Move Notes from One Mac to Another
If you enjoy keeping copious notes in the built-in Notes app on macOS, but for some reason are unable to use iCloud to sync them to all your devices, there is another way.
Where Notes Stores Its Notes
Notes on your macOS are stored in a group of files and folders we will refer to as your Notes Database. This database is stored at the location below on your Mac. Keep in mind this database likely only stores notes within the “On My Mac” section within the Notes app. So, make sure any notes you plan to backup are moved (or copied) into this section within the Notes app.
Notes Storage Location:
/Users/
/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.notes
Because they are stored in an SQLite format, you won’t be able to read them outside of the Notes app without a specific app designed for querying an SQLite database.
Backup Your Old Notes
Copy all of the files and folders inside the Notes Storage Location mentioned above onto a portable location (i.e. shared drive, thumb drive, disc, etc.). We will be moving these files to your new device.
Backup Your New Notes
Because we will be replacing the entire Notes database on your new Mac with the one from your old Mac, you will need to Export any notes you want to keep. The only option outside of iCloud is to export each one individually as a PDF (File → Export as PDF). This can be tedious, but if you are setting up a new Mac for the first time, there likely aren’t any notes yet created, so you may be safe to proceed without having to export any.
Just to be on the safe side, I would recommend copying the entire Notes Database from your new device (all of the files from the Notes Storage Location) to a temporary folder so that if anything goes wrong, you can always put the files back.
Close Notes and Delete the Database
Now that you’ve exported any notes from your new device and safely backed up the Notes Database on your new machine, I’d recommend closing the Notes app while you’re updating the Notes Database files on your new device. Once the app is closed, select all of the files in the Notes Storage Location and send them to the trash.
Copy Over Your Old Notes Database
You can now copy the Notes Database from your old device to the new one by placing all of those files you stored on your portable location of choice and place them in the Notes Storage Location mentioned above.
Open Notes
Once the files are finished copying, you can open the Notes app. You should now see all of the notes from your old device on your new one.
