Multiple duplicate notes appear when editing note in web interface

[saytaNiX 2]

I don't use the web interface often, but almost every time i use it to edit multiple notes, duplicates start appearing, and if i keep going, more duplicates appear. When i get back to the windows app i have to find the right note and delete the rest.

[gazumped 11,652]

Do you have a slow connection?  Duplicates shouldn't -and usually don't- happen,  but if they do you can reasonably quickly clear up the mess by deleting all but one of them.

[saytaNiX 2]

Problem with clearing them all up is that they are all different versions of the note, so i have to find the one that is most recent - which can be difficult if i don't remember the changes I made. Can still be figured out, but would rather not have to deal with the issue.

 

As far as the connection speed, that is an interesting hypothesis. There are only 2 spots i access evernote on the web, and one of them does have a slow connection. I'll pay more attention next time when/if the duplication happens. However, i won't be in either of those two spots for a few weeks. :/

[ramseyb 0]

Hi I'm having the same problem. It appears to occur whenever the app auto-saves the note I'm working on so I get a series of notes several minutes apart representing the versions along the way. I've tried the two browsers I have at my disposal in my work environment being IE11 and Firefox with both exhibiting the same behaviour. Really disappointing because I can't install the desktop app in my work environment

[gazumped 11,652]

Hmmn.  Wasn't aware that the browser client set up different versions of a note unless there was some sort of conflict in the editing.  That would be worth a support request if you can make one - see the link and Twitter address below..

[Stuhrer 252]

Today I experienced the same problem for the "not any more beta version" for the first time. I just realized that I now have 6 versions of the same note I was working on today. All of them have different change dates and the one changed last contains my latest changes thank god. I have no idea what the reason could be. The only thing that is a bit unusual is that normally I don't work that long on a single note.

[gibbypoo 0]

This is still happening in the web client. What's worse is that before I can delete the absurd number of copies, I must first find the most up to date copy that has my latest updates which, when we're talking about 20+ duplicates, is no fun.

[CFJ 1]

HELP - I am having exactly this issue! Multiple duplicate notes, 20-30 of them, some completely identical, some with new info part saved, and they reappear as you delete them so you never make headway. I have been on Evernote for less than 1 month, use Windows 10 and Chrome, and use it as online storage for meeting schedules and plans - no pics, no clips, no videos, just text (well under the allowed limit). Also, at the same time this started Evernote stopped saving properly and keeps suddenly flagging a red band at the top of the screen telling me it is unable to save my note, often losing paragraphs of work that I thought had been saved. And no ability to contact Evernote to tell them they have a system bug! Is Evernote usually this glitchy, and has anyone solved this problem? Thanks

[gazumped 11,652]

OK - If there's no other apparent fix,  the way to avoid duplicates is to draft notes in a word processor or notepad,  and copy/ paste the content into the Evernote window when you finish editing.  There's always the option to save the document as a file and attach it to the note,  so that you can continue to edit in compatible software on another device later. 

It's not that Evernote is 'glitchy'.  The bottom line here is that browser-based editing is inherently unstable.  Fine for short notes,  but not for something you're working on for any length of time.  Network speeds vary,  devices make and break wifi connections,  and browsers may have other traffic to handle like webmail or page updates. 

There are a lot of reasons why Evernote might try a simple sync of an ongoing edit and find that its server is not available.  Which is when it starts re-syncing again and again,  and partial copies of notes start to appear online.

I've had the same problem with multiple interfaces on different browsers in some locations.  If the web connection isn't working for you,  the simplest and quickest fix is to use other software for drafting and editing which is not reliant on a reasonable internet connection.   

[Sylynn 1]

I've just started having this issue today and would love a solution. The desktop app isn't an option as I don't want to pay extra for the additional device. I've seen mentioned this is just an issue that comes from browser-based editing, however I've been using the web app since it was first offered and today is the first time I've had this issue. I didn't even notice the duplicates for a while, but kept finding things I typed occasionally disappear, only to find them in other versions of the note. This is ridiculous and have found posts on this for a couple years now. You'd think in that time this would have been fixed by now.

