Where apps hide your files

Inside the Apple Notes data folder

Updated 2026-10-28 · 6 min read

Notes stores everything in one SQLite database inside a hidden Group Containers folder, with attachments in a separate Accounts folder. Here is the path, the older location, and the supported ways to get notes out.

The location

On recent macOS releases (checked on Sequoia 15.6), the Notes database is this file:

~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.notes/NoteStore.sqlite

Beside it are NoteStore.sqlite-wal and NoteStore.sqlite-shm. SQLite uses those two files for changes that are not yet merged into the main file, so a copy of NoteStore.sqlite on its own can be missing recent notes. On the Mac used for this guide the three files are 2.1 MB, 0.9 MB and 32 KB, for a small library.

Notes keeps its attachments and previews outside the database, in per-account folders in the same place:

~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.notes/Accounts/<account ID>/

Inside an account folder are Media, Previews and Thumbnails. The account ID is a long generated string, so match it with a wildcard. Apple does not publish this layout, so treat it as what the Mac used for this guide shows, and expect it to shift between macOS releases.

Open the folder

The folder is inside the hidden Library, and it is a protected area. In Finder press ⇧⌘G, paste ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.notes and press Return. In Terminal:

open ~/Library/Group\ Containers/group.com.apple.notes

If Terminal reports "Operation not permitted", Terminal has no Full Disk Access. Grant it in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access, then quit and reopen Terminal.

What you will see

Item	What it is
NoteStore.sqlite (with -wal, -shm)	The notes database: text, folders, accounts, metadata
Accounts/<ID>/Media	Files attached to notes
Accounts/<ID>/Previews, Thumbnails	Generated images shown in the list and gallery
NotesIndexerState-Modern, NotesIndexerState-HTML	Small files tracking Spotlight indexing
com.apple.notes.databaseopen.lock	A lock file; ignore it

A note's text is not stored as a readable text file. Do not open the database in an editor, and do not edit it: a live database changed behind Notes' back can lose notes.

An older store on some Macs

Older macOS releases kept notes in the app's container instead. On the Mac used for this guide, an older store still sits at:

~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Notes/Data/Library/Notes/NotesV7.storedata

It is 155 KB with a modification date from 2021, so it is a leftover from an earlier macOS, not where current notes live. If you are hunting for an old note on a Mac that has upgraded for years, check both places.

iCloud and On My Mac

What the database holds depends on your accounts. Notes in iCloud are also kept on Apple's servers and sync to your other devices, so the local file is a cache that can be rebuilt by signing in again. Notes under On My Mac exist only in this database, so a lost file means lost notes unless you have a backup. Apple's guide says importing needs either upgraded iCloud notes or notes stored on your Mac.

Deleting works differently per account, according to Apple's Notes guide:

• On My Mac: the note moves to Recently Deleted, where you can recover it for up to 30 days.
• Upgraded iCloud notes: the note moves to Recently Deleted on every device using that account, is removed from all of them after 30 days, and is permanently deleted from iCloud after 40 days.
• Other accounts (or iCloud notes that were never upgraded): the note is removed permanently from every device using the account.

So Recently Deleted is the first place to look, before you open any folders. To recover a note, drag it from there to another folder.

Get your notes out the supported way

Apple's Notes guide covers these, and they are safer than touching the database. The menus differ by macOS version.

On macOS Sequoia 15 and earlier:

• One note as PDF: click the note, then File > Export as PDF. You can type a new name and add tags.
• One note as a Pages document: File > Open in Pages, then save it in Pages.
• Print: File > Print.
• An attachment: in View > Show Attachments Browser, Control-click it and choose Save Attachment.
• Bring text in: File > Import to Notes takes TXT, RTF, RTFD, HTML and Evernote ENEX files. Imported notes land in a folder called Imported Notes.

On macOS Tahoe 26, Apple's guide adds Markdown: File > Export To (PDF or Markdown), Edit > Copy as Markdown, and File > Import Markdown, with Markdown added to the import formats.

Either way, Apple describes exporting one note at a time; there is no documented one-click export of your whole library.

Back up and move to a new Mac

1. For iCloud notes, check that Notes is switched on in your Apple Account's iCloud settings. A new Mac that signs in downloads them.
2. For On My Mac notes, rely on Time Machine, which includes ~/Library, or Migration Assistant when you set up the new Mac.
3. As an extra copy, quit Notes, then copy NoteStore.sqlite, NoteStore.sqlite-wal, NoteStore.sqlite-shm and the Accounts folder together to a folder on an external drive using Finder. The copy is a safety net, not a restore method: Apple does not document putting these files back, and for iCloud notes an older database dropped in place can conflict with the copy in iCloud when Notes syncs again. Never replace the files while Notes is open.

Space

The Media and Previews folders grow with attachments. Find them with View > Show Attachments Browser, Control-click one and choose Show in Note, and delete it inside the note, not from the folder: a file removed behind the app's back can leave a note pointing at a missing file. Check what is large with du -sh ~/Library/Group\ Containers/group.com.apple.notes/Accounts/* (read only).

Why a normal search misses it

~/Library/Group Containers is hidden and protected, and Spotlight and Finder searches leave it out. A note is also not a file with its own name: all of them sit inside the one database. Notes' own search box is the tool for note text.

Finding it again

Typing NoteStore into Everywhere lists the database and its -wal and -shm files, and NotesV7 finds the older store. Both live in protected areas, so Everywhere finds them once it has Full Disk Access. It matches names only; it will not read or search your notes, and ⌘↵ reveals a file in Finder.

Common questions

Where is the Apple Notes database on a Mac?

At ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.notes/NoteStore.sqlite, with NoteStore.sqlite-wal and NoteStore.sqlite-shm beside it. Attachments are in the Accounts folder next to it.

Where were Apple Notes stored on older macOS?

Older releases used a store inside ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Notes/Data/Library/Notes/, in a file such as NotesV7.storedata. A leftover copy of it exists on some upgraded Macs.

How do I back up Apple Notes on a Mac?

Time Machine covers the Library folder, and for iCloud notes the iCloud copy is the main one. To save single notes, use File > Export as PDF on Sequoia and earlier, or File > Export To on Tahoe 26.

Does deleting a note on my Mac delete it on my iPhone?

Yes for iCloud notes: the note moves to Recently Deleted on every device using that account and is removed from all of them after 30 days. Notes in other accounts, such as Gmail, are removed permanently from every device using the account.