How to Recover Sticky Notes in Windows: A Stepwise Guide

For users who are demanding a tool to remember essential tasks that they might forget, Sticky Notes must be their first choice.

What Is Sticky Notes?

Sticky Notes is a Windows built-in note-taking app. This application is handy for tracking workflows, noting essential schedules, storing temporary information, or making to-do lists.

Sticky Notes enables you to set reminders, create lists, and basically record anything you need to recall at a glance. You can effortlessly write down notes and keep them open as sticky-note-style windows on your desktop.

It works with Windows, iOS, Android, OneNote, and Outlook. All notes created will be stored in the computer’s database.

“Where are sticky notes stored on Windows 10 or 11?” would be an important question to consider. Keep reading to find the location of sticky notes.

Where Are Sticky Notes Stored in Windows 10/11?

The location where sticky notes are stored differs from that of standard files like photos, documents, videos, databases, etc.

Sticky notes are kept in a unique database file (plum.sqlite or StickyNotes.snt) or, in certain cases, linked to your Microsoft account (for the latest versions of Windows).

Therefore, you can have your notes stored locally for quick access or find them online using Microsoft’s account.

Before discussing how to recover sticky notes, it’s crucial to understand where they are stored in Windows 11/10/8/7:

Windows 10 (versions 1511, 1507), Windows 8, and Windows 7:

The Sticky Notes files can be accessed at the following path:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\StickyNotes

Windows 10 (versions 1607 and later) and Windows 11:

The Sticky Notes files can be found on your computer at the following path:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState

Furthermore, the file extensions for the Sticky Notes database may differ depending on the Windows operating system.

• The plum.sqlite file is mainly utilized in Windows 10/11.
• The StickyNotes.snt file is predominantly found in earlier versions of Windows, such as Windows 8/7.

Can You Recover Deleted or Lost Sticky Notes?

Like other files, sticky notes are also vulnerable to being accidentally deleted or lost due to viruses, disk errors, system crashes, Windows updates, etc.

User Case:

“I want to recover my sticky note, and for that, I tried finding the sticky notes folder in AppData > Local > Microsoft, but the folder is not there. Is there any way I can get back my data?”learn.microsoft.com

If you can resonate with the above-mentioned situation, you may have considered whether it’s possible to recover deleted sticky notes. The good news is that the answer is YES!

Deleted sticky notes are stored locally on your hard drive as well as in the cloud.

This means there’s a reasonable chance of retrieving them if you act quickly and avoid creating new data that might overwrite the deleted notes.

Before diving into the note recovery process, let’s take a look at why your notes may be missing and a special case where the Sticky Notes app disappears.

Continue reading to find out more!

What Causes Sticky Notes to Be Lost?

Sticky notes can be lost for several reasons, and below are some common causes:

• Notes may have been unintentionally deleted.
• Notes may be lost as a result of computer viruses or malware.
• Notes can be lost due to power failures or system crash.
• Notes might be collapsed and hidden within the notes list.
• Notes might vanish following a Windows system update.
• Problems with syncing across devices can lead to lost notes.
• The Sticky Notes database can become corrupted, resulting in lost notes.

Special Situation: The Sticky Notes Application Disappears

When we say “the Sticky Notes disappeared,” we often mean that the data within the application is missing. However, for some users, it refers to the entire application having gone like the scenario below.

“Suddenly, throughout the Enterprise, I have users complaining that Sticky Notes have disappeared from their systems. It appears to have been completely removed from systems. For the life of me, I can't figure out how or why?”reddit.com

Microsoft acknowledges that this problem can arise and suggests trying to reinstall Sticky Notes.

To reinstall Sticky Notes:

1. Access the Microsoft Store app and search for Sticky Notes from Microsoft, since there are many similar applications available.
2. Click the Get button to proceed with the installation. If the button is greyed out, the application might be corrupted.
3. Use the Search function or the Start Menu to find Add or remove programs. Look for Sticky Notes, click the three-dot menu, and choose Uninstall.
4. Then, close and reopen the Microsoft Store, and click Get to reinstall Sticky Notes.

After the application has been reinstalled, you can recover lost sticky notes by following the recovery methods outlined below.

How to Recover Sticky Notes in Windows 10/11?

Regardless of the way you lost your sticky notes, there are five effective methods to recover deleted sticky notes in Windows 11/10 as outlined below. Without any further ado, let’s begin!

