There’s always a grounded fear of data loss in this day and age when a lot of services are cloud-based. The worst thing that can happen is that your important files, documents, photos, or videos suddenly disappear and can’t be found locally nor in the cloud. And, sadly, that’s exactly what happened to some Google Keep users. Based on reports, Google Keep notes disappeared for no apparent reason for some users. If you are among them, check the instructions we provided below to get your notes back.
Table of contents:
- Sync notes and check Accounts
- Check Trash and Archive
- Check Keep Notes on the web
- Clear app data from Google Keep
- Use Google Takeout
How do I get my Google Keep notes back?
Start by re-syncing notes on all devices with Google Keep that you used. Check Archive and Trash. Also, make sure that you’re logged in with the right Google Account.
You can also clear the data from the app and, finally, use Google Takeout to get whatever is stored in Google Keep.
1. Sync notes and check Accounts
If you created notes on different devices, make sure that they’re syncing from those devices. Usually, this is done automatically when you’re connected to a network. However, there are instances when the notes won’t sync due to a server-side glitch and only get stored locally. So, make sure to re-sync Google Keep on all devices and check if the Google Keep notes that disappeared appear again. Always sync notes because, if you don’t and you remove your Google Account from your Android device, all of them will get deleted.
Also, if you have multiple Google Accounts, there’s a chance that you created notes on another account. That’s one of the things to check before moving on to additional steps.
2. Check Trash and Archive
If you can’t see certain notes in Google Keep Notes, make sure that they are not in the Trash or Archive. You can check Archive and Trash in the hamburger menu of Keep Notes. If there are any files in the Archive, you can restore them with ease, by highlighting them and choosing Unarchive from the 3-dots menu.
In comparison, deleted notes get auto-deleted after 7 days so there’s a good chance that they’re gone for good if you started missing them a long time ago. Of course, this implies that you deleted notes by accident which isn’t exactly something one does easily.
3. Check Keep Notes on the web
Some users report that they managed to find their notes in the Keep Notes for Web even though they were missing on their Android smartphones. For some reason, it seems that the problem is on the server’s side, and not all clients get the refreshed notes list.
You can find Keep Notes on the web. All you need to do is sign in with your Google account and check if the disappeared Google Keep notes are there or if they’re missing. Check the Archive and Trash once again.
4. Clear app data from Google Keep
When there’s a problem with an app on Android, the best bet to troubleshoot the issue is to clear the local data from the app. In some cases, this action will delete some important data but not with the cloud-based app Google Keep. It does cache your notes locally but the important thing is that everything is backed up to Google’s servers.
Here’s how to clear app data from Google Keep on Android:
- Open Settings.
- Select Apps.
- Tap Google Keep.
- Choose Storage.
- Tap Clear data and confirm when prompted.
- Restart your device, open Keep, and check for missing notes.
5. Use Google Takeout
Finally, the only remaining thing we can suggest to all of you that possibly lost your work when the notes disappeared is to check Google Takeout. What is Google Takeout? This is a service that allows you to get the data from various Google services you use and export it to your PC or phone. In this case, what we want to do is get takeout for Google Keep Notes and, hopefully, the missing notes will be there.
Here’s how to use Google Takeout to bring back your Google Keep notes that disappeared:
- Navigate to Google Takeout and sign in with your Google Account.
- Select Deselect All.
- Scroll through the list and check the box next to Keep.
- Go to the bottom and select Next step.
- Select Export once and then click Create export. Use a ZIP/RAR application to unzip the archive and extract notes.
You can do this on your phone, too, but it’s much easier to do it on your PC. If you’re still missing some notes, ensure to report the problem from the Google Keep Notes app. Tap on the hamburger menu and open Help & feedback > Send feedback.
With that said, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading and for your time. Hopefully, the steps we provided helped you get back your important notes. If you have any alternative solutions, feel free to share them in the comments section below.
Editor’s note: This article was initially published in April 2022. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.
