EndNote: Moving, Saving, and Backing Up

Your library and its contents are automatically saved as you edit them.

You can Save As to save a copy of a library in a new location.

See also the box "Moving Your Library" for moving an existing library.

Drag and Drop Method

You can copy or drag and drop your files to new locations to move a library.

Move both the file and the folder at the same time!

Use the compressed backup method to move your library.

Follow the instructions in the Backing up Your Library box and then move the resulting compressed file.

To Open the backed up library, open the EndNote program, click the File menu, click on Open Library and choose the compressed back up in the new location.

Don't worry!

• Close the library if it is open
• Click on the Tools menu then click on Recover Library...
  • Read the information EndNote gives you anc click OK
• Choose the library that needs to be repaired and click Open
• EndNote will try to repair the library and will save a copy of it with the original name and "- Saved" added
  • For instance a copy of "My EndNote Library.enl" will be repaired and saved as "My EndNote Library - Saved.enl"
  • The <filename>.Data folder will also be copied with the same name change
• Open the EndNote program, click on the File menu, click on Open Library and choose the NEW filename (the one with - Saved) and the EndNote library should open
  • Note that if you change the name of the -Saved version, change both the .enl and .data file/folders

Second Method - Still DON'T WORRY!

• Delete or move your file ending with .enl (if you are nervous about deleting it, just move it to a temporary folder)
  • DO NOT move the .data folder
• Make another file in the same location as the .data folder but not IN the .data folder with your library name ending with .enl
  • If your library is called My EndNote Library and stored in your Documents folder, make a temporary folder and move the My EndNote Library.enl file into that folder
  • Make a new document called My EndNote Library.enl using a text program like Notepad - preferably not Microsoft Word
    • Make sure that the program does not name the file My EndNote Library.enl.txt
• Open the EndNote program then open the new library
  • Even though you create a blank file with the library name, EndNote will actually go to the .data folder to get the appropriate information to fill in the blank file

Third method - Contact the Experts!

• Go to EndNote.com and click on their Support link
• Call, e-mail, or chat with EndNote support personnel - they have lots of other things for you to try.

Create a compressed library to back up both the file and the folder together

You are limited to 4 gigabytes or 65,535 files

• Open the library in EndNote
• From the file menu, click on Compressed Library (.enlx)
• Use the radio buttons to determine your options
  • Just create the library or create it and e-mail it to someone
  • Save the file attachments or not
  • Save all references or just selected ones
• Click OK
• Name the file
• If you chose to e-mail the file, your e-mail program will be activated and the file attached to a blank e-mail

• Open EndNote
• Open the .enlx file which will extract the folder and the .enl file and open the library