Lost note in Notability - HELP!

[MattsR]

Hi everyone,

I am in a panic. I just lost a very important note in Notability. I had it open om my iMac (v2.3.0), and I also have it on my iPad and iPhone.

Somehow the backup of notes has been turned of (it has been on as I see *.note files in my Google Drive) so I do not have it backed up.

In the afternoon the note was there as I worked with it, and in the morning it was gone. All other notes are still there, but the one I worked with is gone.

I have looked on iCloud and on my Google Drive, but nothing. I have also looked in trash both on the iPad and iMac, but that also result in nothing.

I am desperate as this was a very important note for me, so if someone can please help me I would appreciate it a lot.

Thanks all,
Matts

 

[twerppoet]

You could try contacting Apple Tech Support and/or Google's tech support and see if they can restore the file. Both probably keep backups, and 'might' have a standard way to restore missing files. No quarantines. If you have current AppleCare insurance for one of your devices this support (from Apple) should be free.

Alternately, if you've been syncing your Mac with iCloud and iCloud Drive, and you've been backing your Mac up using Time Machine, then it should be possible to restore an earlier version of the file. It's just a matter of digging into the hidden iCloud Sync folders.

I used to know where those were. If you've been using some sort of backup on the iMac and can't find the folders, let me know and I'll see if I can figure out where they are hidden.

I once lost all my iWorks files, and restored them using my iMac and a backup. Unless something has changed drastically since then, it should still be possible.

 

[twerppoet]

Ok. This looks harder than I thought, even if you do have a backup. The files should be in your backup, but finding the folder (which appears to be hidden on the iCloud Drive somewhere) isn't so easy.

I'm going to wait until you I know you have a backup before I spend anymore time trying to find where the files are hidden.

 

[MattsR]

Thanks for your help so far.

I have searched for all *.note files and the only one I find are the ones that has been backup to my Google Drive. The issue I have here is that for some reason the auto-backup has been turned off on my iPad, and the files I find are old ones, so the new one that I lost is not among them. :-(

I also tried to find where Notability stores the data, because if I can find a DB-file containing all data, I might be able to go to my Time Machine and get the one from Wednesday, as that one should include my missing file. If anyone know the file name that is Notability's DB-file, please let me know.

Yes, it seems like the files on iCloud is hidden somehow, as I have had the option to use iCloud for synchronizing the files between the devices. But even if those files are found, I'm not sure how that would help me as the note is gone from all devices, and therefore probably not left on iCloud either. :-(

 

[MattsR]

My wife (which BTW is always right....) suggested to search for the name of the note, instead for the file extension. I thought for a while and then tried a couple of namnes that I thought that I might have called the note. And I found the file in an unexpected place. It was found on my Google Drive, but under a folder I my self created. How the note ended up there I have no idea about at all. First I thought that it might was that I "saved as" on the note, but there are no such thing in Notability. There are export, but that does not delete the note from within the program, and I have not done an export.

My daily card of encouragement says that "Today everything is possible", so that might be it.

So, fo all others experiencing the same problem in the future, I can only suggest that you search the whole computer, including all server discs, for the name of the note. And hopefully you remember the name.

Thanks twerppoet for you help.

 

[twerppoet]

I'm glad you found it. Searching for the file name is how I found out what I knew about Notability files on the Mac. I couldn't get the file path to resolve outside the iCloud Drive alias, which is why it was proving difficult. I figured to dig deeper into the file structure with Terminal, but didn't want to waste the time relearning the relevant terminal commands if it wasn't necessary. I'm lazy like that.

The extention is not .note. If memory serves it is .nbt (or something similar).