How to change local database location

[Giampaolo 2]

Hi

I need to change the local folder used by evernote for database etc

in old version I could reach tools -> option, byt now with this new version I do not find this option anymore (i do not find option....)

tnx

 

[agsteele 2,579]

Changing the folder to store data isn't available in version 10 at present. A user options menu is promised but we have no idea what it will contain.

[Ralph Davis 0]

Nobody told me the folder for the datastore was going to be moved under /appdata.  I have been using Evernote for years because it replicates to all of my devices, work and personal.  I was in a networking class and had been working on notes for that class in Evernote for over 2 months.  I can't do read/write access to the /appdata folder on my work machine.  When V 10 updated on my devices, it began to corrupt those notes.  It caused an emergency where I had to transfer all of the notes and clippings to MS Word to save the document.  It looks like my other notes are intact, as I was not editing them at the time.  But, unfortunately, if this is how Evernote is going to change, I will need to look at alternatives because I can't tolerate corruption of all of my notes.  And, if Evernote decided we can't select the location of the datastore, it means not only can I not use the application on my work systems, but I will probably not be able to appropriately backup the data.

[Manuel García Rosas 0]

The issue persists right?

[agsteele 2,579]

You

13 minutes ago, Manuel García Rosas said:

The issue persists right?

You are correct that Evernote v10 stores its data in a separate location to the legacy version and there is no option to choose a different location.

If this is a function you require then you'll have to stick with the legacy version for the time being.

[tumbleweed books 0]

I've been working in Legacy [its just a much better interface for managing my data] and want to move my databases to an external drive.  1) how can I do this? I've seen older comments indicating it was possible on prior versions (before Evernote v10) and 2) can Legacy continue to update to that location after I set it up? Also 3) dangers of 'corrupting' my data? Thanks,

[Michael Friedman 0]

Hi.  I need to store my local notes in a different location because my C drive is an SSD with limited storage.

How can I download the legacy version so I can move my DB to a different location?

With the legacy version can I also install the app on a different drive?  Again, I don't want to clutter up my SSD with anything other than my OS.

[eaustria 2]

On 3/1/2021 at 10:40 AM, Michael Friedman said:

Hi.  I need to store my local notes in a different location because my C drive is an SSD with limited storage.

How can I download the legacy version so I can move my DB to a different location?

With the legacy version can I also install the app on a different drive?  Again, I don't want to clutter up my SSD with anything other than my OS.

@Michael Friedman[Install an older version of Evernote](https://help.evernote.com/hc/articles/360052560314). You may access the article to install the older version of the app.

[kd5byb 11]

This is very frustrating - I download V10 to try the tasks.  I then find out that:

1)  The import folder is gone.

2)  I can't change the database location.  Like the above poster, my C drive is for the OS and is an SSD, and D is for data.  With legacy, that's where my Evernote database was located.

Seems like V10 is a giant step backwards.

thanks,

ben

 

[PinkElephant 6,783]

With regard to tasks it is a giant leap forward.

About the database: Uncheck the „keep data when closing …“, then there is no local database.

Import folders are on the list of missing features.

In general you can use legacy in parallel to your v10 installation, and wait for v10 to evolve.

[Loster2 7]

Here's one workaround for this:
 

Move the "Evernote" base folder from C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming to another drive (with Evernote closed, obviously), then create a symbolic link to this moved folder back in the original place (C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming)...

Use this little utility to select the new folder (right click it and choose "Pick Link Location"), then right click in the Roaming folder and select "Drop As > Symbolic Link...":

https://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshellext/linkshellextension.html

It seems to fool v.10 perfectly well...

[Rod W 2]

Evernote is now taking up 4.5 GB of my small C drive and I need to move it to make my PC work. Since Evernote takes a long time to start up, needing a reinstall every week, and keeps trying to be friendly with me in unwelcome ways, I've reached the stage where I think I'm better off without it.

[PinkElephant 6,783]

You could try this instruction, and leave it that way. The client will then run on a reduced database, pulling more information from the web. Hint: I could not test it, I am on a Mac. The client is slightly different.

1. Go to File > Sign Out [name] from the menu bar.
2. Select the "Remove my Evernote data from this device" option, then click Sign out.
3. Restart your computer.
4. Sign back in to Evernote

You could try the web client.

