If you're experiencing recurring crashes, the app won't open at all or you can only see either a popup of your Support ID or a blank page, it could be that the app can't read your library due to some database failures.
This issue may also persist even if you have already tried force-closing the app and re-launching it, as well as updating Goodnotes.
Things to try first
- (iOS / iPadOS) First, perform a Manual Backup to backup your notes. Then, Offload the app (DO NOT Delete or Remove app): go to device Settings > General > iPad/iPhone Storage > Goodnotes > Offload App. This might take a while. After that, tap "Reinstall App".
- If you have a proper backup (i.e iCloud / Auto Backup or manual backup), you can uninstall the app (this will remove all your local app data), reinstall and restore the data from your backup (automatically by turning "Use iCloud" during the onboarding process, or manually by importing the auto-backup or manual backup).
If the solutions above fail, the library is likely corrupted and we can try our best to recover it. Your files are safe with us and we'll delete them upon your confirmation that the error has been resolved and you have most or all your notes back.
Send your library to our team
From Goodnotes on your iPad or iPhone
First make sure the device has enough storage space by looking in your device Settings > General > About. The "Available" capacity should ideally be a few times as large as Goodnotes' Documents & Data in General > iPad/iPhone Storage > Goodnotes.
Then proceed as follows:
- Open the Settings app, go to Goodnotes (at the bottom of the left section), and enable Temporary Diagnostic Mode.
- Open Goodnotes again and a "Temporary Diagnostic Mode Enabled" dialog will show. Choose OK to export all data, then the app will close (not a crash).
- Connect your device to a computer via a USB cable.
- Locate Goodnotes Files section in the Finder.
- Select the all_goodnotes_files.zip file from Goodnotes and drag it to your desktop.
- Unzip that file and make sure it has these 2 folders: Attachments and Databases. If either folder is missing, please retry the previous steps and check again. If that folder is still missing, you can skip the next step because unfortunately we can't recover your library. You'll need to reinstall the app and rely on an existing backup.
- Send the file to us (in its zipped format) (*). If you've already emailed us, please include "Ticket ticket_id" in the name of the .zip file, e.g. "Ticket 345678 all_goodnotes_files.zip"
From Goodnotes on your Mac
First, make sure the Mac has enough free space.
Then proceed as follows:
- Open the Finder, press command + shift + G, paste ~/Library/Containers/com.goodnotesapp.x/Data/Library in the text box, and press return.
- Copy the folders Attachments and Databases to your computer.
- Compress the folders in a .zip file. If you've already emailed us, please include "Ticket ticket_id" in the name of the .zip file, e.g. "Ticket 345678 all_goodnotes_files.zip"
- Send the file to us. (*)
(*) For your own access control, you're highly recommended to upload the file to your own cloud storage, like Google Drive, and provide a public link to it. Otherwise, you can upload it to a free file-sending service, like WeTransfer.com (max 2 GB) or TransferNow.net (max 5 GB). Alternatively, let our team know so we can generate a link for you to upload the file.