Where apps hide your files

Finding your EndNote library and its Data folder

Updated 2026-10-28 · 6 min read

EndNote keeps no hidden library folder: each library is a .enl file with a matching .Data folder, wherever you saved the pair. Here is how to find them, why iCloud and Dropbox are dangerous for them, and how to back them up properly.

The location

EndNote does not have one fixed folder for libraries. A library is two things that sit side by side in whichever folder you chose when you created it:

My EndNote Library.enl
My EndNote Library.Data

The .enl file is the library itself and the .Data folder holds the attached files and the database's working parts. EndNote's own manual says both are needed, and calls "My EndNote Library" the default name for a new library. The manual suggests saving libraries in your Documents folder, so that is the first place to look:

~/Documents

If you cannot remember where you saved it, the next section finds it without guessing.

Find the library you were using

The quickest sure way is to search by name: libraries end in .enl (or .enlp for a packaged library), and a .Data folder with the same name sits next to each .enl. Open Terminal and run this to list candidates in your home folder (it only reads names):

find ~ -maxdepth 4 \( -name "*.enl" -o -name "*.enlp" \) 2>/dev/null

macOS may ask whether Terminal can see Documents, Desktop or Downloads. If you decline, or Terminal lacks access to other protected folders, find skips them silently. If one library opens every time EndNote starts, it is probably set as your favourite library; EndNote's manual covers that setting under Setting a Favorite Library.

What is inside the .Data folder

EndNote's manual and university guides describe it as the home of the PDFs and images you attach to references, plus the database files that make the library work. Community posts mention subfolders such as PDF, rdb and tdb; the names can differ between versions, so list yours before you rely on them. Never move, rename or delete anything inside .Data yourself: the .enl file and its folder only work as a pair, and a library opened without its .Data folder is empty of attachments. Community forum posts also warn that opening an .enl file whose .Data folder is missing can create a new, empty .Data folder and overwrite part of the original.

The iCloud and Dropbox warning

EndNote's manual is blunt: do not save libraries in any cloud-syncing folder. Cloud services can corrupt a library over time, because they copy files one at a time while EndNote treats several files as one database. The manual's own suggested sync route is EndNote's online sync, not a synced folder.

On a Mac this catches people out because of iCloud. If Desktop & Documents Folders is switched on for iCloud Drive, your Documents folder is a cloud-synced folder, and with Optimize Mac Storage on, files in it can be removed from the Mac to save space. One university guide advises a separate folder in your home folder instead. To check, open System Settings, click your name at the top of the sidebar, click iCloud, then Drive (iCloud Drive in some macOS versions), and look at Desktop & Documents Folders. If a library is already in Documents with that option on, make a backup now (below) and move the pair into a plain folder such as ~/EndNote using EndNote's Save a Copy rather than dragging files.

Once you use EndNote's sync, the manual says not to copy, move or rename the library files, because that breaks the link to the online copy.

Back up properly

Exporting references is not a backup. EndNote's manual says an export file is just text, while a library is a database. Use one of these:

• Compress Library (.enlx): with the library open, choose File > Compress Library (.enlx) (older guides call the result a Compressed Library). The dialog lets you include or leave out file attachments and choose all references, selected ones or a group. The result is one .enlx file you can store anywhere, including cloud storage, as a copy. To restore, choose File > Open Library and pick the .enlx: EndNote unpacks the .enl and .Data into the folder the .enlx is in. The manual warns that unpacking next to an original library of the same name overwrites it, so move the .enlx to an empty folder first. Libraries larger than 4 GB or 65,535 files cannot be compressed this way.
• Save a Copy: File > Save a Copy makes a new .enl and .Data pair. It suits large libraries. EndNote saves changes as you work, so there is no Save or Save As for the library itself.
• Packaged library: when you choose New or Save a Copy, the Save as Package option makes a single .enlp item that is really a folder holding both parts. Windows users see it as an ordinary folder.

Cloud storage is fine for copies, as long as you download one to a local folder before you open it. EndNote's online sync is not a backup either: the manual says references you delete and empty from the trash on one side are deleted on the other at the next sync.

Other EndNote files worth copying

EndNote's manual lists these as part of a full backup:

• ~/Documents/EndNote/Styles, Filters and Connections: your personal and modified versions (EndNote's Folder Locations preference can change them)
• ~/Library/Application Support/EndNote: the Sort Words and Case Words files, if you customised them
• ~/Library/Preferences/com.ThomsonResearchSoft.EndNote.plist: your preferences
• Custom reference types: export the table from EndNote > Preferences, Reference Types, then Export under Reference Type Table
• The papers you wrote with EndNote citations

The program's own styles live in the app's folder in Applications, and the installer can restore them.

Moving to a new Mac

Install the same or a newer EndNote, then copy the .enl and .Data pair (or open your .enlx) into a local folder on the new Mac. EndNote's manual recommends backing up before you upgrade.

Why searching misses them

If your library is in Documents, Finder can find it, but a .Data folder looks like an ordinary folder, and searching for a title or author finds nothing because references are stored inside the database, not as files.

Finding the library next time

Typing .enl into Everywhere lists every library on the Mac, and the matching .Data folders show up when you type the library's name, so you can see at a glance whether a copy lost its other half. Typing .enlx finds your compressed backups, wherever you stashed them. Documents and iCloud Drive are protected, so results there appear once Everywhere has Full Disk Access. It matches file names only and cannot see references inside a library.

Common questions

Where does EndNote save libraries on a Mac?

Wherever you chose when you created the library, as a .enl file with a matching .Data folder. EndNote's manual suggests the Documents folder, but not a cloud-synced one.

Is it safe to keep an EndNote library in iCloud or Dropbox?

No. EndNote's manual says cloud-syncing folders can corrupt libraries over time. Use the cloud only for backup copies, and download one locally before opening it.

How do I back up an EndNote library?

Use File > Compress Library (.enlx) for a single-file backup, or File > Save a Copy for a new .enl and .Data pair. An export file is not a backup, and neither is EndNote's sync.

What is the .Data folder for?

It holds your attached PDFs and images and the library's database files. Always keep it beside the .enl file with the same name when you copy or move a library.