EndNote 21 guide

We highly recommended that you make regular back up copies of your EndNote library to guard against damage or loss. This also enables you to take your EndNote library with you to another location, and to email part or all of your library to your colleagues.

Your library in EndNote comprises a .enl file and a .DATA folder, which holds various files connected with the library. Both the "Save a Copy" function and saving your library as a "Compressed library" includes the .DATA folder.

Which method you need to use depends on the size of your EndNote library.

• If your library is smaller than 4GB or 65,535 files, use the "Compress library" method (this will be the case for most users)
• If your library is larger than 4GB or 65,535 files, use the "Save a copy" method.

Back up a small library

To back up your small EndNote library (smaller than 4GB or 65,535 files), save a compressed copy of your library to a cloud drive and/or USB drive. This method can also be used to transfer your library between computers or share your library with others. For more information on sharing a compressed library, see the "Share a compressed library" section of this guide:

To save a compressed copy of your EndNote library:

1. Open your EndNote library
2. From the top menu, select "File"
3. Select "Compress Library (.enlx)"
4. A pop-up "Compress Library" box will appear
5. Select "Create"
6. Select "With File Attachments"
7. Select "All References in Library"
8. Click "Next"
9. Select the cloud or USB drive you wish to save your library to. We suggest creating a dedicated folder for your EndNote back ups, so you don't confuse them with your working library.

Back up a large library

To back up your large EndNote library (larger than 4GB or 65,535 files), use the "Save a copy" function to back up to a cloud drive and/or USB drive. This method can also be used to transport your library between computers or share your library with others. For more information on sharing a compressed library, see the "Share a compressed library" section of this guide:

1. In EndNote Desktop, select "File", then "Save a Copy"
2. This will create two files, a .enl file and a .data file. Make sure you keep both files together
3. Save the files to a cloud drive or USB. We suggest creating a dedicated folder for your EndNote back ups, so you don't confuse them with your working library
4. If storage space is an issue, you may need to third party file compression software such as WinZip to compress the files.

If you need to retrieve your library from a back up copy:

1. Locate the back up copy you wish to use
2. If the back up copy is stored on a cloud or USB/external drive, download or copy it to your computer's hard drive before proceeding
3. If your back up copy was "zipped" using third party compression software, you will need to unzip it to continue. Note: You do not need to do this if you created your back up copy using EndNote's "Compressed libraries" function
4. Rename the file to remove terms like "back up" or "copy" from its name, as this will now become your working EndNote library
5. From its new location on your computer's hard drive, open the file. This should open EndNote, and your library should look as it did at the time you backed it up.