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sarpler

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 20, 2019
46
4
We're trying to figure out a way to take an individual note from one iPhone and save it as a file so it can be zipped and emailed to someone else and have them load it into their Notes app as the actual same original iOS note. I know you can export a note as a text file or a PDF and email it, but this obviously doesn't preserve any of the special functions that Notes note files have like live checklists and editable tables and everything. We need to transfer the actual original note, not some "flattened" version of it.

The Notes app doesn't appear to have any way to export or import a note as an actual note. Messing with an iTunes or iCloud backup isn't an option since we need to move a single note to a different person with a different Apple ID without changing anything else on the receiving phone.

Is there any way to do this?
 

chrfr

macrumors G5
Jul 11, 2009
13,703
7,267
We're trying to figure out a way to take an individual note from one iPhone and save it as a file so it can be zipped and emailed to someone else and have them load it into their Notes app as the actual same original iOS note. I know you can export a note as a text file or a PDF and email it, but this obviously doesn't preserve any of the special functions that Notes note files have like live checklists and editable tables and everything. We need to transfer the actual original note, not some "flattened" version of it.

The Notes app doesn't appear to have any way to export or import a note as an actual note. Messing with an iTunes or iCloud backup isn't an option since we need to move a single note to a different person with a different Apple ID without changing anything else on the receiving phone.

Is there any way to do this?
Would making it a shared note be useful? Then the note would exist on both devices.
 

nicho

macrumors 601
Feb 15, 2008
4,250
3,250
We're trying to figure out a way to take an individual note from one iPhone and save it as a file so it can be zipped and emailed to someone else and have them load it into their Notes app as the actual same original iOS note. I know you can export a note as a text file or a PDF and email it, but this obviously doesn't preserve any of the special functions that Notes note files have like live checklists and editable tables and everything. We need to transfer the actual original note, not some "flattened" version of it.

The Notes app doesn't appear to have any way to export or import a note as an actual note. Messing with an iTunes or iCloud backup isn't an option since we need to move a single note to a different person with a different Apple ID without changing anything else on the receiving phone.

Is there any way to do this?

If you're in the same place (not sure if email was suggested here because of necessity or just familiarity as a method of transfer) you can airdrop notes from one device to another.
 

sarpler

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 20, 2019
46
4
Would making it a shared note be useful?
Not really, we looked at that. We need the receiving phone to have an independent copy that you can modify without affecting the original. I guess you could copy-paste stuff into a new private note but we're trying to avoid having to do that. And anyway even if you could make a separate copy shared notes necessarily require an Apple ID. Most times the sender doesn't know the receiver's ID, the user doesn't have one in the first place, or the receiver isn't comfortable giving it out. We really need some ability to just backup a note to a file, all of Apple's "smart" ecosystem sharing stuff isn't really going to work for us in this situation.
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If you're in the same place (not sure if email was suggested here because of necessity or just familiarity as a method of transfer) you can airdrop notes from one device to another.
Naw, we need to copy notes to people working remote. Both in other states and now locally due to quarantine rules.
 

chrfr

macrumors G5
Jul 11, 2009
13,703
7,267
Not really, we looked at that. We need the receiving phone to have an independent copy that you can modify without affecting the original. I guess you could copy-paste stuff into a new private note but we're trying to avoid having to do that. And anyway even if you could make a separate copy shared notes necessarily require an Apple ID. Most times the sender doesn't know the receiver's ID, the user doesn't have one in the first place, or the receiver isn't comfortable giving it out. We really need some ability to just backup a note to a file, all of Apple's "smart" ecosystem sharing stuff isn't really going to work for us in this situation.
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Naw, we need to copy notes to people working remote. Both in other states and now locally due to quarantine rules.
It sounds like you'll need to look at a different tool for this job. These aren't things that Apple Notes can accommodate.
 
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sarpler

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 20, 2019
46
4
Well, I mean we don't really have a choice here, we need to copy people's pre-existing notes around and it's not like we can go back in time and tell Apple to ship a different program with iOS. Is there a free app from the appstore than can extract a note from the Notes app into a file or archive and then convince Notes app to import it later?
 

cupcakes2000

macrumors 601
Apr 13, 2010
4,033
5,425
Open the note, tap share, tap print, two finger zoom in on the note enables another share icon top right. From here you can share or copy to wherever, but the note is automatically converted to a pdf.

EDIT- rereadthe op and realised It’s not the answer you’re after. Apologies.
 
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