Transfer iPhone, iPad or iPod touch notes to your Mac or PC computer

A note on an iPhone or iPad can contain text, images, and other attachments, from family recipes to meeting minutes. The Notes app exports one note at a time, so saving a large collection means repeating the process for each note. Notes saved to the On My iPhone or On My iPad account are stored only on the device and in its backups, not in iCloud.

With iMazing, you can transfer multiple notes to your computer as text files, save their attachments, and export individual notes as PDFs.

You can also browse and extract notes from any iOS backup, including those made with iTunes, Finder, or Apple Devices. With iMazing's Snapshot List, you can view earlier versions of your notes without connecting your device, using snapshots created exclusively by iMazing.

Here's how to transfer iPhone, iPad or iPod touch notes to your Mac or PC computer.

Select Notes

iMazing displays the Overview screen for the selected device. The top row shows the most commonly used datasets, such as Messages, Photos, and Music. Click Notes. If you do not see it, click More to display every dataset available for the device.

Choose how to load your data

iMazing needs to create a backup to extract data from your device. You can choose whether you only need access to your notes, or whether you want to create a full, restorable backup of the device. A partial backup uses much less storage, but both options take about the same amount of time because all files are streamed from your device to your computer during the process. iMazing cannot control which files are streamed.

Click Start to launch the operation. iMazing prompts you to enter the passcode on the device.

If a backup of the device already exists, iMazing shows the following prompt instead. Choose whether to open the existing backup or run a subsequent backup to refresh the contents.

Browse your notes

Once iMazing finishes loading the data, it displays your notes in the main window.

Browse an existing backup

You can browse your notes without connecting your iPhone, as long as iMazing already holds a backup of the device. iMazing can also open backups made with iTunes, Finder, or Apple Devices once you add them to iMazing.

1. On the Home Screen, open the Backups section to see every backup iMazing manages.
2. Select the backup you want to open. iMazing opens it so you can browse its content, no device connection is required.
3. On the backup Overview, click Notes in the datasets row.

Browse from a previous snapshot

Each time iMazing backs up your device, it keeps a timestamped snapshot, so you can open your notes as they existed at an earlier date. This works like macOS Time Machine, applied to your iOS or iPadOS backups.

By default, iMazing shows the current state of your device or the latest backup. To reach an earlier state:

1. Select your device or a backup from the Home Screen.
2. In the upper toolbar, click the Now button to open the Snapshot List.
3. Select an earlier snapshot. iMazing reloads the Notes view with the notes contained in that snapshot.

A gray checkmark marks the state you are currently viewing. Select Now again to return to the current state.

Filter and select your notes

You can narrow down and organize the notes list with these tools:

• Search Notes…: Find a note by a word or phrase.
• From and to: Show only the notes from a specific period.
• Sort by and the order button: Sort your notes by Date edited or Title, in either order.
• The folders of each account and All Notes: Focus on one account, such as iCloud, or on one folder, then select All Notes to see every note again.
• The expand button: Read a long note in a larger view.

Select the notes to export.

Export your notes

Click Export in the bottom right corner of the window, then choose a format. To print the selected note, click Print.

Single note

• Export Attachments: iMazing exports the images of the note, without its text.
• Export to PDF: iMazing exports the note as a PDF file.
• Export to Text: iMazing exports the note as a plain text file, with mentions of images or attachments, but without the actual images or attachments.

Multiple notes

• Export Attachments: iMazing exports all images in separate folders matched to their notes, without the text of the notes.
• Export to Text: iMazing exports each note as an individual text file, with mentions of images or attachments, but without the actual images or attachments.

Export to PDF is not available when several notes are selected.