[gazumped 11,652]

Hi.  Difficult to see what Evernote can 'fix' since you;re using third party software to create the note (ie your browser) and the most likely cause is a slow or intermittent connection by the browser with the internet.  See the posts immediately above yours for possible work-arounds,  or try the installed desktop version.  The limitation is two simultaneous devices (plus the web) but you can opt to replace one of the current devices (if you already have two) with your desktop for as long as you use it...

[Madhav 0]

I have the same issue, before I realised there were 6 copies of my note. And I mistakenly took for granted that all are up to date and deleted 5 of them.

Luckily I could revoke the latest one from trash. Hope this is fixed soon! I want to better spend my time on taking notes, then finding my updated note!

[CFJ2 0]

Lots of people having this issue (see above, and Google) and Evernote not really bothered about it. I now use GDocs - much, much better!

[VivekKrishnaPrasad 0]

I have the same issue with no workaround so far.

Although I have a premium subscription, I am forced to use the web version of Evernote while at work owing to corporate policies. Sure wish there was an easy fix to this issue.

[Sylynn 1]

Wish there was a fix too, but it seems producing a quality product is low on Evernote's priorities. Since I mentioned my issue I've been using Google Docs and Apple Notes and - despite access from third party software (Chrome), they've been working flawlessly. To the one who suggested our browsers being the issue, that's the purpose of testing. No, you can't test for every browser out there, but when it comes to Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge & Safari; those should not be an issue. If programming to work on these is too difficult, don't release a web version. Evernote is too big now for that kind of excuse.

[bws92082 0]

Same exact issue for me--using Chrome on my desktop--kinda scares me because I wonder if this is a prelude to something worse happening.

Is Evernote aware?

[gazumped 11,652]

11 hours ago, bws92082 said:

Is Evernote aware?

What,  exactly,  would you expect Evernote to do about this?  As already commented - IMHO - if you're using a browser over a lengthy period to send data to the cloud,  a lot can go wrong over which Evernote has no control.  It can reject the information it receives, or it can process everything that comes in;  but if what's being sent from the browser doesn't come in coherent chunks,  how can the app interpret the input it receives differently?  It's not an obvious question of improving the coding. Most times if there's a hiccup in a connection,  web pages or short forms don't have an issue.  Apart from Evernote it's not all that common to be processing long reports or big spreadsheets through a direct connection to the cloud.

(And before anyone mentions Google here,  that's a different horse:  the original files in that case are stored on the server and processed via a remote terminal.  Evernote isn't set up that way,  and I don't know how expensive or complicated it would be to add that sort of channel for the web client.)

[Sylynn 1]

Is Evernote aware? I hope so given this is their official forum.

To suggest they can't fix this because it is a web client on a browser is a cop out. The fact is, I can do send information to the cloud via various methods (Facebook, Twitter, Apple Notes, OneNote, Blogger, Wordpress.com, and any number of other services without issue. It's only with Evernote that I am experiencing this. Is it too expensive to make it work? That's for Evernote to decide, but they really shouldn't provide one that doesn't work correctly for the sake of cutting costs. Is it too complicated? Considering other companies are capable of doing this I'd say no, but whether it's too complicated for the programmers Evernote has employed is a different matter.

[DreamWeaver2500 23]

I have had this problem on and off but it got worse recently. Trying to paste in and edit a note, was repeatedly thrown out and immediately more copies of the note appeared. At one point I counted 29 duplicates. I know my connection has been slowing on and off the past few days (iSP Frontier, don'tcha know). Worse the duplicates take a very long time to delete and then I must go into the trash and delete them from there. I've never had so much trouble with Evernote. I guess since this has been an issue they've known about for years, I should not hope very much for a fix.

Another issue I've reported is that in moving text around inside a note, the font size of all or part of the pasted material dramatically changes to from 14 to 24 and must be put back at 14. 

Instead of adding so many bells and whistles such as chat for which there are other apps, why not just make a functional product in which to paste, edit, and save notes.

[gazumped 11,652]

1 hour ago, DreamWeaver2500 said:

I guess since this has been an issue they've known about for years, I should not hope very much for a fix.

What are Evernote going to fix exactly?  I don't mean to be negative,  but if you're working in a browser,  a good internet connection is a basic necessity.  If the connection is spotty,  the best Evernote can do is rescue whatever it can from the browser cache and create a new note rather than overwrite what you may have already changed.  The 'duplicate' notes are a safety feature,  preserving everything you enter and not overwriting what might have been important changes.

