10.1.7 Serious Bugs and Performance Issues

[Scotpip 38]

I was upgraded to 10.1.7 today. It appears to be a disaster.

1) I have an inbox with 3000 notes I need to file. Dragging a note from the inbox browse pane to a folder takes around 8 seconds. Any other action I do during this time is ignored. Most notes are just small images or plain text. In the old client this action took a fraction of a second.

2) If I multi-select notes and try to drag them to a folder as a group, only the actual note dragged is moved - the other selected notes are ignored. In the old client, dragging a group of notes worked.

3) Everything is horribly sluggish - in the editor the cursor is lagging behind my typing (I'm only a 60 wpm typist) and selecting notes in the browser pane is also painfully slow compared to the old client.

4) All kinds of usability issues too. Why no sync button? Why do I now have to press a strange key combination to delete a note? Why no note count for folders? What happened to the Preferences? What happened to the old editing shorcuts? Why no right-click menu on the stacks to create a new folder?

In short, the app is currently unusable, on the very day I was about to start using it intensively for a major project. It feels like an Alpha release - as a software developer myself I simply can't fathom how it got released in this condition.

I've tried restarting the app - didn't help. With 3000 notes to file this level or performance is clearly totally impractical. Is there any hope of a fix, or do I have to abandon Evernote? Not a very hopeful start for the much-heralded new codebase!

I see you've taken your chat client down, so I'm assuming you're being swamped by complaints. And you deserve it - you've let your customers down badly. I've been using Evernote since the days it was a little desktop app and have evangelised it to literally dozens of my clients - but you may well have lost me with this release - it's a disaster.

I'm running the Windows client on the latest version of Win 10 Pro on a high-end HP workstation, so lack of resources is not the issue.

[Big Trev 35]

I'm afraid I'm in the same boat - even the most basic things I do (create notes, scan) have been altered in inexplicable ways to make them barely functional, or don't work at all.

I also had the thing hang on me when trying to create a simple text note.

I have gone back to the "legacy" (or what I would call the "working") version.  Will keep tabs on how we go, but given the current state of the application I think I'll be looking at what to migrate to since it'll probably be less effort than getting the new application to work properly for me.

[marcia4d 1]

How do you go back to the legacy version? I never upgraded, my notes are missing, and sync is not functioning. 

[Tobias Helling 4]

We use Evernote in the Business Edition. It is not quite cheap. Many employees also don't have the Premium Version for their private things. After the accounts were disconnected and after downloading the Windows app and the iOS app, nothing was the same anymore. Notebooks and stacks from the business area were in the private area. Some partly empty. These disappeared after tapping. Some notebooks can not be removed. We quickly deleted the new apps for Windows and iOS before they did any damage and are working with the legacy version. Unfortunately, we no longer have our notes with us on the road. Digitalization doesn't work like that, Ian! A company has to rely on the tool, otherwise it is abandoned! We have spent hours on the video and in the forums, installing, testing and uninstalling. It just doesn't work as it should. Also, in Windows I can't keep personal and business open at the same time. There is also no real support. There is also no outlook how it will go on. We are more than annoyed!

[Scotpip 38]

14 hours ago, marcia4d said:

How do you go back to the legacy version?

Google for "Install an older version of Evernote" and download.

On Win 10 Pro Evernote didn't appear in the "Add or remove programs" list - yet another irritation.

So I installed the old version over the top. 

My old shortcut was still launching version 10. So I deleted the shortcut and found the Legacy version in c:\Program Files (x86)\Evernote\Evernote Legacy\

I launched the .exe and created a new shortcut. 

It's working OK for now and playing nice with the clipper. 
 

[Dave-in-Decatur 3,979]

18 hours ago, marcia4d said:

How do you go back to the legacy version? I never upgraded, my notes are missing, and sync is not functioning. 

See this help article: https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/360052560314. But if you never upgraded, you're already working in v. 6.25, which is the "legacy" version. If your notes are missing, you should definitely contact support, since you have a Premium subscription.

