Don't Panic!
So, foolish mortal: you have updated your Evernote account to v10.
Before you cancel your subscription / commit some violence on your devices, fellow workers or family, please read this post.
It should help you survive the changes - although our first and best advice is: install the legacy version onto your desktop now - https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/360052560314
Stick with that until you get used to the new app, and Evernote have added back some missing features.
History
The company launched this new version of their very popular desktop note-taking and curation software in October 2020. It has been completely re-engineered from the ground up to allow new features to be added more easily.
For a long time users had been asking for enhancements that the 'old' version - engineered nearly 20 years ago in much less capable code than is currently in use - simply could not support with this extensive rewrite.
Evernote decided to bite the bullet and replace that design with a new, more flexible system that would allow more and better enhancements to be added. Unfortunately, while they have released the new, shiny software, they have yet to add back all the bells and whistles that were features in the 'old' system. It's possible that some of them will never return.
I'll add a definitive list of unsupported features that will stay that way as soon as it is published. Meantime I'd suggest that if you find something that does not work (yet) in v10, you check Feature Requests in the Evernote Forums to see whether it has already been listed. If not, add your own request.
As a bonus I included the Bugs & Technical Queries Forums for Evernote 10 - Evernote Support might be a little busy at the moment (!!) so a detailed query here might get you an answer if this page doesn't help. If you're posting there, please include your operating system, device and as much detail about the issue you're having as possible.
The Survival Guide
As far as anyone understands it at the moment, the next features to be added to the desktop apps are:
App preferences Export options Taskbar clipping Audio note recording & playback Quick switcher (Cmd+J) Published notebooks (Evernote Business)
(From @EvernoteHelps on October 8th)
So it seems that some of the functionality we all expect to be part of the package is coming back - with added goodies if that Business Publishing thing is new. Shame that there wasn't time to get all that finished before we were told to update.. which then erased the old app from most systems...
Still - the 'Legacy' features are still fully available - as far as they went - from Evernote here. If you haven't already - step back to that system for daily tasks until further notice.
The new app is really stylish and well presented, but it won't do a lot of things that I depend on. Judging by the posts in social media and the Forums, a lot of other users feel the same way.
New Users
If you've recently been tempted to try the Evernote ecosystem for the first time, or you're hopping back to see what all the fuss is about, these 'pro' tips may help.
Dive right in. You're not operating precision machinery here and there's no rule book to follow. Whether you're cataloguing your collection of corks, or managing a shop. Just start keeping your notes in Evernote.
Give each one a meaningful title - there's a useful search "intitle:(keyword)"1
Add a useful tag (you guessed it - there's a search for that too "tag:(keyword)")
If you're using Evernote in your browser there are (at least) two important things:
- Keep your notes short 2
- Install Typio Form Recovery (Chrome) so you have some protection against losing your work2
Lookup things you need to know in Evernote's Help & Learning Centre
If that still leaves you baffled, try the Evernote User Forums and post in the feedback or bug reporting thread that applies to your device and operating system.
Always Sync your device with the central server before you start to use the app - just to make sure you have the latest copy of all your notes. Likewise always sync afterward - don't type and then switch off your device; that's another way to lose work.
If you have any problems at any stage, try three things before you panic
File>Exit Evernote, then restart the app and log back in.
File>Exit Evernote, then restart your device and log back in.
File>Exit Evernote, then uninstall the app, restart your device and reinstall / log back in.
Obviously if step 1 works, then don't go on to the other two!!
Always backup your data - check out the help links above for details. If you're using the new version the correct process is to download and export your notes (I think) notebook-by-notebook and save those ENEX files somewhere safe. You'll be able to re-import them if and when you need to.
Finally - you might have guessed - Don't Panic!!. If none of this was helpful go back to pencil and paper for a day or two while Evernote or we 'experienced' users work it out on the Forums. We all have much more serious problems to worry about.
Let's stay safe out there
1 without the "" quotation marks
2 If you lose your connection or hit the wrong key you could lose your work.
The web is for short, quick notes - save the editorialising for later.
20201010 SC