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EndNote

A comprehensive guide to the reference management software EndNote.

Compress your library

The preferred method of Backing Up your EndNote library is to create a compressed Library. 

An EndNote library has two parts: an .enl file and a .Data folder. A compressed library can safely transfer these two parts compressed into one file, to another computer, even one running on a different OS (as the library itself is system neutral). The compressed library can be:

  • Saved to a USB stick or a portable hard drive
  • Saved to the cloud, for example, your OneDrive, Dropbox or Google Drive
  • Emailed to yourself (size permitting)

Another backup option is syncing your library with your EndNote Online library.

 

Compressing an EndNote Library

This is the recommended method of backing up your library. It compresses .enl and .Data files into a single zipped file with an .enlx extension

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

          

  • Choose from the options in the popup, All References in Library and With File Attachments are recommended. Click Next (Windows/PC), or OK (Mac)

         

  • Decide where you want to save your backup files (a cloud location or a portable hard drive/USB) and create a specific backup folder for saving these files
  • The default file name of the backup will be the exact same name as the original library, except it will have a .enlx file extension.
  • You can change or modify the name if you wish, for example, adding a date when the backup was made or a version number: 

         

 

Watch this short video: EndNote 20 Compress Library

Open a compressed library

If your compressed library is in an email, or a USB stick, or a cloud storage: 

  • 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 EndNote Library folder on your computer hard drive
  • If you renamed the compressed library file to indicate it was a backup, you can now rename it back to the original name
  • Double-click the file to unzip the compressed library
  • You may delete the original .enlx compressed file from this folder now to avoid potential confusion