[pgadams 6]

The new version is a disaster. I don't have time to try to figure out how to do things in Evernote the way I've done them for years. Fortunately I found the instructions on how to reinstall version 6. Unfortunately, unless Evernote commits to continuing to support the "old" version, I will be forced to look for another solution. I don't know why Evernote thought this was a good idea, but it wasn't. After reading numerous comments in this forum it is clear that I'm not the only one reverting to 6 and looking at alternatives.

[marcia4d 1]

I found out how to revert to the former version on Windows 10, but only the new version is available for iPhone. I’ve already started researching alternatives, especially since I’m using the paid version. I won't continue paying for something that so clearly sucks.

[PinkElephant 8,194]

It is possible to run both v10 and legacy on the same account. 

You can use legacy on the Mac / PC and v10 (where is no alternative due to iOS restrictions) on i-devices.

About paying: You already paid until the end of your subscription period. Maybe you don’t feel enthusiastic about what you’ve got in exchange (like many of us are equally disappointed), but you have it, use it or not.

If you want to switch make sure you checked on your use cases. It is not „legacy“ EN you check against, it is the features of whatever you want to switch to. If you carefully read the threads here you will find that depending on what your use cases require, it is not that simple to find another solution that really covers it all.

Personally I found that for the time being, for me a combination of EN legacy and EN v10 iOS still serves my use cases best. If legacy would stop to work, I would have to reassess the situation. I hope that EN will roll out enough of the missing functions soon to make the app great again for me.

[Ed Mahoney 1]

I expect a quick fix because my experience is also that this is unusable.  I can't remain on it much longer.

[pgadams 6]

Not only did I need to revert to version 6, in order to have Outlook integration I had to uninstall version 10.  We need to hear from Evernote whether or not they will continue to support and improve version 6. If not, I need to look into One Note and other solutions. I lost a great deal of productivity realizing that 10 does not work for me, then figuring out how to go back. Many of us use EN for production, and there is no excuse for EN rolling out a poor beta version. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

[Big Trev 35]

On 10/27/2020 at 7:27 AM, PinkElephant said:

If you want to switch make sure you checked on your use cases. It is not „legacy“ EN you check against, it is the features of whatever you want to switch to. If you carefully read the threads here you will find that depending on what your use cases require, it is not that simple to find another solution that really covers it all.

Personally I found that for the time being, for me a combination of EN legacy and EN v10 iOS still serves my use cases best. If legacy would stop to work, I would have to reassess the situation. I hope that EN will roll out enough of the missing functions soon to make the app great again for me.

These are good points, and I agree with you.  However, depending on how much you rely on EN, I think trusting Legacy is fraught because they have indicated there will be no bug fixes or security updates - at any time a Windows patch or some other incompatibility could bork it, and you'll be effectively stuck.

I've got about 10 months to run on my sub, but I plan on being off onto something else well before then.  I think it's difficult to see how this could have been more poorly handled by EN, and even if they were to magically put all the missing features back into 10 and fix everything tomorrow (unlikely!), they've still lost my trust.  And for something like this, which handles so much of my day-to-day life, I need to be able to trust it.

[marcia4d 1]

On 10/22/2020 at 2:41 PM, Dave-in-Decatur said:

See this help article: https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/360052560314. But if you never upgraded, you're already working in v. 6.25, which is the "legacy" version. If your notes are missing, you should definitely contact support, since you have a Premium subscription.

Evernote automatically upgraded me from 6.25 to 10. The interface on 10 is dramatically different from 6.25, and it is unusable. I do know what I’m talking about.

[heckj516 3]

I, too, got auto-upgraded to version 10.1.7 on my Windows Surface Pro 3. Lots of problems, as noted in previous responses.

I have been using Evernote since 2009. Until now I have had zero problems.

I have around 5,000 notes and hundreds of notebooks. I use Evernote constantly. I use Evernote on 4 devices: Mac-Mini running macOS High Sierra (10.13.6), Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (SP-3) running Windows 10 Pro version 1909, Apple iPad Mini 5th generation running ios 14.0.1, and an iPhone SE running ios 13.7.

The current versions of Evernote on these devices are:

Mac-Mini: Evernote version 7.1.4
Microsoft SP-3: Evernote version 10.1.7 build 0
iPad Mini: Evernote version 10.0.4
iPhone SE: Evernote version 10.0.4

I enter and edit notes frequently on each of these devices. I use the Evernote Web Clipper from each of these devices often each day.

I first noticed that the Evernote app on my iPad Mini and iPhone SE had been updated, then I noticed that Evernote on my Windows device had been updated.

Here are the problems I have experienced to date:

1. Immediately, I noticed a general slowing down of many functions.
2. On my Windows machine I couldn't find the sync button.
3. I clipped an article on my Mac-Mini, but it still has not synced to my SP-3
4. I was in the midst of reorganizing and renaming a large group of folders when all this happened. I have noticed some problems viewing (in the sidebar) my large list of stacks with many notebooks, but have not noticed any corruption of my stacks, notebooks or notes.

As of today Evernote on my Mac Mini is still at version 7.1.4 and works as expected. I do not plan on updating my Evernote to the latest version of Evernote for the Mac (10.2.4), until I am sure the Windows and ios Evernote problems are resolved.

Recommendations based on my experiences:

1. Do not use Evernote version 10.1.7 on Windows machines until Evernote fixes it.
2. If you must use Evernote on a Windows machine, use the web version of Evernote. I did a quick look at my account and my stacks, notebooks and notes. They seemed O.K.

[glenn59 5]

Wow! Surprised at this bad of an improvement.

[Mike P 2,679]

8 hours ago, glenn59 said:

Wow! Surprised at this bad of an improvement.

I've seen this juddering before. It doesn't always happen - just certain images in certain notes. I thought it was just my PC so haven't reported it. Thanks for posting the screencast.

[PinkElephant 8,194]

There were similar issues on the iOS client. They got improved with the release of yesterday evening. So at least they are working on it ...

For the time being my personal solution is to stick with the legacy clients on Windows and Mac. Sure, they will not be developed any further, but in the moment I don’t need any changes there - just keeping me productive.

There is nothing in v10 that I urgently need, so why force myself into something.

[PinkElephant 8,194]

On 10/22/2020 at 5:45 PM, Tobias Helling said:

We use Evernote in the Business Edition. It is not quite cheap. Many employees also don't have the Premium Version for their private things. After the accounts were disconnected and after downloading the Windows app and the iOS app, nothing was the same anymore. Notebooks and stacks from the business area were in the private area. Some partly empty. These disappeared after tapping. Some notebooks can not be removed. We quickly deleted the new apps for Windows and iOS before they did any damage and are working with the legacy version. Unfortunately, we no longer have our notes with us on the road. Digitalization doesn't work like that, Ian! A company has to rely on the tool, otherwise it is abandoned! We have spent hours on the video and in the forums, installing, testing and uninstalling. It just doesn't work as it should. Also, in Windows I can't keep personal and business open at the same time. There is also no real support. There is also no outlook how it will go on. We are more than annoyed!

We are all annoyed to a lesser or larger extend, so I can follow your argument from A to Z.

The separation of the accounts in the business version dates back several years. They are not related directly to v10, but to me (non Business) it seems the were now enforced with v10. The reason to separate is the idea that there is a set of information that belongs to the company, and another that belongs to the employee. EN could say as well there is no personal data with a business account at all, but they decided to pair it.

Any employee (and even an owner) can be terminated from the company. He may leave himself, or may get fired. All data in the business part stays with the company in this situation. The admin assigns another employee to the role of the outgoing employee, and that is it. The data in the personal account leaves with the employee.

To assure this, there needs to be a „Chinese wall“ between the two accounts. This is based on the legislation in the field and compliance rules. If this transition went bad in your case, it was probably not set up this way initially. Maybe spaces were not created or well defined, maybe personal and business data was mixed etc. Then the v10 transition kicked in and created a final mess.

You can try to fix this yourself, with help from support (which is working down a queue, so probably it will not be real snappy). Or you can try to get professional support here:

https://evernote.com/intl/en/certified-consultants

[JARaker 3]

One of the most simple, and usable, things is dragging a file to an email to send to a client. Doesn't work with version 10.1.7

I have to save the file to my computer and then drag it to the email, then delete the file from my computer or I'm going to fill that up!! Seriously. This can't be all that difficult. It's one of the best features for me as a send lots of email communications.

