Local notes on Mac: offline storage, backup, and folder sync

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PINote keeps your working notes, attachments, and settings on your Mac. You do not need a PINote account, and your note content is not uploaded to a PINote server. You can read, write, and search local notes offline.

Local storage, export, backup, and sync do different jobs. Choose the one that matches what you want to do.

Jump to: Export · Backup · Folder sync

Keep writing without an account

For everyday offline notes, install PINote, open it from the menu bar, and start writing. Your library stays in the app's local data storage. You can view its location in Settings → Data.

The working library is not automatically a folder of standalone .md files. Use Markdown export to create those files, or enable Pro folder sync to keep a chosen folder updated. This distinction matters if you want to open the same writing in another editor.

Downloading PINote, purchasing or restoring Pro, and transferring files through a third-party sync service can still require the internet.

Export when you want a readable copy

Use Settings → Data to export Markdown. This is useful for keeping a snapshot, moving writing to another editor, or sharing a note in an open text format.

An export is a copy made at that moment. Later edits in PINote do not automatically update that exported copy. Keep related attachment files together with the export and test a note with images in the app where you plan to read it.

If you are switching apps, start with a small sample containing the formatting and attachments you use. Markdown implementations differ; a successful plain-text import does not prove that every attachment or formatting detail has moved correctly.

Back up when you need a recovery path

A portable backup is intended for restoring PINote's data. Make one in Settings → Data, especially before a large import or a change to your sync setup. Keep an additional copy in another location you control.

To check a backup without risking your current library, confirm that the backup file exists and retain an untouched copy. Before testing a restore, read any confirmation shown by the app and back up your current data too.

Deleted a single note? Look in Trash first. A note that has not been permanently removed may be restored, subject to the active free or Pro allowance.

Sync when you want files to stay updated

Pro folder sync keeps notes in step with Markdown files in a folder you select. It can bring external edits back into PINote as well as write changes out.

1. Create a separate backup of your existing notes.
2. Start the available Pro trial or unlock Pro in Settings → PINote Pro.
3. Open Settings → Sync and choose a dedicated folder. Start with a small collection rather than your only copy of important files.
4. Enable sync and read the app's confirmation. Check that a sample note and its attachments appear as expected.
5. If another app edits that folder, test one change at a time before adopting the workflow for all your notes.

A folder managed by a third-party service can carry files between devices. That service handles the transfer and applies its own privacy, availability, and conflict policies. PINote does not provide a hosted sync account. Folder sync also does not turn PINote into an iPhone or web app.

Sync is not a separate recovery copy: changes and deletions can propagate. Keep backups outside the folder being synchronized, and avoid editing the same note in two apps at the same time.

Local does not mean encrypted by PINote

Keeping notes off a PINote server reduces one place your content could be stored. It is not a promise that the files are encrypted by the app or protected from anyone who can access your Mac, backups, or exported files. Use the security controls appropriate for those locations. See the privacy policy for the app and website's data practices.

Which option should I use?

• Write and search on this Mac: the local library is enough.
• Open a snapshot in another editor: export Markdown.
• Recover the app's data later: create a portable backup and retain a separate copy.
• Keep a folder updated: use Pro folder sync, alongside separate backups.

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