RobAle

Q: Synch Notes between icloud and on-my-mac

I am running El Capitan on my MacBook Air and use Notes a lot. My notes are primarily on iCloud but I'm wondering if there is a way to automatically sync the iCloud notes to local copies? The problem with having them only on iCloud is that if I'm where I can't or would rather not log into iCloud, I cannot work on my notes. In comparison, OneNote from MS does sync local and OneDrive versions of their notes.

 

Also, how can one tell if one has the upgraded notes? Mine look like they always did.

MacBook Air (13-inch Mid 2013), OS X El Capitan (10.11.5)

Posted on Jul 29, 2016 1:18 PM

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Q: Synch Notes between icloud and on-my-mac

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  • by Eric Root,Apple recommended

    Eric Root Eric Root Jul 30, 2016 2:42 PM in response to RobAle
    Level 9 (70,061 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 30, 2016 2:42 PM in response to RobAle

    You should be able to work on your notes and they will resync when connected to iCloud.

     

    Notes Upgrade

  • by RobAle,

    RobAle RobAle Jul 30, 2016 9:02 PM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 30, 2016 9:02 PM in response to Eric Root

    One would think so, but last time I did that, I lost the stuff I entered while not connected to iCloud. Next time I'll have to pay more attention and do some experimenting.

  • by gail from maine,Apple recommended

    gail from maine gail from maine Jul 30, 2016 9:04 PM in response to RobAle
    Level 7 (25,729 points)
    iCloud
    Jul 30, 2016 9:04 PM in response to RobAle

    The Notes apps live in iCloud, your Mac, and on your iOS devices.

     

    If, in System Preferences on your Mac, under iCloud, you have Notes turned on, then that means that any note you create on your Mac will be on the Mac and in iCloud (and vice versa).

     

    If you also happen to have any iOS devices running iOS 9, then they also will show the Note that you wrote on the Mac that was then sync'd to icloud.

     

    Think of Notes in iCloud as the central housing agency for all of the notes. That central housing agency gets notes coming up to it from iCoud.com, the Notes app on a Mac, the Notes app on an iPad, the Notes app on an iPhone, etc. It then syncs all of its notes back out to all of the devices and Macs that are using that Notes app and which also have Notes turned on in iCloud on that device.

     

    If you are offline, the notes that are on the Mac or device stay at the point that the device went offline, and any new Notes that you want to add to the not on any of those Devices or Macs which you are not connected to Wifi, you can go ahead and make. As soon as the Wifi comes back up, everything new is pushed back up to the icloud centeral repository, and then pushed back down to all of the other devices and Macs that reflect what is in that depository.

     

    I work on Notes on my Mac while offline all of the time, with the intention of those notes getting pushed down to my iPhone once I hook back up to Wifi. I then use my iPhone to do my shopping, run my errands, remember someone's name, etc.....

     

    Cheers,

     

    GB

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Jul 30, 2016 9:16 PM in response to RobAle
    Level 7 (25,729 points)
    iCloud
    Jul 30, 2016 9:16 PM in response to RobAle

    You have to make sure that you are writing the Notes in the iCloud Notes section:

     

    MAC

     

    Screen Shot 2016-07-31 at 12.05.14 AM.png

    IOS DEVICE:

     

    IMG_3452.jpg

     

     

    Cheers,

     

    Gb

  • by RobAle,

    RobAle RobAle Jul 31, 2016 7:08 AM in response to gail from maine
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 31, 2016 7:08 AM in response to gail from maine

    Yes, thanks. I was on an iCloud note (I checked the other folders, - not there) but for some reason my changes didn't get uploaded when I reconnected.

  • by RobAle,

    RobAle RobAle Jul 31, 2016 7:11 AM in response to gail from maine
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 31, 2016 7:11 AM in response to gail from maine

    Thanks for your detailed reply. I understand how it works. Just didn't work that time last week for some unknown reason. The only way I'll be able to figure it out is to do some tests. It may have something to do with the fact that I was connected to a client's network when I made the changes. That shouldn't have mattered, but the next time I visited that note on my network, my changes were gone.

     

    I'll need to go offline, make changes and then reconnect and see if that works. Next, attach to a different network, make changes, and see if they persist when I reconnect to my network. In other words, try to recreate the problem and see what caused it.

     

    Thanks for all your responses!

  • by gail from maine,Helpful

    gail from maine gail from maine Aug 2, 2016 3:11 PM in response to RobAle
    Level 7 (25,729 points)
    iCloud
    Aug 2, 2016 3:11 PM in response to RobAle

    I'm not sure I understand everything about "Trusted Computers", but I have a feeling that they may prevent those kinds of changes from processing? (just a thought).

     

     

    I would suggest that you sign out of iCloud on Mac, and Devices. Also, on the devices (although it shouldn't really matter swipe up on all of the apps sitting in the doc under the double-home click....

     

    Then sign back on, do a new note and see if anything is better. And, again, you are using the updated iOS 9 notes, right? - just chcking)....

     

     

    GB

  • by RobAle,

    RobAle RobAle Aug 2, 2016 3:13 PM in response to gail from maine
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 2, 2016 3:13 PM in response to gail from maine

    Logging out when not on trusted network sounds promising. I'll try that. Thanks.