Printing a note - now 2 or 3 steps from what I can tell. I sometimes just want to print a note in PDF to Evernote, gathering various pictures, scans, or screen shots in one document. They made it more difficult.

I hope someone is on this fast. Very frustrating.

[bwoo 1]

Agreed, what the heck did they do with this update?

The text in all my notes was too big after the update, so my tables became messy.

Evernote doesn't load with Windows now, I have to run it each time I log in. I can fix that with a registry edit, but still. The option to load with Windows is gone since the entire Tools|Options section is gone.

I can't stand they tray icon now - it used to just bring up Evernote, now it brings up a scratchpad so I have to right-click on the tray con and then "Open Evernote".

the Search box doesn't care what notebook you're in, it searches all of them and then sorts the results automatically by "Relevance" so for my purposes I have to change that to "by Date" every time. Then when you're done Evernote dumps you back into "All Notes" instead of the notebook you were in.

I just had to gripe a little. Hopefully they're listening to their users/customers.

Edited October 30, 2020 by bwoo

[RosieSFO 1]

I agree with the discussion. What a horrible update, from a long time PAYING user.  Looking at alternatives as well. 

- slow sync if not impossible across devices

- lost shared notebook content! 

- no sync button and so slow and buggy now, can't get synced across devices without force quit

- check list buttons now work backwards

- notes not syncing automatically

- a bunch of commonly used functions take now several more clicks: search, reminders, short cuts, moving a note to another folder, confirming/closing a note

 

[pgadams 6]

One thing that Evernote has succeeded at is getting Lvl 1 posters (myself included) to post in the forum. That should tell them how bad this is.

[RosieSFO 1]

2 minutes ago, pgadams said:

One thing that Evernote has succeeded at is getting Lvl 1 posters (myself included) to post in the forum. That should tell them how bad this is.

Isn't that the truth. I'm so enraged at a core productivity tool being so unthoughtfully updated.  

2 minutes ago, pgadams said:

One thing that Evernote has succeeded at is getting Lvl 1 posters (myself included) to post in the forum. That should tell them how bad this is.

I agree with the discussion. What a horrible update, from a long time PAYING user.  Looking at alternatives as well. 

- slow sync if not impossible across devices

- lost shared notebook content! 

- no sync button and so slow and buggy now, can't get synced across devices without force quite

- check list buttons now work backwards

- notes not syncing automatically

- a bunch of commonly used functions take now several more clicks: search, reminders, short cuts, moving a note to another folder, confirming/closing a note

 

[annalektos 1]

Same here...I pay a lot of money (to me--I'm a graduate student) to make sure that my evernote experience is "premium", but this last update is terrible. If the sync were working properly then I wouldn't mind not having a convenient force sync button anymore--but it's not syncing properly.

Sync is slow to impossible across devices, images captured in evernote now required to be downloaded and then moved in order for them to show up in photos and be able to send them to anyone outside of evernote (people who don't have evernote do not want to have to download something just to see my picture!).

I've been paying years of precious money. This is unacceptable.

Anna

[Mike P 2,679]

17 hours ago, bwoo said:

the Search box doesn't care what notebook you're in, it searches all of them and then sorts the results automatically by "Relevance" so for my purposes I have to change that to "by Date" every time. Then when you're done Evernote dumps you back into "All Notes" instead of the notebook you were in.

I agree with most of what you say. However if you are in a notebook and open search there is the option to only search in that notebook directly under the search box.

We can argue about whether it should default to a global search or a notebook search but the option is there. Earlier versions of search would always revert to relevance (whatever that means) but it seems as though that has now changed. How are you clearing the search? If you have no filters it is easy enough to click the cross and then you get thrown back to all notes as you say. If you have filters applied it is an absolute pain to clear the search because you have to separately clear the text and the filters. In that case I normally click into all notes or a notebook.

[Mike P 2,679]

13 hours ago, annalektos said:

images captured in evernote now required to be downloaded and then moved in order for them to show up in photos and be able to send them to anyone outside of evernote

Agree completely. I resort to dragging to the desktop and then into email or wherever. Madness. 

[Big Trev 35]

On 10/30/2020 at 8:51 PM, PinkElephant said:

There is nothing in v10 that I urgently need, so why force myself into something.

