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

If you do not sync the Notes app via the cloud, Apple does not provide options to export notes from your device to your computer.

With iMazing you can export multiple notes to your Mac or PC computer, as a PDF or text file. You can even browse notes from a backup of your device – a lifesaver if your device was lost or stolen.

1. Launch iMazing on your computer
2. Connect your device to your Mac or PC via USB
3. Click on Devices in the left pane
4. View the datasets you can export
5. Select backup options
6. Click Export button to choose a file format

Before you begin

Always make sure you are running the latest iMazing version, to do so select Check for Updates from the iMazing menu, or just download the latest available version for your computer below.

Download and install iMazing on your Mac or PC computer.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Launch iMazing on your computer

Download and install iMazing. For more details please refer to our guide available for PC and for Mac.

2. Connect your device to your Mac or PC via USB

iMazing will prompt you to connect the device to your computer on the first time you're using it. To do so use a USB cable, and unlock the device using your passcode, Face ID or Touch ID, and follow the instructions for pairing.

💡 Tip: For more details on connections and pairing refer to this guide.

3. Click on Devices in the left pane

From the decvices view you will see all the devices previously connected and paired to your computer. Click to select a device.

💡 Tip

Once your device is connected and paired, you can access any dataset or tool directly in iMazing.

• Click on the Devices section in the left sidebar, which reveals all paired devices.
• Select a device to access all its information.
• From there, you can select Data or Tools in the sidebar to access all available datasets and tools for that device.

4. View the datasets you can export

iMazing will display the Overview screen for the selected device. From here you can access all available datasets for that device. The top row shows the most commonly used datasets, such as Messages, Photos, Music, and more. If you don't see the dataset you want, click the More button in the top row to see all available datasets for that device.

💡 Tip: Altenatively, click on Data in the left pane to see every single dataset available for that device, including shortcuts to third party apps such as VLC and more.

5. Select backup options

iMazing needs to proceed to a backup to extract data. You can now decide if you want a full restorable backup of the device or only need to access the notes only. The first option uses less storage, the second is restorable.

Click the Start button to launch the operation, you will be prompted to enter the passcode on the device.

❗ Important: The first time a device is being accessed by iMazing the process will take a while, up to one hour or more, so please be patient.

💡 Tip: Learn more about data access and full backup options.

If there is a preexisting backup of the device, the previous screen will not be displayed and instead you will be be asked if you want to use this existing backup, or perform a subsequent backup to refresh the contents.

💡 Tips:

• Subsequent backups are incremental and much quicker!
• Learn more about backup snapshots.
• You can always request iMazing to make a newer backup with the Refresh button (the circular arrow) in the top navigation bar.

iMazing loads your device's notes in the main window.

6. Choose notes and export

When you select a note in the left column, you'll see it's contents displayed in the right column. You can select one or more notes to export, and navigate between different folders in the center column.

Once you've made your selection, click the Export button in the bottom right corner of the window. You can choose to export a single note as follows:

• Attachments: Images are exported solely, without the text of the note.
• PDF: The note is exported as a PDF file.
• Text: The note is exported as a plain text file -- with mentions of images or attachments, but without the actual images or attachments.

💡 Tip: Use the CTRL/Command, or SHIFT keys to select multiple notes or folders.

Multiple notes selections can be exported as follows:

• Attachments: All images are exported in separated and matched folders, without the text of the notes.
• Texts: All notes are exported as individual text files, with mentions of images or attachments, but without the actual images or attachments.

What to keep in mind

If you want to transfer your notes to another device, you'll need to create a backup of your current device, then restore that backup to the new device.