First, make a copy
- Close Sticky Notes if it is open.
- Press Win + R, paste this, and press Enter. The AppData folder is hidden, and this goes straight there.
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState - Copy all three files to a new folder on your Desktop:
plum.sqlite,plum.sqlite-walandplum.sqlite-shm. Copy them, and leave the originals where they are. The newest notes, sometimes all of them, are in the -wal file. - Below, use Choose a folder and pick that new folder.
Windows 7, Windows 8 or early Windows 10? Paste %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Sticky Notes instead, copy StickyNotes.snt, and choose the copy. After a Windows upgrade, an older copy may be inside C:\Windows.old\Users\ under your name.
- Quit Stickies with Cmd Q if it is open, so it finishes saving.
- In the Finder, press Shift Cmd G, paste this, and press Return. The Library folder is hidden, and this goes straight there.
~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Stickies/Data/Library/Stickies/ - Copy what is inside to a new folder on your Desktop: press Cmd A, then Cmd C, open the new folder, and press Cmd V. You should see one item ending in
.rtfdfor each note. Leave the originals where they are. - Below, use Choose a folder and pick that new folder.
Upgraded from a Mac older than High Sierra? Look for ~/Library/StickiesDatabase too, copy it, and choose the copy. A folder you copied out of a backup works the same way.
Then choose your copy
Drag the folder or files here, or use a button.
Read here in your browser. Nothing is uploaded. Do this on the computer that has your notes.
What to try next
- Choose all three files together: plum.sqlite, plum.sqlite-wal and plum.sqlite-shm. The main file alone can look empty when it is not.
- Open the Notes list in Sticky Notes. Click the ellipsis (...) on any note and choose Notes list. More places to look.
- Check you are signed in to the right Microsoft account, then choose Sync now in Sticky Notes settings.
- Look for synced notes at onenote.com/stickynotes. Only notes that were synced will be there.
- If you use File History or another backup, look for a copy of the LocalState folder. Copy it to a new folder and choose that copy here, rather than restoring over what you have now.
- Ask Microsoft Support, since it is their app.
None of these is a promise. They are the places your notes could still be.
- Choose the whole folder of .rtfd items with Choose a folder, rather than a single note.
- Check they are not just hidden. Mac Stickies not showing covers the other desktop and fullscreen checks.
- Check the other user accounts on this Mac. Stickies notes belong to one account and do not sync through iCloud.
- In Time Machine or another backup, find the Stickies folder from before the problem. Copy it to a new folder and choose that copy here, rather than restoring over what you have now.
- Ask Apple Support, since it is their app.
None of these is a promise. They are the places your notes could still be.
What this can and cannot do
- It reads what is still in the file. If the text is no longer on your computer, this page cannot bring it back, and we cannot promise any result.
- It only reads. It does not change, move or delete anything, and it does not put notes back into Sticky Notes or Stickies.
- Notes that were only synced may live in your Microsoft account rather than in this file. Check onenote.com/stickynotes.
- It reads text. Handwriting and pictures in a Windows note are not shown. Pictures in a Mac note are included in the ZIP.
- It reads the Sticky Notes app's files. We have not tested it with the newer Sticky Notes inside OneNote.
Your files stay in your browser
The tool runs on your computer, in this page. It has no server side, and it sends nothing in your files anywhere. Download a note and the file is made right here too.
Like the rest of our site, this page uses Google Analytics, and Cloudflare, which hosts the site, adds its own visitor and security checks. We tested the live page, and neither one received any note text or file names. We count that someone used the tool and whether notes were found. We never count what a note says or what a file is called.
You can check all of this. Load the page, turn off your Wi-Fi, and run the rescue. It still works.
Questions
Do my notes get uploaded?
No. The page reads your files inside your browser. Nothing in them is sent to us or to anyone else. To check for yourself, load the page, turn off your Wi-Fi, and run the rescue: it still works.
Can this bring back a note I deleted?
Usually not. It reads what is still in the file. If a Windows file still holds a note marked as deleted, we show it with that label, but we cannot bring back data that is no longer there.
Will this change my files?
No. The page only reads. We still ask you to work from a copy, and to leave the original files where they are.
Why does it ask for three files on Windows?
Sticky Notes often keeps your notes in plum.sqlite-wal rather than plum.sqlite. If you choose plum.sqlite alone, the newest notes, or all of them, may look missing when they are not. Choose all three files together.