Moving your data out of Evernote into plain text files ensures your notes stay safe under your own control. This process changes your files into a clean format that you can open on any computer or phone.
Clear Ways To Export Notes
Evernote uses a closed file type that can trap your text inside their software system. By changing your notes to basic text files, you protect your writing from sudden price changes and software updates.
Get Ready First
Prepare your computer and your current notebook files before you begin the export process.
Clean Old Files
Delete any duplicate drafts or useless notes to save time and space during the move.
Open your app and look through your list of notebooks. You likely have many old shopping lists, blank files, or duplicate notes that you no longer need. Take a few minutes to delete these extra items. Cleaning your data now means you will have fewer files to process later. It keeps your new text folder clean and free of junk. You will save hard drive space and avoid confusion when you look through your text files in the future.
Get Safe Folders
Create one clear storage spot on your computer to hold your new text notes safely.
Go to your desktop or documents directory and create a new folder. Name it something simple like "My Text Notes." Inside this main folder, make smaller folders that match your current notebook names. For example, create a folder named "Work" and another named "Personal." Setting up this basic structure on your computer now ensures that your exported files will have a neat home the moment they leave the app.
Pull Out Data
Learn how to use the built in software tools to pull your notes out of the application.
Use Main App
Open the desktop version of the software because the web browser version cannot export full notebooks.
You must log into the desktop application on a Windows PC or a Mac computer to export data. The mobile app and the website view do not have the tools needed to pull out mass amounts of text. Once you open the desktop app, click on the specific notebook you want to move. Highlight all the notes inside that notebook by pressing the select keys on your keyboard.
Pick Correct File
Choose the special file format that keeps your data intact during the export.
Right click on the highlighted notes and select the option to export. The software will ask you to choose a file format. Select the option that ends in .enex. This is the application's standard export format. It collects all your selected notes, tags, and dates, and packages them into one single file. Save this new file onto your desktop so you can find it easily for the next step.
Clean Cold Text
Change the exported code into clean words that any basic computer program can read instantly.
Strip Bad Code
Remove hidden formatting tags and website links that mess up your text files.
The file you just downloaded contains a large amount of hidden computer code that controls fonts, colors, and layouts. You need to strip this code away to get raw words. Open a web browser and navigate to a plain text converter website. Copy the text from your exported file and paste it into the converter tool. The tool will instantly delete the code and leave you with normal text.
Save As TXT
Name your new clean file correctly and use the basic text extension.
Copy the clean words out of the converter tool. Open a basic text program like Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on a Mac computer. Paste the clean words into a blank document. Go to the file menu and select save. Type a clear name for the note and make sure the file name ends with the .txt extension. This ensures the file is saved as a true plain text document.
Sort New Files
Organize your new text documents so you can find specific notes without using heavy search apps.
Date In Title
Put the exact date at the start of every file name for perfect sorting.
When you name your text files, always start the title with the date using the format Year-Month-Day. For example, name a file 2026-07-11-Work-Plan.txt. Because computer operating systems naturally sort files in alphabetical order, starting with the year and month ensures your notes will always stay in perfect chronological order automatically. You will never have to search blindly to find your most recent writing.
Use Basic Folders
Avoid using tags and rely on simple desktop folders to arrange your work.
Move your finished .txt files into the desktop folders you created earlier. Do not use application tags to sort your text files because those tags only work inside specific software programs. Standard computer folders work on every brand of device in the world. Placing your text files into folders like "Finances" or "Recipes" keeps your workspace simple, clear, and easy to navigate for decades.
Manage Hard Links
Fix the connections between your notes so your information stays connected outside the app.
Fix Page Paths
Change internal software links into standard computer file paths that you can click.
If you had notes that linked to each other inside the old app, those links will break when you move to plain text. To fix this, open the text file and look for the broken links. Replace them with the exact file path of the note on your hard drive. For example, write out the full folder location. This keeps your text files connected without needing a server to route your clicks.
Separate Image Files
Keep pictures and charts in their own folders instead of trying to paste them into text.
Plain text files cannot hold photographs or digital images. If you have notes that contain pictures, save those pictures as separate files like .jpg or .png. Place the image file in the same folder as the text note. Inside your text note, simply type the name of the image file as a reference. This keeps your data clean and prevents your text files from breaking or corrupting.
Pick Good Tools
Select the best simple software to read and write your plain text notes daily.
Use Native Apps
Stick to the default text programs that come built into your phone and computer.
You do not need to buy or download expensive software to manage plain text notes. Windows computers come with Notepad, and Mac computers come with TextEdit. Both of these tools open instantly, use zero battery power, and never try to sell you a monthly subscription. They treat your text files with care and never add hidden formatting code to your documents.
Set Up Sync
Use basic cloud folders to view your text files on your mobile phone safely.
If you want to read your text notes on your smartphone, move your main text folder into a basic cloud storage drive like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive. Download the matching cloud app on your phone. You can then open your .txt files on your mobile screen anytime. Any changes you type on your phone will save back to your computer automatically, giving you a fast system without any monthly fees.