If you signed in to your Notability account and your library looks empty or incomplete, your notes are very likely safe. The most common cause is being signed into a different Notability account than the one holding your notes, not lost data.
If you didn't sign yourself out, that's expected. We signed some users out in late August 2026 as a precaution against automated sign-in attempts, and notes weren't affected.
Work through the steps below in order.
1. Check which account you're signed into
Open Settings in Notability and look at the account email at the top.
If it isn't the address you expect, sign out and sign back in with the right one. Your notes come back with the account.
This restores notes in most cases. It's easy to end up with two accounts without realizing it, especially if you've used both a personal and a school or work email, or signed up with Sign in with Apple on one device and an email address on another.
2. If the email doesn't look familiar
An address ending in privaterelay.appleid.com means you signed up with Sign in with Apple and chose to hide your email. Apple created that address for you, and there's no password attached to it.
To get back in, choose Sign in with Apple on the sign-in screen and use the same Apple account you originally signed up with. Entering that address with a password won't work.
3. Check other places in your library
If your library is mostly there but specific notes or folders are missing, check:
- Recently deleted. Notes stay here for 30 days after you delete them, and you can restore them from this list.
- Unfiled notes. Notes that aren't in a subject live outside your subject list.
- Collapsed subjects. A collapsed subject in the sidebar can hide a whole group of notes at once.
4. Confirm your notes are on our servers
Sign in at notability.com in a browser using the same account.
If your notes are there, they're stored safely, and the issue is on your device, not in your account. Check that you're connected to the internet, then leave Notability open for a few minutes so it can finish syncing.
5. Still can't find them?
Send us a message from the Notability app.
Writing in from the app includes details about your account and is usually the fastest way to get an answer.
When you write in, please share details about:
- What you're missing: your whole library, particular notes, or specific folders
- When you last saw your notes
Questions
I signed back in to my Notability account and my notes are gone. What happened?
Almost always, your notes are safe and you're signed into a different account than the one holding them. Nothing has been deleted.
How do I check which Notability account I'm using?
Open Settings in Notability and look at the account email listed there. If it isn't the address you expect, sign out and sign back in with the right one.
I don't recognize the email on my Notability account. Why?
If it ends in privaterelay.appleid.com, you signed up with Sign in with Apple and chose to hide your email. Choose Sign in with Apple on the sign-in screen and use the same Apple account you started with.
My library is there, but some notes or folders are missing.
Check Recently deleted, your unfiled notes, and any collapsed subjects in the sidebar. Notes are often just somewhere unexpected rather than gone.
How can I tell whether my notes are actually safe?
Sign in at notability.com with the same account. If your notes are there, they're stored safely, and only your device is out of sync.
Will signing out of my Notability account delete anything?
No. Signing out leaves your notes in your account, and they'll be there when you sign back in.
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