Back Up Notes and Move Them to a New Computer

Back up your notes and move them to a new computer

NotePADD keeps notes only in this browser on this computer, with no cloud and no sync. To keep them safe or move them, open the menu and choose Back up all notes: all notes are saved in one .json file. On the other computer, install NotePADD and import that file. Notes from the Safe stay encrypted in the file and open with the same password.

Where are my notes now?

NotePADD stores notes in the extension's storage, inside your Chrome profile on this computer. That means:

they are not copied to your other computers by Chrome Sync, and NotePADD has no cloud;
they are deleted if you remove the extension or delete the Chrome profile;
a new computer starts with an empty notepad.

So if your notes matter, keep a copy outside Chrome: a backup file.

How do I back up all notes?

Click the NotePADD icon to open it in the side panel.
Open the menu (⋯) and choose Back up all notes.
Chrome downloads a file named like notepadd-backup-2026-11-11.json.

The file holds every note with its title, color and pin. If you have a Safe, its notes are in the file encrypted, together with the encrypted key; without your password they cannot be read.

Make a backup now and then, and always before you reinstall Chrome, reset the computer or remove the extension.

How do I move notes to a new computer?

Copy the backup file to the new computer.
Install NotePADD there and open it.
Open the menu, choose Import and pick the file.
If the backup had a Safe, open the Safe tab and unlock it with the same password you used before. If you have forgotten it, use your recovery key.
Check a few notes, then remove NotePADD from the old computer if you no longer need it there.

If the new computer already has a Safe with a different password, NotePADD asks for the password of the backup and moves those notes into your current Safe.

What does import do?

A .json backup: the notes are added. If the same note already exists, the version changed last wins, so importing an older backup does not overwrite newer work.
A .txt or .md file: each file becomes a new note named after the file. You can pick several files at once.

How do I export a single note?

Open the note's menu and choose Download as .txt to get it as plain text, or Print to send it to a printer or save it as a PDF through Chrome's print dialog.

I used NotePADD 3 with Google Drive

Version 3 could copy notes to a spreadsheet called Notes sheet in your Google Drive. Version 4 no longer connects to Google. Your notes on this computer move to version 4 automatically; the old spreadsheet stays in your Drive until you delete it. To use those notes on a computer where NotePADD was never installed, copy them from the spreadsheet into new notes, or save them as .txt files and import those.

More: is NotePADD safe? · NotePADD

Frequently asked questions

Where are Chrome extension notes stored?

In the extension's storage inside your Chrome profile, on that computer. NotePADD keeps notes there; they are not synced by Chrome Sync and are deleted when you remove the extension.

Does NotePADD sync notes between computers?

No. NotePADD has no cloud and no network access. Move notes with a backup file instead.

Does import replace my current notes?

No. Import adds the notes from the file. If the same note is already there, NotePADD keeps whichever version was changed last.

Is the backup file private?

Notes from the Safe stay encrypted in it. Ordinary notes are readable text, so keep the file somewhere only you can open.

Can I import my old CSV export from NotePADD 3?

Not as a file: version 4 imports .json backups, .txt and .md files. Notes that were in NotePADD 3 on this computer move to version 4 automatically when it updates.

Can I get my notes as plain text?

Yes, one note at a time: open the note's menu and choose Download as .txt. You can also print a note.