How to export the notes with no direct access to the app?

[dpoulton]

@catcarrot

1 - You're saying that I should copy (and save elsewhere) the current joplin-desktop folder, and then replace with it the new folder that will be created after a new installation.

Yes. When you run the newly installed copy of Joplin it will create a joplin-desktop folder and you will see the default "Welcome Notes".

@catcarrot

2 - How do I do the replacement? Command "paste in", and then to be asked "there's already a folder with that name, do you want to replace it?", and "yes"?

Shut down the new copy of Joplin (CRTL+Q or File > Quit). Delete the new ~/.config/joplin-desktop folder. Copy the old one into ~/.config/

@catcarrot

3 - There's also a folder named "Joplin" there. Don't need that one, right?

No, you don't need it. But if you have added lots of words to your spellcheck dictionary you may want to copy just the file Custom Dictionary.txt out of there and put it in the same folder for the new install. In case you later see it, there is also a folder ~/.joplin. You do not have to worry about that one, it's just where the AppImage is stored.

@catcarrot

4 - Also, if you don't mind, is this method fool-proof?

It depends on how skilled the fool is at being a fool

As long as the data is not currently corrupted or gets corrupted during the copy process you should be fine. Often, to test things, I shut down Joplin and rename my joplin-desktop folder. I then restart Joplin to get a default install with the welcome notes. When I have finished I shut down Joplin, delete the new joplin-desktop folder and rename my original one back to joplin-desktop. Joplin has always started up intact with the notes as they were before I started. This is basically what you are doing; you are just replacing the data folder.

@catcarrot

Anything I should be extra mindful about?

• Don't delete the backup until you are certain that the new copy of Joplin is running OK.
• Remember to backup