Skip to main content

Mac Evernote users can now quickly switch to OneNote

microsoft releases onenote importer mac evernote screen shot 2016 08 19 at 7 42 29 am
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Microsoft wants Mac users to ditch Evernote, so it’s bringing its Evernote-to-OneNote migration tool over to Apple’s platform. This means our guide to migrating from Evernote to OneNote will now work on the Mac.

Go ahead and download the importer now if you’ve been thinking of trying out OneNote. It’s a quick way of getting all the content you’ve built up over the years over to a new platform, though in our experience you’ll need to do a little bit of sorting when everything is done importing.

Evernote, the company, has been in trouble lately. Thougu its product is well liked, especially among Mac users, only a small minority pay for the premium service. In response to this, Evernote has been stripping features from free users, in the hope of nudging them toward paying. Free users can, as of this summer, only sync between two devices, and can only sync 60 megabytes of data each month.

Microsoft’s response: make OneNote more generous, and get Evernote free users to “upgrade” to their service instead. In the past few years OneNote, previously available only as part of Office, became free. Then came free versions for iOS and Android, and even the long-neglected Mac.

The official migration tool is an obvious next step, and a Mac release just a few months after an Evernote price hike is probably not a coincidence. OneNote is free with all features, the only restriction is storage. OneNote takes up space on OneDrive, so once you fill up your 5 gigabytes of free space Microsoft will nudge you toward paying for more storage space.

The Mac importer isn’t portable, meaning you’ll have to install it using a PKG file. The importer can only import notes from the direct-download version of Evernote, meaning if you originally installed Evernote using the Mac App Store you’ll need to download this version and log into Evernote before the import tool can work its magic.

Still, it’s quick to run and easy to use. So if you’ve been thinking of ditching Evernote, now’s your chance.

Editors' Recommendations

Justin Pot
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Justin's always had a passion for trying out new software, asking questions, and explaining things – tech journalism is the…
This is one of my favorite Windows laptops. But can it beat the MacBook Air?
Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air seen from above and the side.

The Asus Zenbook 14X OLED is one of my favorite new Windows laptops that I reviewed this year. It's a great value, offering a fast CPU alongside an excellent OLED display.

But can it compete with the MacBook Air 15-inch? The incredible build quality and incomparable battery life make it a tough battle for the Zenbook to win, even at its more budget-friendly price.
Specs and configurations
 

Read more
7 key settings in macOS Sonoma you should change right now
A MacBook Pro running macOS Sonoma at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2023.

Apple’s macOS Sonoma came loaded with a bunch of great new features, including desktop widgets, video screen savers, and more. With plenty of them, you just need to sit back and enjoy them, without much action required on your part. But that’s not always the case.

Sometimes, you’ll have to change a few settings to enable a new feature. Other times, you might want to disable something that is switched on by default. Either way, it’s often worth diving into macOS Sonoma’s settings to get things how you want them.

Read more
One of my favorite Mac apps is driving me nuts
A close-up photo of the Shortcuts app on an Apple device, against a red background.

Shortcuts is probably the most frustrating app I’ve used on macOS. Not because it’s a bad app -- it’s actually one of the best Mac apps you can get -- but because Apple gives next to no support on how to use such a powerful part of its operating system. It’s like being given a supercar, but the dealership forgot to include the keys.

Most of the time in macOS, the low level of official support is not a problem. But with Shortcuts, it's detrimental.
Apple needs to do more

Read more