stopped with (Not Responding) every time I use EN. A new note becomes (Not Responding) from simply typing as few as 6 text words and no other actions.

I don't know the meaning of this observation, but it is just the PCs that get the annoyingly frequent, work stopping (Not Responding) state. The iPads and iPhone do not behave poorly. 

(Truth is: EN web clipper on the apple products stinks compared to web clipper on Windows, so I prefer the windows computers for web clipping. "Stinks" means there are no options and all the elements of the page are in the note and it is never as clean as when I select the appropriate option in the windows clipper window prior to clipping. I sometimes use the apple clipped note as a reminder to re-clip when I'm on the Win PC and then delete the Apple clipped cluttered note. I don't think this re-clipping is part of the (Not Responding) problem...and if it is,  then that is a problem. That is 'normal' usage of a note-keeping program and should not be the source of problems. )