This is the issue though, I'm going to go out on a limb and say you need it to at least operate:

https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/360052560314-Install-an-older-version-of-Evernote

Quote

Note: This article details the installation of an older version of Evernote. There will be no future updates or bug fixes in older versions of Evernote, including Evernote Legacy. If you are having trouble with this app, our Support team may recommend that you update Evernote to the newest version.

 

You are being forced into it - if you have a problem and engage support, my read is the "solution" will be to update to v10.  

 

(edit)

Found this below - their advice when you're waiting a week or two for support is ensure you're on the most up to date version (presumably, v10.x)

I wanted to let you know we are currently experiencing a higher than normal volume of requests. The average wait time for a response is currently 10-12+ days. 

Please know we're doing our best to get back to you as soon as possible. 

Here are some resources to help you in the meantime: 

1. Ensure you are on the most up-to-date version of Evernote on your device:
   
   For Mac or Windows go here. For iOS, check the available updates in the App Store

 

[PinkElephant 8,194]

To which conclusion do you come ? Sort of you start on a journey, and now the gas is out ?

The „legacy“ clients work - at the moment I don’t need „bug fixes and further development“. I can use them, in a productive way, I know what I can do, and do it  efficiently. That’s all I need, in terms of current operations.

EN has embarked to reset everything, and start fresh all over. The promise is that a unified code platform will free resources that can be redirected into the embetterment and extension of EN. That is strategy, and nothing wrong with it.

What is lacking currently is a sound implementation. I am using EN v10 iOS, and there is work to do.

Now maybe the legacy clients become unusable before the new clients are up together job. Then I can decide to listen to support who tell me to upgrade - or grab my data and leave. But why bother today about what does not need a decision ?

[Big Trev 35]

38 minutes ago, PinkElephant said:

To which conclusion do you come ? Sort of you start on a journey, and now the gas is out ?

The „legacy“ clients work - at the moment I don’t need „bug fixes and further development“. I can use them, in a productive way, I know what I can do, and do it  efficiently. That’s all I need, in terms of current operations.

Yeah, that's my point, you don't need a bug fix, until you have a bug that's impacting you, then you need one.  That's the way software works.

My conclusion is to investigate migrating away.  I am not going to wait out while they finish the development of the platform.  Not saying that's what anyone should or shouldn't do - ultimately it's a risk assessment.  I personally think the risk of trusting that EN legacy will keep running happily until v10 has had the features added back in and is stable is too high.  

[Dan @ WORKetc 8]

Exactly the same issue as @glenn59 

IThe jittering is actually 2 - 3x faster than the ani-gif has captured below.  And kinda making me feel motion sickness after a while 🤢

 

Starting and restarting doesn't fix it.

This is from Windows 10 20H2 Build and Evernote Windows App v10.2.4 build 1949 and Service 1..21.2

[hpiskor 0]

On 10/22/2020 at 6:39 PM, Scotpip said:

Google for "Install an older version of Evernote" and download.

On Win 10 Pro Evernote didn't appear in the "Add or remove programs" list - yet another irritation.

So I installed the old version over the top. 

My old shortcut was still launching version 10. So I deleted the shortcut and found the Legacy version in c:\Program Files (x86)\Evernote\Evernote Legacy\

I launched the .exe and created a new shortcut. 

It's working OK for now and playing nice with the clipper. 
 

Great workaround, thanks!

[Mr_Unusual 1]

I primarily use Evernote in iOS, and it has always been bomb-proof. But since the upgrade I’ve lost changes to several notes while in the middle of working on them.  Thankfully I didn’t upgrade Evernote on my Mac (still at 7.x) and can use that for the time being effectively, but does anyone know if there is any way to revert back to the previous (very stable, very reliable) Evernote version on iOS? 

 

A very unhappy long-term Premium customer.

