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EndNote for Mac

Saving options

Using your own computer

  • Save your EndNote library to the computer hard drive​
  • This creates an .enl file of references and a .Data folder containing other information and saved pdfs
  • Both are essential, do not delete the .Data folder

Backup your EndNote library

  • You can create a backup (a compressed Library) which can be:
    • Emailed to yourself
    • Saved to a USB stick
    • Uploaded to the cloud, e.g., Dropbox, Google Drive
  • You can also sign up with EndNote Online and sync your library with your EndNote Online library as another back up option

How to open a compressed library on your computer:

  • If you receive a compressed library by an email, or saved a compressed library in a USB stick or the cloud, do not open the library from these locations as it is likely to corrupt your file 
  • Instead copy the compressed .enlx file and save it to your computer hard drive where you would like to save your EndNote library, click the file to unzip the compressed library.

Using EndNote with multiple computers

  • You can use the compressed library option for working with multiple computers  
  • You may backup your references to your EndNote Online and download your library to another computer
  • You can use a portable hard drive (NOT a flash drive!) and use it with multiple computers

Make a backup

The backup process compresses .enl and .Data files into a single zipped file with an .enlx extension. This compressed file is easy to save to a USB stick, to an external drive, or to email to yourself.

Compress and backup

  • Open your library
  • Select File > Compressed Library (.enlx)

  • Choose from the options, click OK

  • Choose a location and save the file
  • The default will be a .enlx file with the same name as your original library. You can change or modify the name if you wish, e.g., by adding a date or version number

  • The compressed .enlx file is a good way to safely transfer both your .enl and .Data folders to another computer on a memory stick or by email attachment
  • If you need to use your backup, double-click the compressed .enlx library and it will unzip to produce the library .enl and .Data folders