In general 4 GB is close to nothing on a modern computer. If this little data already causes a problem, the next Windows updates will push your PC over the cliff anyhow. If it is a replaceable drive, I would replace it by a larger one. A new larger SSD is not that expensive.

[scott711 0]

We also have same problem, running on work server, C is for OS and working user files are on separate data drive.  Having the ability for admins to move the target local cache is a must.  

Same with loosing the import folder feature...  all of our work document scans used to drop into evernote.... 

please consider this request to reinstate these features!

[PinkElephant 6,783]

You can try the symbolic link workaround. From reports in the forum it works pretty well.

From what I see looking at the direction EN is taking I doubt they will make moving the database around a feature.

[Stevenme 0]

Why is this not being fixed by Evernote despite customers requesting it?
A symbolic link is a poor workaround. Please let me know when this will be fixed that the folder can move?
Or is the workaround to move to another tool?

[dam 5]

But what if I would save the database( just for back up) , uninstall EVR and then reinstall in a different drive/folder ? Is there such an option during installation ?

[PinkElephant 6,783]

No.

Up to now the symbolic link was the only solution that came up since v10 launched. It is unofficial, not approved by EN.

[dam 5]

7 hours ago, PinkElephant said:

No.

Up to now the symbolic link was the only solution that came up since v10 launched. It is unofficial, not approved by EN.

Thanks

 

On 6/18/2021 at 12:36 AM, PinkElephant said:

With regard to tasks it is a giant leap forward.

About the database: Uncheck the „keep data when closing …“, then there is no local database.

Import folders are on the list of missing features.

In general you can use legacy in parallel to your v10 installation, and wait for v10 to evolve.

If I uncheck this option now what will happen next? It won't store any more data from this point on  ?

[agsteele 2,579]

Unchecking 'keep data when closing..." means you do have a local version of your data to work with when you are off-line such as when travelling. So no working on notes which you might want whilst off-line.

New data is held ready to sync with the servers when you are next online. Nothing new should be lost.

[PinkElephant 6,783]

It will only have a cache of data. You then will practically work from the server database - this will probably lead to a performance loss.

If you only want to use EN without local data, the web client is a good option.

[Buddchar 1]

在 2021/7/30 在 PM9點25分, Loster2說:

Here's one workaround for this:
 

Move the "Evernote" base folder from C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming to another drive (with Evernote closed, obviously), then create a symbolic link to this moved folder back in the original place (C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming)...

Use this little utility to select the new folder (right click it and choose "Pick Link Location"), then right click in the Roaming folder and select "Drop As > Symbolic Link...":

https://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshellext/linkshellextension.html

It seems to fool v.10 perfectly well...

 

I've been searching for a solution to the lack of space in my C drive, and I'm totally surprised by the abundance of people out there with same problem... and the fact that Evernote still hasn't fixed this issue after all these years.

However, the workaround provided by Loster2 there works like magic! I uninstalled Evernote from my desktop, and then manually deleted the backup folder (located in C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\Evernote\resource-cache). Then I reinstall Evernote without connecting to the internet. After reinstalling, I created a new folder in my D drive with the same name as what's originally in the folder mentioned above (should start with "User" then a bunch of numbers). Then I drop the symbolic link of the created folder into the folder mentioned above (should now exist after reinstalling Evernote) and replace the original folder. And now, after connecting to the internet, you can see the backup files slowing being synced to the folder in your D drive! That's how I moved 32G of files to my D drive finally...

[mynah 1]

Import folders are now added, finally.

Not being able to specify database location is positively weird, because everybody uses SSDs now! I seem to remember that the entire Windows user data folder can be moved somewhere else, but the hard link workaround helps a lot.

[mynah 1]

On 7/30/2021 at 3:25 PM, Loster2 said:

Here's one workaround for this:
 

Move the "Evernote" base folder from C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming to another drive (with Evernote closed, obviously), then create a symbolic link to this moved folder back in the original place (C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming)...

Use this little utility to select the new folder (right click it and choose "Pick Link Location"), then right click in the Roaming folder and select "Drop As > Symbolic Link...":

https://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshellext/linkshellextension.html

It seems to fool v.10 perfectly well...

 

[PinkElephant 6,783]

2 hours ago, mynah said:

Import folders are now added, finally.

Not being able to specify database location is positively weird, because everybody uses SSDs now! I seem to remember that the entire Windows user data folder can be moved somewhere else, but the hard link workaround helps a lot.

Import folders „now“ added: A little late to the party, we just put the last glasses into the dishwasher:

Moving the EN database to another place: Just to mention it - don’t move the database to a turning disk. This had already been a bad idea with legacy, performance issues were the consequence. With v10 it can add syncing problems to the trouble collection. A turning disk has a significant delay compared to an SSD, especially when retrieving data from disk.

Only use an SSD - can be an external one, linked through at least an USB 3 interface.

[mynah 1]

Thank you.

Maybe someone should put your good advice out to the front, maybe even in the preferences menu. How can people know before they overload their notbook ssds?

On the PC, I had all kinds of issues until I tried to import a local folder and got an error message from the SSD. It was not that small, so it worked (kind of) for a while. I had just assumed the new version was using the same location as the old one, on a hard drive. It is now there using the hardlink.

I have another SSD lying around, so I'll try to attach that. So will I still have to use the hardlink technique? At least I'll be able to use the same database on my laptop then. On the notebook, I have only used EN legacy with a free account on the side. There would have been all manner of trouble, had I tried to start using my 25GB database.

[PinkElephant 6,783]

Yes, in every case you want to avoid to install on the system drive, you need to go through the symbolic link.

Downside of an external SSD is you need to keep it attached all of the time. Depends on how you use your notebook.

A replacement of the system SSD (if possible) would probably be the cleanest option. They are not that expensive any more, and it keeps the notebook alive for some more years.

[mynah 1]

On 6/28/2022 at 2:49 PM, mynah said:

I have another SSD lying around, so I'll try that. So will I still have to use the hardlink ? At least I'll be able to use the same on my then. On , I have only used EN with a free account on the side. There would have been all manner of trouble, had I tried to start using my 25GB database.

Update: I have made room for the database on my notebook ssd. On the PC, there will only be a secondary free EN account. Thx again. The symbolic link is still useful for other things. Regards

[99naka 0]

On 6/27/2022 at 12:11 AM, Buddchar said:

 

I've been searching for a solution to the lack of space in my C drive, and I'm totally surprised by the abundance of people out there with same problem... and the fact that Evernote still hasn't fixed this issue after all these years.

However, the workaround provided by Loster2 there works like magic! I uninstalled Evernote from my desktop, and then manually deleted the backup folder (located in C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\Evernote\resource-cache). Then I reinstall Evernote without connecting to the internet. After reinstalling, I created a new folder in my D drive with the same name as what's originally in the folder mentioned above (should start with "User" then a bunch of numbers). Then I drop the symbolic link of the created folder into the folder mentioned above (should now exist after reinstalling Evernote) and replace the original folder. And now, after connecting to the internet, you can see the backup files slowing being synced to the folder in your D drive! That's how I moved 32G of files to my D drive finally...

I installed hardlinkshellext and it works like magic!

I've needed this feature for 5+ years and finally was able to achieve it using symbolic link. I just freed up 5GB from C drive and moved to D drive.

Why does this matter to me? It's true for a modern computer, 5GB of storage does not mean a lot.

But what I need is regularly do whole-disk backup of my system installation, i.e. the entire C drive.

Thus keeping my C drive within 35GB is extremely important to keep the backup slim. Plus, backing 5GB of caching files is not a very clever idea too.

Thanks to Loster2 and Buddchar.

 

[sandrog 3]

On 11/17/2020 at 7:32 PM, agsteele said:

Changing the folder to store data isn't available in version 10 at present. A user options menu is promised but we have no idea what it will contain.

Evernote is becoming more and more UNfriendly with its users... especially heavy users... how can I manage the space on my hard disk if I can't move the db on another memory? ...and this after doubling the price... Since I have really a lot of work stored in the notes, tags etc. I'll wait some more months to see if they start to change their strategy (or absence of it).... Thank you for keeping us informed... Any idea why this suicide way to make business?

[Jon/t 798]

18 minutes ago, sandrog said:

Evernote is becoming more and more UNfriendly with its users... especially heavy users... how can I manage the space on my hard disk if I can't move the db on another memory? ...and this after doubling the price... Since I have really a lot of work stored in the notes, tags etc. I'll wait some more months to see if they start to change their strategy (or absence of it).... Thank you for keeping us informed... Any idea why this suicide way to make business?

Its coming soon. Not sure when but using a different drive for the Evernote database will be possible.

 

[janndk 238]

24 minutes ago, sandrog said:

Evernote is becoming more and more UNfriendly with its users... especially heavy users... how can I manage the space on my hard disk if I can't move the db on another memory? ...and this after doubling the price... Since I have really a lot of work stored in the notes, tags etc. I'll wait some more months to see if they start to change their strategy (or absence of it).... Thank you for keeping us informed... Any idea why this suicide way to make business?

Yes. Every time Evernote starts, it pops up with a message about storage space running out. Also telling to go in settings and move the database - but there isn't any settings for that. Quite annoying. 🤨

[PinkElephant 6,783]

As told in another thread by EN staff, this is the first step into allowing users to define the database location easily through settings.

The current workaround is still using a symlink.

Had anybody seeing this message tried if it goes away when using a different drive plus a symlink ?

 I hope they allow for a network drive to be selected.

[fredhammersmith 52]

On 6/17/2023 at 4:47 AM, janndk said:

Yes. Every time Evernote starts, it pops up with a message about storage space running out. Also telling to go in settings and move the database - but there isn't any settings for that. Quite annoying. 🤨

Exactly. This is weird but I guess the option will be available soon. Right?

[PinkElephant 6,783]

Most likely, yes. They said they are working on it.

You can already move it to another drive, using symlinks.

[fredhammersmith 52]

Sorry to bother but in urgent need of some space.

When creating a symlink, should it be for the whole "Evernote" folder, the "Database" folder, or a specific file?

[PinkElephant 6,783]

For the whole folder is probably the better approach. There is a database, plus a ton of folders. It’s better to keep all this together.

[fredhammersmith 52]

10 minutes ago, PinkElephant said:

For the whole folder is probably the better approach. There is a database, plus a ton of folders. It’s better to keep all this together.

So, just to be sure.

I close Evernote.

I move the Evernote folder to my desired location.

I drop a symbolic link to this new Evernote location in the former location.

I reopen Evernote. All the notes are there.

Sounds right?

[PinkElephant 6,783]

Sounds ok to me. But I never did it myself, and I am on a Mac (that is able to use symlinks as well).

So better watch for a recent, step by step tutorial on Google or YT for your Windows version.

Worst case the local database is gone, and needs to be recovered from the server.

[AlexeySh 0]

Hello! How to change local disk for database?

[Carl-L-ND 53]

After the latest update today, my current Evenote, version 10.59.5-win-ddl-public (5236)

seems to have a "Change" option available for

"Evernote local data" with  a blue  "NEW" flag next to it

 

Tools/ Settings/ Preferences/ Application

scroll down to bottom.

I'm getting that dang low space warning.

 

[PinkElephant 6,783]

You can do 2 things now, independent from one another:

Toggle the "Low capacity" warning on an off (1)

Move the entire local database to a different location (2,3)

[sandrog 3]

😀😀😀 This is a really good news...

I'm going to move the DB but before that I think is more safe to make a backup of the entire set of notes somewhere.

I'm trying to export them using the "export notebook" function but it stops in the middle of export saying "an error occurred" without any further explanation...

The notebook I'm exporting is big, 11.800 notes... the function works fine with another notebook with only 50 notes, but of course evernote is useful on large number of notes... not 50... 

Is there a limit in the number of notes to be exported? 

I've tried several times, both with ENEX format and HTML and both on my Windows surface and Mac Mini Os 13.4.1 ... same results...

Of course I've thought to split the notebook in smaller ones, but how many of which size? With which strategy? Splitting notes by year does it make sense?

I'm not particularly happy to play moving around my notes because they are important and, as Murphy law says, "If you play enough with something, you'll eventually break it" ...

Thank you for any suggestion about backups and also about how to organize notebooks.

 

 

 

[PinkElephant 6,783]

As a matter of fact there is no need to backup anything. The local database can always be created from the server (although it takes some days on large accounts).

If you want to protect the existing local database, just locate it (the path is listed in the new field, right beside the menu to move it).

Make a copy „as it is“ to a different medium, like an external drive or an USB stick. Backup done …

Now proceed with moving it to another location.

