Note apps and their local copies

Note services are sold on syncing and are usually configured, by default, to keep everything locally on every device. For a decade old account full of scanned documents and web clippings, that default is the entire storage story.

Find the local database

du -sh ~/Library/Containers/*[Nn]ote* \
  ~/Library/Group\ Containers/*[Nn]ote* \
  ~/Library/Application\ Support/*[Nn]ote* 2>/dev/null | sort -h | tail

The pattern catches Apple Notes, Evernote, Bear and most others, since almost all of them use one of those three locations. Read the result for size rather than for the exact path.

The on demand setting, where it exists

Service	Local copy default	On demand option
Apple Notes	Full, with attachments	No, but attachments follow iCloud settings
Evernote	Full on desktop	Yes, download on demand in preferences
Bear	Full, files in the database	No, it is a local first app
Notion	Cache only	Effectively on demand already

Where an on demand option exists, turning it on is the single change that matters, and it costs a moment's wait when you open an old note with a large attachment.

Before switching it on

Check that the account is genuinely synced and that you can see your notes from another device or the web. On demand means the service is the primary copy, so this is the moment to confirm there is one. For a local first app there is no such option, and the local copy is the only copy, which changes how you back it up rather than how you clean it.

Attachments are the whole problem

Text is negligible in every one of these. Scanned PDFs, images and audio recordings are the size, exactly as they are in the Notes app, where the Attachments browser is the fastest way to find them.

Common questions

Why does my note app use gigabytes on a Mac?

Attachments rather than text. Scanned PDFs, images and audio recordings are the size, and most services keep a full local copy of all of them on every device by default.

Can I stop notes downloading attachments locally?

Some services offer a download on demand option in preferences, which keeps the note text locally and fetches attachments when opened. Local first apps do not offer it, because the local copy is the primary one.

Where are note app files stored on a Mac?

Usually in a container under ~/Library/Containers, a group container, or ~/Library/Application Support, depending on the app. A single du command across all three locations finds whichever your app uses.

Is it safe to delete a local note database?

Only when the service definitely holds a synced copy, confirmed from another device or the web. For local first apps the database is the only copy and deleting it loses the notes.