Here’s How to Recover Sticky Notes in Windows – Top 5 Ways
Ever since its launch, Windows has been one of the most beloved operating systems. Among its many positives, one of the underappreciated utilities is sticky notes. This hidden productivity enhancer has been a part of multiple Windows versions for the better part of the last decade. It has many use cases, be it jotting down contact information, or setting up a reminder. These digital post-it notes have never refused any request, so when users want to recover sticky notes in Windows, it is a serious cause for concern.
Losing access to important information is something that no one wants. Not to worry, as we will share with you a solution that helps you get back deleted sticky notes data on any Windows device. Before that, let’s see where exactly your Windows machine stores the sticky notes data.
Common Reasons For Sticky Notes Data Loss
Before we dive right into the solutions to restore sticky notes data, let us first understand what causes it to get lost in the first place.
- Accidental deletion of notes by users.
- Abrupt system crash or Windows update.
- App reinstallion or reset.
- Corruption in the sticky notes database file.
- Issues in user profile.
Now that we are aware of what causes sticky notes data loss, let us move ahead and know how to restore the lost sticky notes data. But before that, let us first see where the sticky notes are stored.
Where Are Sticky Notes Stored in Windows?
Sticky Notes are stored in a database file called:
plum.sqlite
Here’s where you can find the file aka file location:
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Packages\ Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState
Keep this path with you as it helps us during the automated retrieval of sticky notes later.
Also Read: Steps to recover permanently deleted files using command prompt in Windows devices
How to Restore Sticky Notes Data?
- Recover Sticky Notes from Previous Versions
- Restore Deleted Sticky Notes from MS Outlook
- Check Windows Backup
- Restore Sticky Notes from plum.sqlite File
Let us now move ahead in the article and explain each one of these solutions in detail so, you can pick out the best one for you.
Recover Sticky Notes from Previous Versions
If enabled, Windows automatically creates backups. Here’s how to restore using them:
- Navigate to the folder loction of your Sticky Notes.
- Then, right-click on it and select “Restore Previous Versions”.
- After that, choose and select a version before the data loss.
- Finally, click Restore.
Et voila! your lost Sticky Notes data is recovered however, this method will only work if the restore points are enabled, and it may not include your most recent notes.
Restore Deleted Sticky Notes from MS Outlook
You may find your notes might be synchronized if you were signed in with a Microsoft account.
- Launch open MS Outlook (app or web).
- Now, head to the Deleted Items folder and search for Sticky Notes.
- If available, restore the notes from there.
Another simple approach you can try out for a quick recovery of your Sticky Notes. Unfortunately, it is only applicable if the user has the sync enabled. Moreover, this method is not a relaible approach for all users. Getting back sticky notes via this method requires a complicated scenario. Let us explain, during creation your device must be online and be in sync. While at the time of deletion, your source/target device must be offline. Otherwise, the deletion itself gets synced and you no longer have access to the data.
Check Windows Backup
- Open the Control Panel.
- Go to Backup and Restore.
- There, locate the Sticky Notes data.
- At last, restore the files.
And you’re done! However, keep in mind this method requires a prior backup setup so it will only work if you have a system backup.
Recover Sticky Notes from plum.sqlite File
You can easily recover your sticky notes if your system still has the database file. Here’s how to do so:
- Open the File Explorer and navigate to the Sticky Notes folder. (path mentioed above)
- In the folder, locate the plum.sqlite file.
- Now, open the file using automated viewer utility.
- Upon doing so, extract and read your notes easily.
Just like the other solutions mentioned above, this too, has certain drawbacks. This method requires users to have proper technical knowledge; you won’t be able to execute this method if you are not technically adept. Moreover, this solution comes with a risk of data misinterpretation.
Professional Way to Get Back Deleted Sticky Notes
As manual retrieval of sticky notes is nearly impossible. Moreover, the instant sync via One Note cloud removes all copies of a sticky note from every device. As a result, users have only one option left which is to trust the SysTools SQLite viewer. The free-to-use tool is available for all users who wish to recover sticky notes.
Its unique Hex view allows a clear-cut view of the data that was on the sticky notes. The tool works even if your Sticky Notes application has crashed. With the color-coded users can easily differentiate between the Active items and the ones that are deleted. Moreover, a dedicated section for recently deleted items is there to check and retrieve the data. So next up we have the procedure to deploy and utilize the tool in your local environment.
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Steps to Restore Sticky Notes Using the Tool
- Once the installation is complete, launch the tool.
- Click on the Add file button on the top menu ribbon.
- In the small window that pops up on your screen click on the 3 dots in front of the SQLite option.
- It in turn opens a file explorer window where you need to follow the same path to get back deleted sticky notes.
- Once you get to the plum.sqlite file select it and click open.
- Then move back to the tool and hit the Add button on the small window.
- This pulls the entire subsection and puts it on the preview screen.
- From the left-hand pane select the Insights section. There, you can find the exact information that was in the original sticky note.
- Select, Copy, and Paste this text on a new sticky note or any text editor of your choice.
Tips and Practices to Make the Sticky Notes Restoration Process Simple
Here are some points that we believe are important to get back deleted sticky notes. Following them makes the restoration process simple and easier to complete.
- If you believe that sticky notes have been deleted without your permission don’t make new notes right away. This is because your Windows machine allocates a specified chunk of space for the notes. Whenever a note is deleted, it is not removed outright but the path to that data is removed.
- Your machine then considers the space as free and available for new data. So if you make a new note there is a chance that your device overwrites the existing information. In such a case it might be impossible to regain access to deleted sticky notes. Therefore, it is strongly advised to recover sticky notes via the tool ASAP.
- Add a secondary warning to verify the manual sticky note deletion. It is an inbuilt mechanism present inside all sticky notes. To access it launch the sticky notes app. Click on the gear icon at the top right corner. This opens the main settings of the sticky notes application, here you can find a “Confirm before deleting” option. Toggle it to get an alert every time you delete a note that is no longer required. Keep in mind that this option can be revoked during the deletion itself. If you mark the “Don’t ask me again” option while deleting a particular note.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed how to recover Sticky Notes with manual and automated solutions. Along with that, we also shared the top causes why the sticky notes content gets lost in the first place and the original file location as well. Keep in mind that the manual solutions come with certain drawbacks thus, you should opt for them if you are adept for the risks along with it. However, for a secure and hassle-free experience choose the reliable automated solution for sticky notes restoration.
Read More: Steps to recover permanently deleted files using command prompt in Windows devices