If you have a bad internet connection,  is there a reason you prefer not to use the installed client,  which saves locally and works much faster since it doesnt have to contend with the network connection?

[DreamWeaver2500 23]

2 hours ago, gazumped said:

What are Evernote going to fix exactly?  I don't mean to be negative,  but if you're working in a browser,  a good internet connection is a basic necessity.  If the connection is spotty,  the best Evernote can do is rescue whatever it can from the browser cache and create a new note rather than overwrite what you may have already changed.  The 'duplicate' notes are a safety feature,  preserving everything you enter and not overwriting what might have been important changes.

If you have a bad internet connection,  is there a reason you prefer not to use the installed client,  which saves locally and works much faster since it doesnt have to contend with the network connection?

This is not the only thread discussing the issue. Another thread here

https://discussion.evernote.com/topic/79148-duplicate-notes-issue/

has an Evernote employee acknowledging that this issue is a bug, claiming they issued a fix where there will be no more multiple notes when the Internet connection is lost so that speaks for itself. In my case my Internet connection has been weird, not completely lost but on and off slow the past few days. As far as "not using the installed client" I am on a Chromebook and am using the Evernote app from the Chrome webstore. I wonder, are you an employee of Evernote with authority to make decisions or just a user attempting to be helpful to other users?

 

[DTLow 5,736]

1 minute ago, DreamWeaver2500 said:

I wonder, are you an employee of Evernote with authority to make decisions or just a user attempting to be helpful to other users?

This is a user discussion forum
Evenote employess do pop in occasionally, but they are clearly indentified in the sidebar

[gazumped 11,652]

Yup.  Not an employee,  just another user.  Having a Chromebook is quite an acceptable reason for not using the desktop application - I was just making the point that if you can avoid accessing the web application,  it's probably a good idea.

My question about what action would you expect was quite genuine - in the thread you mention,  Evernote don't say they've identified or fixed a specific bug,  they're just trying to reduce the number of cases where notes are saved more than once..

-and that thread includes a number of different scenarios for multiple notes,  from glitchy connections to multiple scanned copies.

[Tim2324 0]

Left to OneNote because of this!

[kartik0025 1]

I've the same problem. And I'm on Linux so desktop application is not available. My only option is to use the web client, which is, because of this problem, not very useful.

[gazumped 11,652]

On 28/08/2017 at 6:11 PM, kartik0025 said:

I've the same problem. And I'm on Linux so desktop application is not available. My only option is to use the web client, which is, because of this problem, not very useful.

And in another thread recently...

 

[Krishna Das 0]

On 9/28/2015 at 10:43 AM, ramseyb said:

Hi I'm having the same problem. It appears to occur whenever the app auto-saves the note I'm working on so I get a series of notes several minutes apart representing the versions along the way. I've tried the two browsers I have at my disposal in my work environment being IE11 and Firefox with both exhibiting the same behaviour. Really disappointing because I can't install the desktop app in my work environment

same problem man!! ditto!!

it's really frustrating...i use chrome..

[VSE 0]

It's October 2017 and it's still happening (in addition to a host of other bugs / issues, both with the web-based and app-based versions).  As well, Evernote has severe limitations in text formatting, especially for math formulas etc. but also basic text formatting).  I use the Premium tier. 

And it just occurred to me that anything Evernote can do, Google Drive can do better (including support for math symbols and non-trivial, non-buggy formatting).  Does anyone have a solution to migrating an entire Evernote database to an equivalent hierarchy of google drives and docs?  Note I'm not referring to exporting Evernote docs in their proprietary format, I am referring to a one-way migration such that the Google text editor can be used with the migrated files.  Many thanks.

 

[rdeaton8 0]

I have the same problem  20 duplicates as of right now and its driving me crazy. I really like evernote but this is ridiculous...I'm going to try the desktop version but honestly I am very disappointed!

In my opinion it is not the browser or internet speed etc...I have absolutely zero issues with all other websites/products and my internet speed is 30mb download and 5 upload. Other alternatives such as google docs, one drive, etc all work fine and evernote (web based) is the only place where i have this issue.  

[llorar.21 0]

Same problem. i wish there would at least be a way to see which one is the latest because the auto-saved notes don't even appear in the right order. would save a lot of time.