If you prefer an intuitive video guide, watch this video:

Method 1. Check the Notes List

First, you need to check the Notes list in the Sticky Notes app. Some notes may be in the list but not currently visible.

To access your Notes list, follow these steps:

Step 1. Press Win + S to open the Windows Search bar, type Sticky Notes, and press Enter.

Step 2. At the top menu bar, click the three-dot icon, then choose Notes list to view your other notes.

Method 2. Recover Sticky Notes From Outlook

If you logged in to your Microsoft account in Sticky Notes, sticky notes will be automatically synced with your Microsoft account. When you delete a note, instead of going to the Recycle Bin, it is sent directly to the Deleted Items folder in Outlook.

Follow these steps to check your Outlook:

Step 1. Open the Microsoft Outlook app or visit the official site of Outlook Live and sign in using the same account you used for the desktop Sticky Notes.

Step 2. Go to the Notes section to check if your sticky notes are present. If they are not there, head over to the Deleted Items tab, where you can find all the deleted notes.

Step 3. Select the sticky notes you wish to recover and click the Restore button.

Method 3. Recover Sticky Notes From SNT/SQLITE Files

In addition to syncing with the cloud, Windows stores your notes locally in a database (.snt or .sqlite).

If your notes are missing in Outlook, you can try retrieving them from the .snt or .sqlite files.

Here’s a breakdown to recover sticky notes from SNT/SQLITE files:

Step 1. Press Win + E to launch File Explorer and navigate to the folder where the Sticky Notes are located:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Sticky Notes

Or

C:\Users\username<\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState

Step 2. Look for a file named plum.sqlite, plum.sqlite-wal, or with a .snt extension. Your notes are usually stored inside.

However, these files cannot be opened directly. You can use DB Browser for SQLite or another SQLite viewer to browse the database and access your notes.

If you cannot see your notes in the database file, check out the following solutions to restore them.

Method 4. Restore Sticky Notes From a Previous Version

If you have enabled the File History function on Windows, it provides a feature called Restore Previous Versions that would have saved the history of your Sticky Notes.

As the name implies, Restore Previous Versions allows you to selectively revert files or folders to an earlier state, as long as this earlier state was included in one of the backups created by File History.

To carry out a sticky note recovery by restoring a file to a previous version, follow these steps:

Step 1. Press Win + E to launch the File Explorer and navigate to the following folder location path.

For Windows 10 (versions 1607 and later) and Windows 11:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\

For Windows 10 (versions 1511, 1507), Windows 8, and Windows 7:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\StickyNotes

Step 2. Right-click on the LocalState folder that contains the plum.sqlite file, and then choose the Restore previous versions option. This will show a list of earlier versions that you can recover to get back the deleted sticky notes.

Step 3. Select the version of the file that contains the missing notes, and then click Restore.

Step 4. In the pop-up window, click Restore again to confirm the action.

Alternatively, you can retrieve deleted sticky notes using File History.

1. First, type File History in the Windows Search box and press Enter.
2. When the new interface appears, select Restore personal files. You will see a list of all your files in their backed-up versions.
3. Select the sticky notes you wish to recover and click the green Recover button.

How to Restore Files/Folders From a Previous Version

This post shows you how to restore files/folders from a previous version and some alternative ways to recover lost files and folders.

Read More

Method 5. Recover Sticky Notes Using MiniTool Power Data Recovery

If you accidentally delete the .snt/.sqlite file or encounter a system crash that causes the files to be lost, then you can use professional data recovery software to recover Sticky Notes.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a handy tool that enables you to recover deleted, lost, corrupted, hidden, formatted, or permanently deleted files with just a few clicks.

This free data recovery software is particularly advantageous if you don’t have a backup of your notes or if you seek a straightforward method to restore them.

Here’s a closer look at why MiniTool is a solid choice for recovering sticky notes:

• Comprehensive Recovery: Recover files that have been unintentionally lost from both internal and external drives, including documents, photos, videos, and more.
• User-Friendly Interface: Boasts a straightforward design that facilitates quick and easy scanning and recovery of data.
• Read-Only Scanning: Conducts scans without altering original data, which guarantees secure data recovery.
• Controllable Process: Lets you pause the scanning session and selectively filter and save the files you want after scanning.
• Strong Compatibility With Windows Versions and Languages: Compatible with Windows 11, 10, 8.1, and 8, and offers support for multiple languages within the interface.

