Auto-Backup Guide

Notability can back up your notes to one of several cloud storage services. This is a one-way backup—deleting a note in Notability does not delete the backup copy. Similarly, deleting a backup does not delete the original note in Notability. 

For a two-way sync across devices: iCloud Syncing. If multiple devices are synced through iCloud, you can only use Auto-Backup on one of them.

Turning on Auto-Backup

  1. In Notability's Library, tap .
  2. Tap "Auto-Backup".
  3. Tap a cloud service: 
    • Box
    • Dropbox
    • Google Drive
    • OneDrive
    • WebDAV servers

Changing Auto-Backup's Destination Folder

Backups go to a folder named "Notability" by default, but you can choose a different folder.

  1. In Auto-Backup's settings, tap "Destination".
  2. Navigate to the desired destination folder.
  3. Tap "Back Up To [folder's name]".

Changing Auto-Backup's File Format

You can back up your notes in one of several file formats.

  1. In Auto-Backup's settings, tap "File Format".
  2. Tap a format:
    • PDF
      To include background lines and colors, enable the "Paper" toggle after you select PDF as your file format. Bookmarks and audio recordings will not be included.
    • RTF
      This is a good way to export typed text that you want to edit in another app.
    • Note
      This is Notability's custom file format. It includes audio recordings and keeps everything in a note editable if you import the file back into the app. This is a good way to share notes with others who use Notability.
    • PDF + Recording
      This makes .zip files that contain a PDF and a folder of .m4a audio files. This is a good way to share recordings with people who don't use Notability. Notability can't open .zip files, so you'll have to unzip them to import their contents back into Notability.
    • RTF + Recording
      This makes files that contain an RTF and a folder of .m4a audio files. Notability can't open .rtfd files, so you'll have to unzip them to import their contents back into Notability.

Changing which Notes Back Up

By default, Auto-Backup does not back up password-protected notes. You can enable backups for password-protected notes and disable backups for other notes.

  1. In Auto-Backup's settings, tap "Subjects to Back Up".
  2. Tap a subject to check or uncheck it.
  3. If a subject is locked, type in its password and tap “OK”.

Restoring Backups

Notability can't restore subjects and dividers from a backup automatically, so they must be remade manually. You can import an entire subject of backup files into Notability at once by following this guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I delete a note in Notability, is the backup copy deleted?

No. The backup copy stays in your backup service.

When are notes backed up?

  • When you enable Auto-Backup or change its settings, all of your notes are backed up.
  • When you edit a note and return to the Library, that note is backed up.

Can notes be backed up to iCloud?

Auto-Backup only integrates with Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and WebDAV servers. You cannot create a one-way Notability backup with iCloud. You can sync notes across multiple devices via iCloud Sync.