How do I backup my notes?
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I have just downloaded simplenotes and it looks like just what I want. But one thing I need to be able to do is backup the notes every day AUTOMATICALLY. I hope all I need to do that is to know where the notes are stored . ie. the path & file name. I can then add that files to my autobackup software (I use Carbonite). I assume it is that simple. Then if my computer dies (as has just happened) as part of the restore process I can download the simplenotes app and just retore the notes file to the proper place.
As an aside, I would like to be able to add a shortcut to my windows 11 desktop, but all I seem to be able to do is to add one to the taskbar, which I would prefer not to. -
Hi. I don’t think you can do that automatically. The notes are stored in a database, and you cannot normally restore a database by just bringing back a file. However, it’s easy to create a backup. In the Windows app (or the web app), select Settings, Tools, Export. This gives you a zip file that can be Imported to restore the data. You’ll want to rename the zip file to reflect the date of the backup.
But remember, your notes are also stored on the Simplenote cloud server, provided your computer is online. So when you install a new copy of the Simplenote app and log in, it downloads all your data from the cloud. You can access the notes from other devices using either the Simplenote app or the web app at app.simplenote.com.
Personally, I use Simplenote on two iPads and a Win 11 PC. I grab an Export every Sunday morning, save the latest 3 on the iPad, and archive them all to my cloud service. That ensures I can recover any old note that may have become corrupted.
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Hi. Thanks for your reply. I will use the export to a zip file method for now. I have been backing up database files made through Microsoft SQL software for years, and have often had to restore them from my backup for one reason or another, with 100% success.
Do you know the path & file name for the simplenotes database file? As I said, I will use the zip file method, but would like to experiment with using my current backup system through Carbonite as that backs up any file I update continually and automatically within seconds wherever I update a file. I don’t have to think about doing anything. When my PC died 2 weeks a o Carbonite restored 269,000 files to my new computer with, as far as I can tell at the moment, 100% accuracy.
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I do not know the path of the Simplenote files; you could try searching. But why do you feel the Simplenote cloud storage is not sufficient? Are you behind some sort of absolute firewall, like a prison or classified facility? Certainly a slam-bang restore of an old Simplenote backup would upset its rather delicate cloud sync mechanism.
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After many years (approaching 50) using computers I have developed a significant concern regarding my data, particularly more recently when things are being stored in the ‘cloud’. I have seen so many occasions when data gets lost. I just worry about it going astray in some way. I know it is probably silly to worry about such things, but that’s how I am. I also do not like something that appears to be beyond my control. In your reply you say ‘would upset its rather delicate cloud sync mechanism’. That immediately starts huge bells ringing in my mind. ‘Delicate’ to me means something fragile, easily broken, or needing gentle care. That alone makes me concerned about how it works. I don’t have time to have that sort of problem potentially hanging over me. I will follow your advice about using the ‘zip’ method, and the ‘zip file’ will be automatically backed up, but I haven’t had to worry about thinking ‘don’t forget to do the zip files’ every day. I guess I’ll soon get used to it.
On the subject of things going wrong, this whole situation started because my previous PC died very unexpectedly following a power outage. I had surge protection, so hadn’t worried about that. But in the event it turned out my surge protection wasn’t working and my whole system got fried. There seems to be no way to check if your surge protection is or isn’t working. So I now have 2 layers of new surge protection. But that situation alone has made me very aware of just how easily things can go astray and get lost. Sorry if my concerns seem unnecessary to you, but we all have our own little ways of dealing with things.
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