Download and install this powerful data recovery tool by clicking the button below.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Next, we will show you the detailed instructions for sticky note recovery using MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

Step 1. Launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery to get its main interface. Under the Logical Drives section, select the target partition that contains the .snt/.sqlite file (usually, located in the C drive) and click the Scan button.

Alternatively, you can go to the Recover From Specific Location tab, choose Select Folder, and click Browse. Then, navigate to the .snt or .sqlite file location and click Select Folder.

Here, we choose to scan a specific folder to search for the .snt/.sqlite file.

Step 2. After scanning, most of the discovered files are organized in the Path section according to their original folder structure. You can easily open each folder and its subfolders to locate the files you need.

Didn’t find the .snt/.sqlite file? Try using the Search feature by typing .snt or .sqlite in the box and pressing Enter.

Step 3. In the search results window, select the wanted files and click the Save button. You will then be asked to choose a folder for saving the retrieved files. Select a safe location and click OK.

Once you have successfully recovered the .snt or .sqlite file, move it to the Sticky Notes folder:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\StickyNotes

Or

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState

Then, restart Sticky Notes. Your notes should reappear in the app.

How to Prevent Sticky Notes From Getting Lost on Windows 10/11?

It’s simple to send one of your notes into oblivion. Therefore, to avoid future sticky note loss, you can take some actions to protect them.

Method 1: Enable Synchronization With Your Microsoft Account

Enabling synchronization is the simplest method to provide an extra layer of security against data loss for your Sticky Notes.

When synchronization is activated, your Sticky Notes will be stored in your Outlook account in the cloud. Thus, whenever one gets deleted, it will go to your Outlook’s Deleted Items folder.

Here’s how to enable it:

Step 1. Open the Sticky Notes app on your PC.

Step 2. Click the Settings icon in the upper-right corner of the notes list.

Step 3. In the Settings menu, find the Sign in to sync your notes section and click Sign in.

Step 4. Enter your Microsoft account credentials to sign in.

After signing in, your Sticky Notes should begin syncing to the cloud and appear on other devices where you’re logged into the same Microsoft account.

Method 2: Enable Delete Confirmation

You can activate the option for delete confirmation to prevent the accidental deletion of Sticky notes.

Follow the steps to enable it:

Step 1. Launch Sticky Notes and click the three-dot icon located in the top right corner. Then select the Notes List option.

Step 2. Click on Settings and toggle the Confirm before deleting option to On.

After enabling it, you will then see a prompt asking, “Do you want to delete this note?” when you attempt to remove a Sticky Note, as shown below.

Method 3: Make a Backup of Sticky Notes

The most secure way to avert data loss is to keep backups of important information.

Maintaining a backup of your Sticky Notes file guarantees you can readily restore it to its original state after a data loss incident.

The following will show you how to effectively back up Sticky Notes on Windows.

Step 1: Press Windows + R to access the Run dialog.

Step 2: Type the following path and click OK to navigate to the Sticky Notes file location:

C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Sticky Notes

Or

C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState

Step 3: Right-click to copy and paste all the files (especially the database files known as StickyNotes.snt, plum.sqlite, plum.sqlite-shm, and plum.aqlite-wal) to a secure location, like an external hard drive or a flash drive.

[Comprehensive Guide] How to Backup Sticky Notes Windows 10/11?

Sticky Notes is a very convenient tool in work and life but do you know how to backup Sticky Notes Windows 10? Try these methods below!

Read More

Final Words

Losing access to your Sticky Notes app or unintentionally deleting notes can cost you important information you wanted to keep handy.

This post introduces five practical ways to recover sticky notes on Windows 10/11. You can follow one by one until you get the notes back.

The first step is to try reopening them through the notes list in the Sticky Notes app.

Then, if you have logged in with a Microsoft account, you should also check the Deleted Items folder in your Outlook.com account online.

If those options don’t work, you can manually locate and open the plum.sqlite or StickyNotes.snt database file, or you can restore a prior version of this folder from your backup.

Nothing happen? MiniTool Power Data Recovery can be your last resort to rescue your notes.

For any issues while using MiniTool software, please contact the support team at [email protected].