How to Migrate Evernote Notes to OneNote

Moving from Evernote to Microsoft OneNote can feel like a big project, but it’s actually a straightforward process if you follow the right steps. This guide will walk you through the entire migration, from preparing your notes to importing them into OneNote, so you can switch without losing any data or formatting.

What You’ll Need

• An active Evernote account with the notes you want to move
• A Microsoft account (free) or a Microsoft 365 subscription for OneNote
• OneNote desktop app (Windows or Mac) – the free version works fine
• Evernote desktop app (Windows or Mac) – the web version won’t work for export
• Stable internet connection

Step-by-Step

1. Update and sync Evernote. Open the Evernote desktop app and make sure it’s fully updated. Click the sync icon to ensure all your notes are up to date on this device. This prevents missing any recent edits.
2. Choose what to export. In Evernote, you can export individual notes, notebooks, or all notes. For a full migration, select all notebooks by clicking the “Notebooks” view, then Ctrl+A (Windows) or Cmd+A (Mac) to select everything.
3. Export as ENEX file. Go to File > Export. Choose “ENEX” as the format (Evernote’s native format). If you selected multiple notebooks, Evernote will create one .enex file per notebook. Save them to a folder you can easily find.
4. Install OneNote. If you don’t have it, download the OneNote desktop app from the Microsoft Store or the official Microsoft website. Sign in with your Microsoft account.
5. Create a destination notebook. In OneNote, create a new notebook for your Evernote content. Click File > New and choose a location (OneDrive is recommended for syncing). Name it something like “Evernote Import” or keep your original notebook names.
6. Use the OneNote importer (optional but easier). Microsoft provides a free tool called the “OneNote Importer” that can import from Evernote directly. Download it from the Microsoft website. Run it, sign in with your Microsoft account, and select “Evernote” as the source. It will detect your ENEX files and let you choose which notebooks to import. Click “Import” and wait for the process to finish.
7. Manual import (if the importer fails). If you prefer or the importer doesn’t work, open OneNote, go to the notebook where you want the notes, click File > Open > Import and select the ENEX file. OneNote will create a new section for each ENEX file.
8. Check the results. After import, open a few notes to verify formatting, attachments, and images came through correctly. Some complex formatting (like tables with merged cells) might not translate perfectly.
9. Clean up and organize. Once everything is imported, you can reorganize sections and pages in OneNote. Delete any empty sections or notebooks created during the import.
10. Sync and test. Make sure OneNote is syncing properly by checking on another device (like your phone). This confirms your notes are safely in the cloud.

Common Mistakes

• Not syncing before export. If you don’t sync Evernote first, you might miss recent changes made on other devices.
• Exporting everything as one ENEX file. While Evernote allows exporting all notes at once, it’s better to export notebook by notebook to preserve structure. OneNote handles separate ENEX files more cleanly.
• Skipping the importer. The OneNote Importer is specifically designed for this and handles most formatting better than the built-in import in OneNote.
• Ignoring attachments. Some attachments (like PDFs) may not import if they were stored as linked files. Check your attachments after import.
• Not checking note counts. After import, compare the number of notes in Evernote to the number in OneNote to ensure nothing was missed.

Tips

• Do a test import first. Export one small notebook and import it into OneNote to see how it handles your specific formatting before doing the full migration.
• Keep your Evernote account active for a few weeks after migration, just in case you need to refer back to something.
• Use tags wisely. Evernote tags don’t import directly into OneNote. Instead, OneNote uses sections and pages. Consider converting important tags into section names during organization.
• Take advantage of OneNote’s strengths. After migration, you can use features like handwriting, ink, and collaborative editing, which Evernote lacks.
• Break up large notebooks. If you have a notebook with hundreds of notes, consider splitting it into several OneNote sections to keep things manageable.

Troubleshooting

• Importer doesn’t find my ENEX files. Make sure the files are in a location the importer can access (e.g., local drive, not cloud-only). Try moving them to your Desktop.
• Import fails with an error. This often happens with corrupted ENEX files. Try re-exporting from Evernote, or export a single notebook at a time to isolate the problem.
• Formatting looks off. Some Evernote features like colored text, tables, and embedded audio may not convert perfectly. You can manually fix these in OneNote after import.
• Images are missing. If images don’t appear, they might have been stored as linked files. In Evernote, try exporting again with the “Include images” option checked (it’s usually on by default).
• Notes are in the wrong order. OneNote may not preserve the exact order of notes. You can manually reorder pages by dragging them in the page list.
• OneNote is slow after import. Large imports can slow down OneNote temporarily. Give it time to sync and index. If it remains slow, try closing and reopening the app.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my Evernote tags transfer to OneNote?

No, tags do not transfer. OneNote uses a hierarchical structure of notebooks, sections, and pages instead of tags. You can manually create sections to mimic your tags.

Can I migrate from Evernote web version?

No, you need the Evernote desktop app to export ENEX files. The web version doesn’t support export.

Are there any free tools for migration?

Yes, Microsoft’s OneNote Importer is free. It’s the easiest way to migrate multiple notebooks at once.

Will my attachments (PDFs, Word docs) come through?

Yes, most attachments are preserved, but they may appear as file icons in OneNote. Check a few to confirm they open correctly.

How long does the migration take?

It depends on the number and size of your notes. A small notebook can take minutes, while a large account with thousands of notes might take an hour or more.

Can I still use Evernote after migration?

Absolutely. Your Evernote account remains active. You can even keep both apps in sync manually, but there’s no automatic sync between them.

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