[sqcpro 15]

Somehow I avoided the issues you note.  But, I suspect it's because I didn't upgrade when you did.  I did an upgrade to 10.3.7 a few days ago.  Wow! What a disappointment. I do most of my work on the desktop version. I'm a Mac user with 10.15.7 on a Mac Mini.  I didn't evaluate all of the issues as you did.  For me, it stopped with the sluggish/jerky interaction with the basic text entry on my notes.  I don't know what's going on, but there is a small update info tag on the lower right of the note indicating that the note is being saved or changes saved.  While saving, the response back from the text entry just halts, and then when the saving is complete, the text I've entered  becomes visible.  It's a herky jerky response to my keyboard entry. And totally unusable for me. I really don't know what they have changed, but I can't use it as is.  Fortunately, I was able to download and use the "Legacy" version.  I've turned in a work ticket, hoping that Evernote will advise when they have restored the prompt keystroke feedback.  And, I'm diligently looking for an alternative to Evernote.  I'm also concerned from some of the feedback that I can't use 10.3.7 if I'm offline.  That is totally unacceptable.

[s2sailor 2,256]

18 hours ago, Mr_Unusual said:

does anyone know if there is any way to revert back to the previous (very stable, very reliable) Evernote version on iOS? 

There is no return path on iOS unfortunately.

[lpmplpmp 0]

I have the same issue, the version 10 is disaster.
As a Evernote Premium User for several years, I wish there is a better way to complain to Evernote.
I wish Evernote can maintain the version 6 and give up version 10

[PinkElephant 8,194]

EN developed v10 now for at least 2 years, and switched their devs from native code to (probably) JavaScript as well. Even before this the native clients had grown unmanageable, no new feature, often lagging of bug fixes and ew OS adaption.

Giving up v10 would probably sink the company. Is this what you are wishing for ?

[sqcpro 15]

3 hours ago, PinkElephant said:

EN developed v10 now for at least 2 years, and switched their devs from native code to (probably) JavaScript as well. Even before this the native clients had grown unmanageable, no new feature, often lagging of bug fixes and ew OS adaption.

Giving up v10 would probably sink the company. Is this what you are wishing for ?

v10 has all been a bit of blessing for me.  I was struggling with it and then the final straw was an automatic update that wiped out my data content in several notes (that were subsequently recovered when I quit and restarted EN).  But It got my attention and forced me to look at my workflow and simplify things.  Turns out I don't NEED Evernote, but I do need a few of the functions.  And I don't need EN's iOS, but I do need some of the data while mobile.  Things change, people change, markets change, companies change, their products change.  And all this hubbub with V10 is just part of the business cycle. Use EN while its benefits to you out-way the issues with dependability,  risk and effort.  Otherwise  seek other solutions.  Don't choose to be a victim.  There are plenty of choices.  I can't recommend it for anyone else, but based on my work flow,  my choice was to export EN Legacy into DevonThink Pro and use that platform along with Excel.  I have no experience with DT's  iOS client, but the Mac interface is an awesome extension to OSx.   DT Pro isn't perfect and I know it  will change. But at least for now  I have control of  of my data store and its security.  And I'm in control of application updates. If I want separate databases I can create them.  If I want encrypted databases for sensitive data, I can create those as well.  I loved MS Outlook when it first came out.  Finally a way to manage your information in one app. .I still love the concept and continue to seek the Holy Grail.

[lpmplpmp 0]

23 hours ago, PinkElephant said:

EN developed v10 now for at least 2 years, and switched their devs from native code to (probably) JavaScript as well. Even before this the native clients had grown unmanageable, no new feature, often lagging of bug fixes and ew OS adaption.

Giving up v10 would probably sink the company. Is this what you are wishing for ?

I have been using Evernote Premium for more than 5 years, I am very satisfied with Version 6.25.2.9198.
However, I am very disappointed with Evernote version 10, it get rid of a lot of features that I really need.
As long as I can continue to use Version 6.25.2.9198, I am happy.
I don't really need fancy feature in Evernote version 10.
Evernote 10 miss the "Sync" button, that make me always lose my update, I feel quite unacceptable.
For me, the stability like version 6.25.2.9198 is more important than the fancy new features.

[gdot 0]

I couldn't agree more. The new version is literally unusable for me as 'pop out' notes will not load at all, meaning I have to write directly onto the main screen all the time.

I have downloaded 'Evernote Legacy' which has re-launched the old version which always worked fine.

I would recommend doing this until they address the bugs.