Apple Notes sync has gotten much better over time, but I decided the best approach is to use a system of Markdown files. I’m currently using iA Writer for this, along with iCloud for the syncing. I switched back in March and I haven’t had any syncing issues. I guess iCloud is best at syncing files.
I use Drafts as a starting place for text as it was originally conceived, but I don’t consider it appropriate for long term storage because it is still a closed database format. Markdown files are plain text and if I want to switch away from iA Writer, there is no export process. The files are ready to use by any app that can read plain text.
For anything Apple Pencil related, sketches or handwritten notes, I use GoodNotes.
Indeed! That is why, as much as I like Apple Notes, it is not, in my opinion, a good or safe repository for important information. I prefer Markdown in DEVONthink.
It seems like people don’t trust Apple Notes but trust Drafts which uses CloudKit. I assumed the underlying sync for Apple Notes is CloudKit or is it a different service?
That is beyond my computer pay grade but there is something fundamentally different. I seldom have syncing issues with other apps but I do have periodic issues with AN. And, I have very few attachments. Most of my AN are just that, notes.
David detailed some of his own problems with Apple Notes in MPU 535. He said there that he’d been told that Apple Notes uses a different sync engine than other Apple products. I don’t, unfortunately, have the exact quote handy. But given the problems that I’ve seen I wasn’t surprised.
@Bmosbacker Thank you very much, this is a clever approach!
Dear @WayneG: Could you tell how the Notes look like when they have been downloaded? Is it a smiple text file or a single pdf file for every downloaded note? Would be happy about a screenshot.
Thank you!
I use Apple Notes for text and pdfs. My last download, when unpacked, contained two zip files. The first image shows a note containing a pdf. The txt file in the second column from right is the title of the note. The actual PDF is in the far right column.
I keep these downloads as a backup, but I have also used them to evaluate other software. Before I load the data into a new program I normally unpack everything then search for .pdf files which I move to a new folder. I repeat the process for .txt files, then save the ones containing useful information and discard the ones that only contain the title of a note.
I haven’t trusted Apple Notes since it mysteriously deleted a group of them. But because of convenience I still use it, but I will frequently make a backup by drag and dropping note folders from iCloud to On My Mac. The local copy acts as a backup.
I really hope AN could evolve more and get more reliable (including note history, update status updates). I remember when people were celebrating AN when it grew bigge rand were happy about ditching Evernote. Now apple should not get too cmfy with AN and should constantly improve its reliablity.
As an addon: Why I love Aple notes. Because It is hell fast and I could find a script to create a new note with a shortcut, even though if Apple notes is not open . Great.
