How to recover deleted notes
Going to look for that note you urgently need for your work, did you realize it’s not where it should be, i.e. along with all the other notes in the app you normally use to take notes? Don’t despair! Even if all your attempts to retrieve it have been unsuccessful, the last word is not yet said.
It is by no means certain that your very important note is lost forever. In the course of the next few chapters, in fact, I will show you how to recover deleted notes on smartphones, tablets, PCs and cloud storage services so that, with a bit of luck, you can quickly solve the problem.
What do you say? Can’t wait to get to work because you’ve found some hope again? Very good! So let’s not waste any more time: sit back, read carefully what I have to tell you and try to put into practice all the suggestions I’m about to give you to recover your deleted note. That said, I wish you a pleasant reading and, above all, good luck!
Index
How to recover deleted notes from smartphones and tablets
How to recover deleted notes from Android
How to recover deleted Samsung notes
How to recover deleted notes from iPhone
How to recover deleted notes from third-party apps
How to recover deleted notes from PC
Applications of notes
Apple Notes
How to recover deleted notes from the Cloud
How to recover deleted notes from Google
How to recover deleted notes from iCloud
How to recover deleted notes from smartphones and tablets
Are you used to take notes via note taking apps on your smartphone or tablet and lost the last notes you saved? Don’t worry, below you will find explained how to recover deleted notes on these devices.
How to recover deleted notes from Android
If you use an Android device, you most likely take notes on Google Keep, the Google app installed by default on all devices with Google services. The first thing you can do, in this case, is to check the app’s recycle bin. You should know, in fact, that deleted notes are saved in a recycle bin where they remain for a maximum time of 7 days, after which they are permanently deleted.
To proceed, take your smartphone, tap on the Google Keep app (also called Keep Notes) located in the drawer or in the Home Screen and press on the three horizontal lines icon, in the upper left corner. From the opened list, tap on the Recycle Bin option and check your notes: when you find the one you mistakenly deleted, tap on it and press the arrow icon, top right, to restore it.
Didn’t find the note you needed? Then it’s possible that it ended up in the archive by mistake. To check, tap on the icon of the three horizontal lines, then press on the word Archive and if you find the note, restore it following the procedure seen above.
How to recover deleted Samsung notes
Samsung devices have the Samsung Notes app installed by default, which allows you to take notes and sync them to your devices via Samsung cloud.
Again, the first thing you can do to recover a deleted note is to check the app’s recycle bin, which keeps notes for 30 days before permanently deleting them.
To proceed, launch Samsung Notes, click on the three horizontal lines icon and choose the Trash item from the menu that opens, then locate the note you need, press on it and click on the appropriate button to restore it.
How to recover deleted notes from iPhone
Do you use an iPhone or are you wondering how to recover deleted notes from iPad? If this is the case, then you need to check the Recycle Bin of Notes, the app installed on your device by default. So, open it, scroll back to the Folders view and press the Delete item.
In the newly opened screen, under the warning about the 30-day retention period for deleted notes, locate the one you need, make a long tap on it and press the Move item in the opened menu. Then select the destination folder (e.g. Notes) and tap on it. In this way the note will be restored and moved from the recycle bin to the folder of your choice. Simple, isn’t it?
As an alternative, if you have enabled iCloud data synchronization, you can connect to this page of the iCloud website, log in with your Apple ID and select Restore Files from the menu at the bottom. In this way you’ll see a list of files you’ve recently deleted from your cloud space and, among them, there might be notes (meaning any text files you’ve accidentally deleted from your devices) to be recovered.
How to recover deleted notes from third-party apps
All the procedures seen above can also be followed on third-party note-taking apps, since almost all of them share a rather similar structure. All you have to do, then, is to launch the app, locate the Trash (or similar) folder and restore the note you deleted by mistake.
Remember to also check the “stall” time that deleted notes have within the app before being permanently deleted. Based on this data you’ll know whether or not there’s a good chance of finding it again.
If you don’t have any luck with the baskets, you can still try to recover the lost note through a backup that took place before its deletion. Again, with a bit of luck, you might have a safety backup that you can use to restore the phone containing your precious note.
To do this, you can rely on the features of your device: check if Google One backup is active on your Android device, or Smart Switch on Samsung or even iCloud on Apple devices.
Similarly, if you are in the habit of creating a local backup of your smartphone/tablet by saving all the data it contains to your PC, you can restore a backup from the latter and recover your notes as explained in my tutorials on how to restore Android backup and how to restore iPhone backup.
How to recover deleted notes from PC
Have you deleted an essential note from the application you normally use on your Windows PC or Mac? In the following chapters you’ll find out how to restore notes from the Recycle Bin and, in case they have been permanently deleted, how to recover them by performing a restore from system backup or, alternatively, how to use some software for recovering lost data.
Applications of notes
There are many note-taking applications and each one has a different layout. All of them, however, have a folder called Recycle Bin, from which you can restore your notes within a certain time limit (which usually varies from 7 to 30 days).
If, for example, you use Evernote, click on its icon on the desktop of your PC or search for the application via the Windows Start menu or the Launchpad of macOS.
Once opened, in the list on the left side of the application’s panel, click the Trash item, then the note you want to restore and finally the Restore Note option from the menu that appears. This will automatically transfer your note to your recent notes and put it back into the notebook where it was before you deleted it.
The same applies to the OneNote application linked to your Microsoft account. Just click on the View tab, then on the Deleted Notes trash icon, then right-click on the note you want to restore, choose the option Restore to… and choose the destination folder.
Have you permanently deleted the note from your PC and do not know how to do it? Then you can do a system backup restore that allows you to recover the data contained in the backup, including the note, by restoring the PC to the date when the backup was made.
To do this, I recommend that you carefully read my guide on how to backup Windows 10 (also valid for Windows 11), where you’ll find explained how to use File History, the tool that allows you to restore your PC with a given backup.
In case the native program for Windows PCs does not work for you, I suggest you also consult my guides to file recovery programs and data recovery programs.
Apple Notes
The operation of Notes for macOS is almost identical to the one described above for iPhone and iPad. All you have to do is click on the Notes app icon in your Mac’s Dock or Launchpad and click on the Recently Deleted folder. Then locate the note you need, right-click on it, select Move To from the opened menu and choose the destination folder for restoring the note.
Is the note not in the trash? Then you can try restoring your Mac via a previously made backup, when your note was not yet permanently deleted. To proceed, I recommend you to read my tutorials on how to backup and restore your Mac and finally on how to recover deleted files from Mac.
How to recover deleted notes from the Cloud
Did you accidentally delete a note that was saved on the cloud storage system you use? Don’t panic! Below you’ll find explained how to recover deleted notes from Google cloud and iCloud.
How to recover deleted notes from Google
Google Keep, which I told you about earlier, can also be used in its online version synchronized with your Google account. The same operations described for Android, therefore, you can also perform them via the Web.
So connect to the official Google Keep page, if necessary log in by entering your Google account details, then locate the Trash icon and press on it. After that, click on the bucket icon with the upward arrow to restore it among your notes. Simple, isn’t it?
How to recover deleted notes from iCloud
Do you use iCloud, Apple’s cloud storage system? Then, to recover your deleted notes, go to the service’s official page, log in using your Apple ID or your Mac’s password if you’re using that device, and press the Notes app icon.
In the new page, click on the arrow in the upper left corner to see the complete list of folders, then select the Recently Deleted item, locate the note you are interested in and click on the Recover item. That’s it!
Alternatively, you can recover individual deleted files from iCloud Drive by connecting to this page and clicking on the Restore Files item, below, as explained above.
Are you used to take notes via note taking apps on your smartphone or tablet and lost the last notes you saved? Don’t worry, below you will find explained how to recover deleted notes on these devices.
How to recover deleted notes from Android
If you use an Android device, you most likely take notes on Google Keep, the Google app installed by default on all devices with Google services. The first thing you can do, in this case, is to check the app’s recycle bin. You should know, in fact, that deleted notes are saved in a recycle bin where they remain for a maximum time of 7 days, after which they are permanently deleted.
To proceed, take your smartphone, tap on the Google Keep app (also called Keep Notes) located in the drawer or in the Home Screen and press on the three horizontal lines icon, in the upper left corner. From the opened list, tap on the Recycle Bin option and check your notes: when you find the one you mistakenly deleted, tap on it and press the arrow icon, top right, to restore it.
Didn’t find the note you needed? Then it’s possible that it ended up in the archive by mistake. To check, tap on the icon of the three horizontal lines, then press on the word Archive and if you find the note, restore it following the procedure seen above.
How to recover deleted Samsung notes
Samsung devices have the Samsung Notes app installed by default, which allows you to take notes and sync them to your devices via Samsung cloud.
Again, the first thing you can do to recover a deleted note is to check the app’s recycle bin, which keeps notes for 30 days before permanently deleting them.
To proceed, launch Samsung Notes, click on the three horizontal lines icon and choose the Trash item from the menu that opens, then locate the note you need, press on it and click on the appropriate button to restore it.
How to recover deleted notes from iPhone
Do you use an iPhone or are you wondering how to recover deleted notes from iPad? If this is the case, then you need to check the Recycle Bin of Notes, the app installed on your device by default. So, open it, scroll back to the Folders view and press the Delete item.
