Managing Accounts and Devices Safely in Zoho Notebook

Overview

Whether you're switching to a different Zoho account, moving to a new phone or computer, reinstalling Zoho Notebook, or troubleshooting missing notes, it's important to understand how your data is stored.

Your notes are associated with your Zoho account, not with your device. When you sign in using the same Zoho account on another device, your notebooks and notes are synced automatically. If you sign in with a different account, you'll only see the notes that belong to that account.

Following the recommendations in this article helps protect your data and ensures a smooth transition between accounts and devices.

How Zoho Notebook Stores Your Data

When you're signed in to a Zoho account:

Your notes are securely stored in your Zoho account.
Any synced device can access your notes after signing in with the same account.
Signing out does not delete your cloud data.
Uninstalling the app does not delete notes that have already been synced.

Note: Guest Mode is no longer available for new users. If you previously used Guest Mode, any notes created in Guest Mode are stored only on that device and are not backed up to the cloud. We recommend signing in to a Zoho account to enable syncing and protect your notes before changing devices or uninstalling the app.

Before Switching Accounts

Before signing out of your current account:

Ensure all recent changes have finished syncing.
Verify the email address of the account you're currently signed in to.
Export your Notebook data as a backup (recommended).
Make sure you remember the password for both accounts.

Tip: If you're unsure which account contains your notes, sign in to Zoho Notebook Web (https://notebook.zoho.com) and verify your notebooks before switching accounts on your device.

Wait for Sync Before Signing Out

If you've recently created or edited notes, allow Notebook to finish syncing before signing out. We recommend using a stable internet connection and performing a manual sync if needed.

For detailed sync instructions, refer to the Sync and Backup in Zoho Notebook article.

Switching Between Zoho Accounts

Android

Open Zoho Notebook > Menu (☰) > Settings > Tap your account > Select Sign Out.

iPhone and iPad

Open Zoho Notebook > Tap Settings > Select Sign Out in the bottom of the screen.

Windows

Open Zoho Notebook > Click your Profile > Select Sign Out > Sign in with the other Zoho account.

macOS

Open Zoho Notebook > Click Notebook > Settings > Sign Out.

Linux

Open Zoho Notebook > Click your Profile > Select Sign Out.

Web

Open Zoho Notebook > Click your Profile > Click Sign Out.

What Happens When You Switch Accounts?

When you sign in using a different Zoho account:

Only the notebooks belonging to that account are displayed.
Your previous account's notes are not transferred automatically.
Your original notes remain safely stored in the previous account.
Any new notes you create will belong to the currently signed-in account.

Note: Switching accounts does not merge or move notebooks between accounts.

Moving to a New Device

When replacing your phone, tablet, or computer, you don't need to manually copy your notes. Simply sign in using the same Zoho account on the new device.

Steps to Move Safely

Install the latest version of Zoho Notebook on your new device.
Sign in using the same Zoho account as your previous device.
Wait for Notebook to finish syncing.
Verify that all notebooks, notes, attachments, and recent changes are available.
Once you've confirmed everything is available, you can safely remove Notebook from your old device if required.

Important: Do not factory reset, replace, or uninstall Notebook from your old device until you've verified that your notes have synced successfully to your Zoho account and are accessible on the new device.

Uninstalling and Reinstalling Zoho Notebook

Uninstalling the Notebook app does not delete notes that have already been synced to your Zoho account.

Before uninstalling, we recommend that you:

Ensure all recent changes have synced.
Verify that you're signed in to the correct Zoho account.
Export your Notebook data as a backup.
Confirm that your notes are visible in Zoho Notebook Web.

Your synced notebooks and notes will be restored automatically.

Moving Notes Between Two Zoho Accounts

Zoho Notebook does not currently support merging two Zoho accounts or transferring notebooks directly between accounts.

You can manually move your notes using export and import.

Step 1: Export from the Source Account

Export your notebooks using Export / Download Your Notebook Data.

We recommend exporting in ZNote format to preserve Notebook structure, metadata, and attachments.

Step 2: Sign in to the Destination Account

Sign out and sign in using the account that should receive the notes.

Step 3: Import the Backup

Import the exported ZNote file into the destination account. Once the import completes, the notebooks will be available in the new account.

Note: This creates a copy of your notebooks in the destination account. The original data remains in the source account unless you delete it manually.

Troubleshooting Missing Notes After Switching Accounts or Devices

If you don't see your notes after switching accounts, moving to a new device, or reinstalling Notebook, try the following:

1. Verify You're Signed in to the Correct Zoho Account

This is the most common reason for missing notes. Check the email address under Settings and ensure it matches the account used previously.

2. Allow Time for Synchronization

Large notebooks or slower internet connections may take time to download. Keep Notebook open while connected to a stable internet connection.

3. Perform a Full Fetch

A Full Fetch downloads the latest version of your notebooks from Zoho's servers and refreshes the local copy. It does not delete your cloud data.

4. Check Zoho Notebook Web

If your notes appear on the web, your data is safe.
The issue is likely limited to the device and can usually be resolved through a Full Fetch.

5. Recently Switched Accounts?

If you recently signed out or changed accounts, make sure you've signed back in using the correct Zoho account. Each Zoho account maintains its own notebooks and notes.

6. Contact Support

If your notes are still missing after trying the above steps: