Change Evernote installation drive?

[HailOdin 5]

On downloading and installing Evernote, there is no option to select where the program is installed (OS is Windows 10). I do not want to install it on my SSD but on some other drive. Is there any way to do this? Thanks

 

[agsteele 2,579]

No. Sadly not.

[Mike P 2,234]

I agree with @agsteele. Offering a different instalation location would be inconsistent with ENs "one size fits all" policy.

[luvmyc6 46]

On 1/11/2021 at 5:20 AM, HailOdin said:

On downloading and installing Evernote, there is no option to select where the program is installed (OS is Windows 10). I do not want to install it on my SSD but on some other drive. Is there any way to do this? Thanks

 

I agree with wanting to be able specify a different location for EN on Windows. At the very least, i would want to specify where the data part is to be located. I don’t mind the program being installed on my local C drive. But I like to have all my data stored on a secondary internal SSD drive which has lots of storage space. My C drive is a minimal sized SSD drive so I want to keep this reserved for programs only, which typically do not grow (too much) in size over time. Having the data on my larger sized secondary drive gives the repository room to grow over time.

[morvenwestfield 2]

I agree, too. I'm running Windows 10.  I have a very small SSD and though I have the room for installing the app, I don't want my data stored on that (C) drive. Is there any way to specify a different data drive? What about creating a [symbolic] link or something? Has anyone done that successfully?

SSDs are becoming more common on newer computers, so I can imagine this is going to become more of a problem.

If not, I can always go back to accessing Evernote using my browser, I suppose, but I was really interested in checking out the features of the app.

[PinkElephant 6,784]

No way with v10. It can be done with legacy, though I don’t know exactly how to on Windows. 

But it was posted here in the forum, so a search should make the thread available.

[eol 8]

Same problem here: small SSD, Evernote data takes 15 GB and growing. I like v10 but...

---

Well, those who google shall find.

Just now, I made a symbolic link to the Evernote folder on Windows 10 using this tutorial:

https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16226/complete-guide-to-symbolic-links-symlinks-on-windows-or-linux/

What I did:

1. Turn off Evernote 

2. Rename its data folder sitting in "C:\Users\{your user name}\AppData\Roaming" to "_Evernote"

3. Run cmd as administrator

4. Create new "Evernote" folder on another drive

5. Type in cmd:

MKLINK /J {original path} {new target path}

where: {original path}: C:\Users\{your user name}\AppData\Roaming\Evernote

and {new target path} is, for example: D:\Evernote

6. Delete original data folder

7. Run Evernote, login again

Works.

[PinkElephant 6,784]

An alternative where you can choose the drive is legacy:

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

 

If you then quit the local storage in v10 settings, it will maybe reduce the drive space needed.

[Howard Liu 0]

I just created a symbolic link as what eol had described above. It works now. What a relief to my burdensome C drive. Thanks.
Mine Evernote for Windows is 10.10.5.

[Mengsen 0]

I just reverted to an older version. This issue has been driving me nuts. I don't know why this is so difficult to fix by Evernote. 

[TomTrek99 0]

I can only agree with you here. I also urgently need a way to change the path ( Without this workaround described above ) . Otherwise, as a long-time customer, I will probably have to switch to another tool.

[PinkElephant 6,784]

The only way at the moment is legacy. There has been no indication that EN is working on changing the local storage target for v10.

[agsteele 2,579]

21 minutes ago, TomTrek99 said:

I can only agree with you here. I also urgently need a way to change the path ( Without this workaround described above ) . Otherwise, as a long-time customer, I will probably have to switch to another tool.

Is there something wrong with the workaround? A number of the competitor applications also work in Electron and suffer the same limitation.

[DavidP 5]

3 hours ago, agsteele said:

Is there something wrong with the workaround? A number of the competitor applications also work in Electron and suffer the same limitation.

The symbolic link workaround worked for me.

[Conscience 0]

On 2/16/2021 at 12:37 AM, eol said:

Same problem here: small SSD, Evernote data takes 15 GB and growing. I like v10 but...

---

Well, those who google shall find.

Just now, I made a symbolic link to the Evernote folder on Windows 10 using this tutorial:

https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16226/complete-guide-to-symbolic-links-symlinks-on-windows-or-linux/

What I did:

1. Turn off Evernote 

2. Rename its data folder sitting in "C:\Users\{your user name}\AppData\Roaming" to "_Evernote"

3. Run cmd as administrator

4. Create new "Evernote" folder on another drive

5. Type in cmd:

MKLINK /J {original path} {new target path}

where: {original path}: C:\Users\{your user name}\AppData\Roaming\Evernote

and {new target path} is, for example: D:\Evernote

6. Delete original data folder

7. Run Evernote, login again

Works.

Works like charm! Thanks for the solution. One addon: After step 5 you can copy data to new destination and evernote will work like previously it worked.

[PinkElephant 6,784]

Be aware that messing with the standard installation can lead to data loss and other adverse effects.

No problem with using the workaround, just don’t come back with any mimimi here if anything went wrong.

[Cuernavaca 0]

How could this not be solved in 2023? So frustrating. The simplest of programs offers the option of where to install - having to look on Google to find a workaround is not user friendly in any way.

[agsteele 2,579]

It isn't 'solved' because it isn't seen as a fault. Thankfully the way to resolve is detailed in this thread

[AyeBraine 0]

It is a fault if selecting an installation location (not for some entertainment application, but for a work tool that involves important and/or private data storage) requires a command line hack.

[PinkElephant 6,784]

The default location is the system drive. It up to the user to provide enough space there.

If you can’t, there are several options available:

Toggle the option to keep a local copy off in settings 

Use they web client

… or create a symlink to move the database elsewhere. This of course requires that you have another drive, which is more prohibitive for many users, than to enter a few commands.

Hint: We learned from EN that they are working on a settings option to choose a different location.

[cfluck 1]

The symbolic link did not work for me.  Link was successfully created, but now Evernote will not open.  Gives a config error.  I tried copying old files into the new destination folder; tried restarting computer; tried re-installing Evernote.  None work. 

[Wan fadzil 0]

This issue is urgent for me now as my C:/ drive is out of space, so EN no longer works on my PC even though I have 1TB data storage space on my D:/ drive. I can no longer add content to my EN

[JAB 0]

For me, Evernote Windows 10.41.5 is installed on a work laptop that is locked down by my IT department.  There is only ONE folder off the root drive that doesn't require ADMIN credentials to run applications.  IT installed Evernote but all subsequent updates that automatically download - fail.  So... every time I launch EN, I am told there is an update that will be downloaded.  It would be helpful to re-install Evernote in the non-restricted folder so that (theoretically), the updates will be applied with no issue.  Sounds like that this is not possible.  

[PinkElephant 6,784]

The change of the installation location is not for the app - it's for the database. The app will always install where the OS is installing apps by default.

If your IT doesn't want an app to be installed, or updated, there is little you can do about it. 10.41 is deprecated (as every client below 10.60). Probably the only chance to get it on a regular footing would be to uninstall the direct download, and install the version from the MS store instead.

Usually we warn against it, but on these locked down devices it may be the only option to get an updating client. Or use the web client.