[fredhammersmith 52]

2 hours ago, PinkElephant said:

As a matter of fact there is no need to backup anything. The local database can always be created from the server (although it takes some days on large accounts).

If you want to protect the existing local database, just locate it (the path is listed in the new field, right beside the menu to move it).

Make a copy „as it is“ to a different medium, like an external drive or an USB stick. Backup done …

Now proceed with moving it to another location.

Still...

One of the reason I did not stay with Nimbus was that my notes could not be transferred easily on another platform. Your work belongs to you. And that is one of the things I loved about the old Evernote. You could export everything quite easily to a couple of more universal formats.

[sandrog 3]

On 7/30/2023 at 1:18 PM, PinkElephant said:

As a matter of fact there is no need to backup anything. The local database can always be created from the server (although it takes some days on large accounts).

If you want to protect the existing local database, just locate it (the path is listed in the new field, right beside the menu to move it).

Make a copy „as it is“ to a different medium, like an external drive or an USB stick. Backup done …

Now proceed with moving it to another location.

Thank You a lot! I've moved the DB on the 256gb sd card which I use in my Surface and the process went smooth... everything seems ok up to now... 

...still evernote is not able to export in enex format or in html the entire notebook of 11.000 notes... it stops in the middle...

On the other hand evernote limits the selection of notes for export to 100 max...  so is not possible for me to make a massive copy of my 11.000 notes to have a backup of my content which is independent from evernote...

I will try the export to pdf, but I suspect there is an undeclared limit to the maximum number of notes to be exported in a single notebook.... or a bug maybe?

Thanks again

[PinkElephant 6,783]

You could give this project by a user a try:

https://github.com/vzhd1701/evernote-backup

[Carl-L-ND 53]

On 7/27/2023 at 4:32 PM, Carl-L-ND said:

After the latest update today, my current Evenote, version 10.59.5-win-ddl-public (5236)

seems to have a "Change" option available for

"Evernote local data" with  a blue  "NEW" flag next to it

 

Tools/ Settings/ Preferences/ Application

scroll down to bottom.

I'm getting that dang low space warning.

 

Further to this post, I was able to move the local database on my office DESKTOP but when I went to do so on my laptop, the option was not there.

I checked the version information and they almost identical, with one small difference.

DESKTOP (has option to move to other location)

10.59.5-win-ddl-public (5236)
Editor: v174.13.3
Service: v1.70.3

 

LAPTOP (lacks option)

10.59.5-win-winstore-public (5236)

Editor: v174.13.3

Service: v1.70.3

 

"ddl" I presume stands for Direct Down Load from Evernote.

That this option does not show on my laptop leaves me scratching my head.  Any ideas what is going on with this?

(10.59.5   is whacked.  Waiting for 10.60 )   🤔

[Jon/t 798]

7 minutes ago, Carl-L-ND said:

That this option does not show on my laptop leaves me scratching my head.  Any ideas what is going on with this?

 

From what I've read its a Windows store restriction. I think they run apps under different security levels. If you install from the direct download you get the feature.

[Carl-L-ND 53]

19 minutes ago, Jon/t said:

From what I've read its a Windows store restriction. I think they run apps under different security levels. If you install from the direct download you get the feature.

Wow!  *facepalm* this is a clusterF***

I'm not sure how to ensure I get a direct download.

I typically look under the Help menu and "Check for Updates"

I have seldom gone into the Windows Store and tried to update there.

So, I have no idea why my Laptop is from the Windows Store and my Desktop is from "DDL".

 

.

[Jon/t 798]

29 minutes ago, Carl-L-ND said:

I'm not sure how to ensure I get a direct download.

https://evernote.com/download

If you have the Windows store version then it was installed via Windows store. 

I think Microsoft have restrictions on what store apps can access. I have a file explorer from the Win store and the developer recommends using the direct download because of these restrictions.

[Carl-L-ND 53]

I updated my Evernote on my laptop by using the manual download from Evernote's download page and signing in.  Unfortunately it seems to have wiped away the Legacy v6 copy I was trying to retain due it has some PDF search functionality that V10 has not fixed as yet.

The laptop version now shows as "win-ddl" and I was able to move the database to a location where it will be automatically backed up.

Also a relief to have fixed the "permissions" issue in v10.60.5   v10.59.5  with this new v10.60.4.

.