In the newly opened screen, under the warning about the 30-day retention period for deleted notes, locate the one you need, make a long tap on it and press the Move item in the opened menu. Then select the destination folder (e.g. Notes) and tap on it. In this way the note will be restored and moved from the recycle bin to the folder of your choice. Simple, isn’t it?
As an alternative, if you have enabled iCloud data synchronization, you can connect to this page of the iCloud website, log in with your Apple ID and select Restore Files from the menu at the bottom. In this way you’ll see a list of files you’ve recently deleted from your cloud space and, among them, there might be notes (meaning any text files you’ve accidentally deleted from your devices) to be recovered.
How to recover deleted notes from third-party apps
All the procedures seen above can also be followed on third-party note-taking apps, since almost all of them share a rather similar structure. All you have to do, then, is to launch the app, locate the Trash (or similar) folder and restore the note you deleted by mistake.
Remember to also check the “stall” time that deleted notes have within the app before being permanently deleted. Based on this data you’ll know whether or not there’s a good chance of finding it again.
If you don’t have any luck with the baskets, you can still try to recover the lost note through a backup that took place before its deletion. Again, with a bit of luck, you might have a safety backup that you can use to restore the phone containing your precious note.
To do this, you can rely on the features of your device: check if Google One backup is active on your Android device, or Smart Switch on Samsung or even iCloud on Apple devices.
Similarly, if you are in the habit of creating a local backup of your smartphone/tablet by saving all the data it contains to your PC, you can restore a backup from the latter and recover your notes as explained in my tutorials on how to restore Android backup and how to restore iPhone backup.
How to recover deleted notes from PC
Have you deleted an essential note from the application you normally use on your Windows PC or Mac? In the following chapters you’ll find out how to restore notes from the Recycle Bin and, in case they have been permanently deleted, how to recover them by performing a restore from system backup or, alternatively, how to use some software for recovering lost data.
Applications of notes
There are many note-taking applications and each one has a different layout. All of them, however, have a folder called Recycle Bin, from which you can restore your notes within a certain time limit (which usually varies from 7 to 30 days).
If, for example, you use Evernote, click on its icon on the desktop of your PC or search for the application via the Windows Start menu or the Launchpad of macOS.
Once opened, in the list on the left side of the application’s panel, click the Trash item, then the note you want to restore and finally the Restore Note option from the menu that appears. This will automatically transfer your note to your recent notes and put it back into the notebook where it was before you deleted it.
The same applies to the OneNote application linked to your Microsoft account. Just click on the View tab, then on the Deleted Notes trash icon, then right-click on the note you want to restore, choose the option Restore to… and choose the destination folder.
Have you permanently deleted the note from your PC and do not know how to do it? Then you can do a system backup restore that allows you to recover the data contained in the backup, including the note, by restoring the PC to the date when the backup was made.
To do this, I recommend that you carefully read my guide on how to backup Windows 10 (also valid for Windows 11), where you’ll find explained how to use File History, the tool that allows you to restore your PC with a given backup.
In case the native program for Windows PCs does not work for you, I suggest you also consult my guides to file recovery programs and data recovery programs.
Apple Notes
The operation of Notes for macOS is almost identical to the one described above for iPhone and iPad. All you have to do is click on the Notes app icon in your Mac’s Dock or Launchpad and click on the Recently Deleted folder. Then locate the note you need, right-click on it, select Move To from the opened menu and choose the destination folder for restoring the note.
Is the note not in the trash? Then you can try restoring your Mac via a previously made backup, when your note was not yet permanently deleted. To proceed, I recommend you to read my tutorials on how to backup and restore your Mac and finally on how to recover deleted files from Mac.
How to recover deleted notes from the Cloud
Did you accidentally delete a note that was saved on the cloud storage system you use? Don’t panic! Below you’ll find explained how to recover deleted notes from Google cloud and iCloud.
How to recover deleted notes from Google
Google Keep, which I told you about earlier, can also be used in its online version synchronized with your Google account. The same operations described for Android, therefore, you can also perform them via the Web.
So connect to the official Google Keep page, if necessary log in by entering your Google account details, then locate the Trash icon and press on it. After that, click on the bucket icon with the upward arrow to restore it among your notes. Simple, isn’t it?
How to recover deleted notes from iCloud
Do you use iCloud, Apple’s cloud storage system? Then, to recover your deleted notes, go to the service’s official page, log in using your Apple ID or your Mac’s password if you’re using that device, and press the Notes app icon.
In the new page, click on the arrow in the upper left corner to see the complete list of folders, then select the Recently Deleted item, locate the note you are interested in and click on the Recover item. That’s it!
Alternatively, you can recover individual deleted files from iCloud Drive by connecting to this page and clicking on the Restore Files item, below, as explained above.