[SoManyNotes 0]

I'm also using Linux, so no good alternatives, and none officially supported. I also experience the problem. Come on Evernote, this thread started in 2015 and it's 2018 now. (You could of course start officially supporting Linux instead)

[Nabana 0]

June 2018 and this problem still exists. The deflection of a legitimate issue is pretty unprofessional as well - saying it's the fault of the "third-party software (the browser)", not Evernote. Of course I'm using a browser - how else would I access the website? Good companies make good software with good error handling. Network latency is something that needs to be accounted for in any reputable web app. Saying that the user should use Word or Notepad to write it then copy it over is basically saying "if you'd like to use our software successfully, your best bet is to not use our software as much as possible."

[gazumped 11,652]

Evernote are currently rolling out a new Web client which may perform better - time will tell.  As their long terms plans included a rewritten interface,  they may have been unwilling to commit any resources to the older version.  If you have any problems,  best raise them with Support on https://help.evernote.com/hc/requests/new, or https://twitter.com/evernotehelps if that link won't work for you. 

[kostushka 0]

The same problem. Create new notes via web-clipper, as a result multiple duplicates of all notes. Several times web-clipper dropped down with error, but synchronization was completed. 

[ekamclau 1]

same issue.  excellent connection at work, or at home with cable internet.  this issue of duplicating notes is enough to make one move to another platform.

[dh_payne 1]

I finally searched and discovered this thread after I've experienced the same issue for months now.  I agree with @gazumped that this is a problem with the web client.  I have no issues whatsoever with the app on my smartphone or tablet, so frequently in the past I would just switch to my tablet for lengthy notes (which I type on an almost daily basis).  Today, though, I jumped on the web client and discovered a work around.  As I was typing away, I noticed on my screen what appeared to be a "refresh" behavior, followed by the appearance of the duplicate note copy (less the last few words I typed before the behavior).  What I tried for the remainder of the time I was typing, approximately 30 minutes, was every paragraph or so, I click on the grayed out check mark to force a sync (Also discovered clicking out of the note momentarily had the same effect.).  The forced sync seems to eliminate the "refresh" behavior or maybe just resets the timer before the "refresh" occurs.  Either way, I was able to eliminate all of the multiple note saves that generated a slightly different copy of the same note. 

It's obviously not a fix to the problem, but it is indeed a beneficial work-around.  Like @gazumped said, the issue may not be Evernote's to fix.  Hope this is helpful to someone out there.

[snommis 0]

I'm having the same issue and now the note I created overwrote one of my older notes and now that data is gone.  I'm thinking of moving away from Evernote as it seems this is a constant problem with them and now I've lost data that I can't get back and their support is terrible!

[DreamWeaver2500 23]

Same issue and it has been reported to Evernote for years now. For me, the duplicate notes are enough trouble, but imagine much more of a concern for Evernote since all of those deleted note copies take up considerable room on their servers. The major problem for me is of all the duplicate notes, which one is showing my latest updates and which ones can be deleted. So as I'm editing, I've starred to add shortcut to the latest one, the one I want to keep editing on. That worked until today, the system ended up starring the copies too. So I put an asterisk (*) in the title of the one I want to use and that worked. The point is to make some kind of distinguishing mark so you are only working with one note.

Another issue for another topic but an annoyance is when clicking a link in Evernote. In the past, you would go right to the web page of that link. Some time ago, they added a most (to me) unhelpful extra step -- clicking a link takes you to a browser page to tell you that you are leaving Evernote. You need to wait for this page to load and then click again to reach your destination. It's easier to just copy the link and paste it in a browser. This is an example of Evernote's mindset, add extra features that are pretty useless, instead of fixing the issues most users are complaining about such as the duplicate notes.

Why these folks don't listen to their customers -- or at least explain why they can't fix the issue -- boggles the mind.

 

[DreamWeaver2500 23]

On 6/23/2018 at 8:34 AM, gazumped said:

Evernote are currently rolling out a new Web client which may perform better - time will tell.  As their long terms plans included a rewritten interface,  

God help us all.

[gazumped 11,652]

4 hours ago, DreamWeaver2500 said:

they added a most (to me) unhelpful extra step -- clicking a link takes you to a browser page to tell you that you are leaving Evernote.

