Evernote Migration Completeness Check: What to Do When 536 Notes Become 20

Why the Counts Do Not Match

A destination app may count only imported Markdown files, while Evernote counts notes in every notebook, including trash, stacks, shortcuts, or notebooks excluded by a filter. Some importers also merge duplicate titles, skip unsupported resources, or hide files in an attachment folder.

That means “536 became 20” is a warning, not a diagnosis. Before repeating the export, identify which number is being counted and whether both sides use the same definition of a note.

Create a Source Inventory

Start with a source-side inventory that you can save as a CSV, spreadsheet, or plain text file. You do not need every field to begin; you need stable identifiers and enough context to trace a discrepancy.

If you cannot export a formal inventory, make one from a sample of notebooks first. The goal is to turn an anxious count mismatch into a list of traceable records.

Check Export Filters and Batches

The most common explanation for a tiny destination count is an export scope that was smaller than expected. Review each setting before assuming the importer lost data.

• Was a single notebook or tag selected?
• Were trashed notes excluded?
• Was an “updated after” date applied?
• Did a batch overwrite files with the same name?
• Were resources or notes without an export date filtered out?

Repeat the export with a deliberately broad scope into a new directory. Keep each batch separate and name it with the date and filter, so a later comparison does not depend on memory.

Reconcile Notes, Attachments, and Links

A note count alone is not enough. Reconcile the objects that make a note useful:

Use IDs where possible. Titles are helpful for humans but are not reliable keys when notes are duplicated, renamed, or stored in different notebooks.

Run a Known-Note Sample Test

Choose 10–30 notes whose titles and contents you recognize. Include an old note, a recent note, an attachment-heavy note, a note in a less-used notebook, and one with a distinctive phrase you can search for.

1. Find each note in the local source database.
2. Find its exported file and record the path.
3. Open the file and search for a distinctive sentence.
4. Open the imported note in the destination app.
5. Check attachments, links, tags, and formatting.
6. Mark the record pass, warning, or fail.

Write a Migration Report

End with a short report that another person—or you six months from now—can understand. Include:

• Source note, notebook, attachment, and tag counts
• Export formats, filters, dates, and output directories
• Destination counts and how they were measured
• Sample results and unresolved exceptions
• Where the raw ENEX or HTML preservation copy is stored

If the destination has fewer notes for an explainable reason—such as archived duplicates—write that reason down. If you still cannot account for a note, keep the source and repeat only the affected batch instead of starting over blindly.

FAQ

The Practical Takeaway

A surprising note count is the start of an investigation, not proof of failure. Build a source inventory, audit export scope, reconcile attachments and links, test known notes, and write down exceptions. Once every important record has a traceable path from Evernote to the destination, you can scale the migration without guessing.