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Notes disappeared? How to get them back, and how to stop it happening again

Checked 27 October 2026. Facts about other products come from their own pages, linked at the foot.

Short answer: Look in the bin first. Apple Notes keeps a deleted note in Recently Deleted for 30 days and Google Keep keeps it in Trash for 7 days; Evernote has a Trash too. If the note is there but has lost recent edits, check another device before you edit anything. To stop it happening again, use an app that keeps earlier versions.

A note that was there yesterday and is gone today is almost always in one of three places: a Recently Deleted or Trash folder with a time limit, an earlier version you can restore, or a copy that never synced to the device you are holding. Check them in that order, and check quickly, because the time limits below are short.

Step 1: look in the bin before anything else

Where a deleted note goes, and how long you have, depends on the app. These are the three most used, from their own help pages.

Apple Notes. Open the Recently Deleted folder and move the note back to a folder. A deleted note stays there for 30 days, then it is permanently removed from your iPhone, iCloud and the other devices signed in to your Apple Account.
Google Keep. Deleted notes go to Trash. Google says you have seven days to recover a note, and that deleting a shared note also deletes it for the people you shared it with.
Evernote. Deleted notes go to the Trash at the bottom of your notebooks list, and you restore one from there. A deleted notebook cannot be restored, but its notes are in the Trash and can be restored one by one. Evernote's help page does not say how long notes stay in the Trash. On the free plan, notes in the Trash still count toward the 50-note limit.

Locked notes need their own warning. If you forget a separate Apple Notes password, Apple says there is no way to open the notes locked with it and that it cannot help, and a reset does not open notes locked earlier.

Step 2: check whether it is an old copy, not a missing note

If a note is there but has lost recent edits, the app probably kept an older copy when two devices disagreed, or you are looking at a device that has not synced. Open the same note on another device, or in the app's web version, before you edit anything. Editing the old copy can overwrite the newer one.

Some apps keep earlier versions you can go back to. Which notes apps keep earlier versions lists what each one offers.

Step 3: stop it happening again

Use an app that keeps earlier versions. A bin helps when you delete a note. It does not help when you overwrite one, and overwriting is how most notes are lost.
Keep a copy somewhere else. Export your notes now and then. An export you made last month is worth more than a recovery you hope for tomorrow.
Do not put the only copy of something important in a note. Passwords, IDs and receipts belong in a place made for them, with a second copy.

How Notaito handles this

Notaito was built around not losing notes. Every note keeps its earlier versions for 90 days, and you can restore one or copy from it. Deleted notes wait in a Deleted list that is not emptied on a timer, and Ctrl+Z undoes the last action. If two devices edit the same note, Notaito joins the two and keeps the wording it did not use as a copy instead of dropping it. A notebook can be exported as a zip at any time, and imported again.

Questions people ask

How long does Apple Notes keep deleted notes?

Thirty days in Recently Deleted. After that a note is permanently removed from your iPhone, iCloud and other devices signed in to your Apple Account.

Can I recover a deleted Google Keep note?

Yes, within seven days of deleting it. Deleting a shared note also deletes it for the people you shared it with.

Where do deleted Evernote notes go?

To the Trash at the bottom of your notebooks list. Open the note there and choose Restore. A deleted notebook cannot be restored, but its notes can.

I forgot the password to a locked Apple note. Can I get it back?

If you used a separate Notes password, Apple says there is no way to open those notes and it cannot help. Resetting the password lets you lock new notes but does not open the ones locked before.

See it for yourself

Notaito is a notebook that files your notes under your projects as you write. It runs in any browser and you can try it now without making an account.

Try Notaito without signing up or make a free account

Keep reading

Which notes apps keep earlier versions of a note?Version history in Apple Notes, Google Keep, Evernote and Notaito: what is kept, where it works, and whether you can actually restore an old version.Google Keep alternative: Notaito compared with KeepHow Notaito and Google Keep differ on reminders, version history, sharing, locking and export, and when staying with Keep is the better choice.

Sources

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