Goodnotes for Android, Windows, and Web is designed for online use. You can take notes offline, but be sure to go online regularly to have them synced, as unsynced changes may not be recoverable. Here are tips to prevent losing your notes:
- Check your account: Make sure you're logged into the correct Goodnotes account to access your notebooks. For example, if you originally logged in to Goodnotes with an Apple account, choose that same login provider the next time; choosing "Sign in with Google" or "Sign in with Microsoft", though with the same email address, will log you in to a different Goodnotes account and thus a different Goodnotes library.
- Check the Trash Bin: Deleted items can be recovered from the Trash in the sidebar:
- Confirm deletion: Deleting items prompts a confirmation. Permanently deleted items cannot be recovered—be sure before deleting.
- Watch for unsaved edits: The app warns if you close with unsaved changes. Check sync status to ensure all notes are saved.
- Avoid force-closing the app: Force-closing may disrupt syncing and cause issues. If necessary, capture data by taking screenshots.
- Avoid signing out: Signing out removes notebooks from the device. Unsynced changes will be lost, so make sure all notes are synced before signing out:
- Take notes online or sync often: Changes sync only when online. Regular syncing prevents data loss.
- Export notes as PDFs: Regularly export notes as PDFs via the Share icon > Export as PDF to keep local backups independent of cloud storage: