(Archived) Extracting a PDF from a note

[lalogan 1]

On Evernote for Mac: When I drag a PDF into a note, it displays beautifully. Love it. However, sometimes I need to get that PDF back out - for example, to drop into another document, or to send to a colleague. (Sending the actual note isn't usually a great option, as I don't want to include any text I may have added.) How do you extract a PDF back out of a note, to use it as a file again?

[Metrodon 2,184]

Just drag it out to your desktop or anywhere else in Finder

[mikehartman 0]

Dragging to the desktop creates the file as a .enex.

I think what he might be asking is how to get it out as a PDF. In which case, you can print the file as a PDF.

[SaraS 5]

Right-click the pdf in your note and choose Save As.

[SaraS 5]

I just noticed that if you have the pdf displayed as an ATTACHMENT (rather than inline), you can drag the PDF icon to your desktop and that accomplishes the same thing as right-click > save as.

The save as trick works for both inline and attachment type pdfs.

[lalogan 1]

Metrodon & Mikehartman - It wasn't working to just 'drag' it out. Nothing came along with my cursor.

SaraS - interesting that you could drag it when displayed as an attachment. I can't drag it either way (attachment or inline). But your right-click > Save As trick worked perfectly. I can save it to the desktop and then use it as a pdf file again.

Thanks kindly!

[SaraS 5]

On the dragging - I think metrodon was referring to dragging the entire note (like from the snippet view or list view or whatever). When I do that, it does indeed create an ENEX file.

As for my attachment-drag trick, a picture might be helpful. You must drag just the icon portion of the attachment thing.

[attachment=0]Evernote.jpg[/attachment]

It is worth noting though that I am still on Snow Leopard. Maybe things changed with Lion.

Glad the right-click worked for you!

[lalogan 1]

Thanks for the follow up, SaraS!

A few things:

1. I just tried to do a search for 'pdf' in my search bar to easily see all my notes with pfds attached so I could troubleshoot this. It didn't bring up a single one - just notes that actually had 'pdf' in the text copy. I thought you could search by filetype - suggestions?

2. You are indeed right that dragging from the image icon works. This hadn't been working with my previous test file, which was a 40MB PDF. It kept causing the spinning wheel cursor instead. So the Save As seems to work better for me for large files. Seeing that drag and drop now works on smaller files, as long as done from the icon, makes more sense - was definitely what I had been expecting so it's nice to see it's as intuitive as that. Basically, from this, I've figured out it's not an Evernote feature/intuitiveness error, but perhaps my processor speed that caused my confusion

[jbenson2 2,147]

1. I just tried to do a search for 'pdf' in my search bar to easily see all my notes with pfds attached so I could troubleshoot this. It didn't bring up a single one - just notes that actually had 'pdf' in the text copy. I thought you could search by filetype - suggestions?

I believe Macs and Windows are the same.

In the Left Panel, try:

• > Attributes
  >> Contains
  >>> PDF document
  

Or use the search field:

• resource:application/pdf

.

[lalogan 1]

Thanks for the idea, although unfortunately it doesn't seem to be working...

Attaching a screenshot of the Mac desktop client Attributes options. Doesn't have the Contains > PDF selection you mentioned.

"Images" gets me every jpg, png, etc. and Attachments gets me the lone Numbers document I have in EN. Neither seem to be pulling any of my PDFs as results, and the resource:application/pdf search term you suggested also came up empty.

Strange. Thoughts?

Thanks much - loving all the great help on here!

[Metrodon 2,184]

On the dragging - I think metrodon was referring to dragging the entire note (like from the snippet view or list view or whatever). When I do that, it does indeed create an ENEX file.

As for my attachment-drag trick, a picture might be helpful. You must drag just the icon portion of the attachment thing.

[attachment=0]Evernote.jpg[/attachment]

It is worth noting though that I am still on Snow Leopard. Maybe things changed with Lion.

Glad the right-click worked for you!

This is what I meant - just explained far better.

[Metrodon 2,184]

Or use the search field:

resource:application/pdf

Works for me - make sure you are searching all your notes perhaps?

[lalogan 1]

Well I double-checked that when doing it (because who wants to be the girl that says "oh, wait, i was just on the wrong thing") and it wasn't working yesterday... but voilá, today it is. Thank you for the tip! Will get much use. Although I have to say it seems kind of a cumbersome way to do it, especially after reading the Windows platform has a clickable Contains > PDF auto-filter. First time maybe ever that I've found myself envying anything Windows

Thanks again! Really appreciate it.

[jbenson2 2,147]

Although I have to say it seems kind of a cumbersome way to do it, especially after reading the Windows platform has a clickable Contains > PDF auto-filter.

I agree it is difficult to remember. I save the more unusual searches in an Evernote note.

resource:application/pdf

You could also save it as Saved Search.

[lalogan 1]

Ah! Great idea - I never use Saved Searches to their full benefit. Perfect use for this. Thanks!