Half a dozen of the apps I use are exactly the same - I'd suspect that it was a change in HTML standards or some such that says "warn users before they exit a secure link and move to another".  Not a random Evernote choice anyway.

4 hours ago, DreamWeaver2500 said:

Why these folks don't listen to their customers -- or at least explain why they can't fix the issue

I'm sure they listen - but their product,  their rules.  They don't have to do anything - including justify their action or inaction.

4 hours ago, DreamWeaver2500 said:

God help us all.

I hope He does - but meantime it appears that Evernote have been listening,  are doing something to fix and improve issues,  and are asking for user input. 

The fact they've said nothing for a while is probably something to do with the time it takes to code an effective web-based copy of a desktop app...

[DreamWeaver2500 23]

7 minutes ago, gazumped said:

They don't have to do anything - including justify their action or inaction.

Respectful question: have you appointed yourself the Evernote "public relations" voice to take the place of Evernote actually listening and actually responding to customers? Your "I'm sure they listen" is distinct from what I think you know people mean when they write such comments. I for one have been voicing suggestions to them via a direct contact form, for years, without any acknowledgement much less response or action. There are many ways Evernote could be improved but I for one am just about tired of spending my time and energy trying to get these folks to show signs of life or interest in their product. I just try my best to work around the crappy parts of it and get on with my life. The only reason I posted today was to share my workaround for the duplicate issue ... I really did not need the "they don't have to do anything" -- I can only imagine every business being conducted with that thought foremost in mind -- which seems to be more and more the case. PR spin and rude comebacks in place of a product that is democratically found useful.

[DTLow 5,736]

1 minute ago, DreamWeaver2500 said:

Respectful question: have you appointed yourself 

@gazumped is not the typical user posting "Boohoo, Evernote's so bad" in these forums
His posts are more of the helping users type.

[gazumped 11,652]

Nope,  not 'appointed' to anything apart from bed very shortly - it's past 0200 in the UK and believe me I need the beauty sleep...

Equally respectfully,  I'm not defending Evernote,  just pointing out facts of life and airing my opinions as a(nother) user of the product.  There are other apps that show the "you're leaving" message,  this really is not a democracy - Evernote call the shots,  - and you can't have logic both ways.  If Evernote are not listening to customers and not reacting,  how come they launched a new web client?  It wasn't cobbled together overnight (probably...  )

[DreamWeaver2500 23]

5 minutes ago, gazumped said:

Nope,  not 'appointed' to anything apart from bed very shortly - it's past 0200 in the UK and believe me I need the beauty sleep...

Equally respectfully,  I'm not defending Evernote,  just pointing out facts of life and airing my opinions as a(nother) user of the product.  There are other apps that show the "you're leaving" message,  this really is not a democracy - Evernote call the shots,  - and you can't have logic both ways.  If Evernote are not listening to customers and not reacting,  how come they launched a new web client?  It wasn't cobbled together overnight (probably...  )

Look, I guess I'm just trying to point out that this is a forum and people have the right to air their opinions/grievances and of course positive feedback. You say you aren't defending Evernote but my impression is that you are. Again we all know "Evernote calls the shots" when you point out the obvious and then add more defensive comments it seems to me that it chills discussion. I'm going by exchanges people have had with you on other threads ... the entire picture. You have raised some hackles. If you are just another user, why not just post what YOU like or don't like about Evernote, as most everyone else does. With this I'm bowing out of this discussion, I see you have a supporter so perhaps there's something more to your activity than I've missed so far, if so I apologize. Have a good night.

[CalS 5,280]

14 hours ago, gazumped said:

it's past 0200 in the UK and believe me I need the beauty sleep...

Nothing good happens after 2:00 AM.

[gazumped 11,652]

1 hour ago, CalS said:

Nothing good happens after 2:00 AM.

Sleep does.  Sleep is g-o-o-o-o-o-d...  (just yawned while thinking about it.  I think I'll just rest my eyesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss)

[CalS 5,280]

5 minutes ago, gazumped said:

Sleep does.  Sleep is g-o-o-o-o-o-d...  (just yawned while thinking about it.  I think I'll just rest my eyesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss)

Thinking of my younger days I suppose.