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Restoring Note from Time Machine


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I don't know how this happened but I realized that 90% of the note which includes my To Do list is missing. Since it's already synced from my laptop to phone, I want to pull the old copy from Time Machine. I've been reading several documents trying to figure out how to do it and I'm stumped. I don't know if my problem is on the Evernote end or the Time Machine end. 

To be safe, I exported all notes which have been modified since my last backup into a .enex file. I just can't figure out how to import my last backup. 

From this: https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/209005557, I can't seem to figure out how to find the .enex backup to do the restore.

 

Quote

 

How to restore notes and notebooks

Import your ENEX (.enex) backup files to restore your notes and tags back into your Evernote account.

On Mac

  1. Select File > Import Notes...
  2. Locate and select the ENEX (.enex) file from where it's been saved on your computer

 

  1.  

Thanks for the help.

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Hi.  Big Caveat - I'm not a Mac or Time Machine user;  but it seems to me your problem is more in identifying the file(s) in Time Machine that you need to extract in order to restore your notes to the latest version.

This page has three options for recovering data,  or which I think you want No 3 - http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/restore-data-time-machine-backups/

I'd say that you need to extract from your backup file(s) the same notes that you have already exported from Evernote.

The part that I can't answer for you,  is what to do with those files when you have them.  They're presumably not ENEX files - you're working with a backup of your database as it stood 24 hours ago.  You might be able to simply restore those note files to their previous location and replace the newer ENEXed versions.  But the chances are that Evernote will then 'update' those notes on sync to the latest,  shorter version.

So if you can replace the newer files,  you need to make sure that you're disconnected from the network;  and then re-export those notes to ENEX or copy/move the notes to another notebook to save them from being updated,  before reconnecting.

It may be simpler just to use Note History - no restores or exports required,  just reset each note back to its condition 24 hours ago.  You may need to upgrade to Premium to do so - it'll cost you a few $$ for a month or Premium...

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On 2016-11-24 at 5:58 AM, blovitt said:

I don't know how this happened but I realized that 90% of the note which includes my To Do list is missing. Since it's already synced from my laptop to phone, I want to pull the old copy from Time Machine. I've been reading several documents trying to figure out how to do it and I'm stumped. I don't know if my problem is on the Evernote end or the Time Machine end. 

To be safe, I exported all notes which have been modified since my last backup into a .enex file. I just can't figure out how to import my last backup. 

From this: https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/209005557, I can't seem to figure out how to find the .enex backup to do the restore.

I'm a Mac user

I would agree with @gazumped, that unless you have planned for your backups/restore; Note History would be an easier option.
Personally I don't like messing with my database, and have turned off TM for the database folder

To restore from Note History,Screen Shot 2016-11-25 at 8.04.25 AM.png

I click on the (i) information Icon,
then Note History
A list of backed up versions of your note is displayed

 

To restore from Time Machine backups

You're talking about both Time Machine database backups and .enex exports
These are two seperate things.

The TM would have backed up your database
First, you need to know your database location,

To locate the databaseUntitled.jpeg

On My Mac, I click on About Evernote, and press the option key

A link to the database appears

This is the folder you want to restore.

You should look at the posting below for further information and detailed instructions

 

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Thanks both for your help. I had someone (who knows more than I) walk me through it. We copied the database folder from TM, replaced the current one, and when we reopened Evernote, we saw it migrating in old notes. For about a second, I SAW THE OLD NOTE at the top of the list during the import (note title "To Do" with date November 2nd, when I last backed up)....but then it was gone. I sorted all the notes by date and by title and it didn't appear in either sort. We tried a couple of times, same result. 

Is it possible to copy/import a single note? Through some process, I found hundreds of files with the extension .enspot which I thought might be individual notes, but I didn't have any luck. 

This it the first problem I've had in 4 years so I'm hesitant to spend the money on Premium (even though I know that's the easiest solution). 

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On 25/11/2016 at 2:42 PM, gazumped said:

But the chances are that Evernote will then 'update' those notes on sync to the latest,  shorter version.

Yup - try repeating that process again,  but this time be disconnected from the network;  don't let Evernote sync.  Then,  export your 'missing' note(s) to an ENEX file and save that somewhere.  Reconnect and let Evernote build up your database again - and then import from that ENEX file to restore your note.

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On 2016-11-26 at 7:40 AM, blovitt said:

Is it possible to copy/import a single note? Through some process, I found hundreds of files with the extension .enspot which I thought might be individual notes, but I didn't have any luck. 

Yes, but I wouldn't advise it

Evernote/Mac stores each note as a separate folderScreen Shot 2016-11-20 at 7.47.03 AM.png

As you can see in the image, I have a note is stored in folder named 0A0ADA.......

So, your first challenge is finding the folder.

  • It helps if you type something unique in the note, like "dsfdsfdsfasdf" and then search your Mac
  • The official method is to access the database and retrieve the folder name

If you update the note files from TM
make sure edit the note in Evernote so it syncs to the servers

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