Evernote login process explained with common issues

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I've been meaning to write this for a while now and with the summer lull in new features I finally have the chance.

Evernote changed the way we login to the app around 12 months ago (sometime last year).

In the past, we used to log in directly through the app we were using, so Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone and web apps all handled the login themselves.

That's five bunches of login processes!

When the new login system arrived last year all the apps were directed to the web for login so there's only one point of failure.

From what I understand when you log in using one of the installed apps it gets sent a token or code to say you're logged in and you should stay logged into that app for a long time.

Web works a little differently where you'll stay logged in for around 30 days.

Why does Evernote log you out a lot?

This has been reported on various social platforms with the general complaint that Evernote logs you out a lot.

There's a fair bit at play here.

Dealing first with the installed apps which are PC, Mac, Android and iPhone, you shouldn't get logged out very often at all. The login is pretty persistent.

If you have been logged into the installed app for a very long time, every now and then Evernote will disable the tokens and force a fresh login for security reasons, making sure the original account holder still has access to the app.

I think I've had this happen to me once in the last 12 months.

The web is different.

Usually, you'll stay logged in for around 30 days and then you'll be automatically logged out, just the same as other web apps.

If you find yourself being logged out of the web account a lot, which some folks have, then here's a list of reasons this may happen.

• Ad or tracker blockers stopping cookies being created properly to help keep you logged in - make sure you disable them for Evernote.

• Browser extensions may mess with the login system. See if login works in a guest browser profile or incognito window.

• Clear your browser cache and temporary files. Something may have corrupted.

• Using a VPN - they tend to switch IP addresses quickly and move you from one country/area to another very quickly so you get logged out. If anyone is trying to hack an account they probably come from a different country so this behaviour is by design.

• Traveling to another country can cause a forced login.

One other thing worth mentioning is that Evernote proactively look for login details that have been exploited on the web via hacks in other apps.

They use the Have I Been Pwned data to look for security issues.

This means that if you use the same login details for many different apps and one of them gets exploited Evernote will force you to reset your password.

The Evernote team donated $10,000 to the project as well to help keep it going.

Keeping Evernote account info up to date

So, this brings us to login details and two factor authorisation emergency codes.

The main reason folks have been complaining about being logged out and not being able to login again is that they've forgotten their login details.

What happened recently was Evernote disabled a lot of really old security tokens for folks who'd been logged in for a very long time and a few had no access to their email account and had forgotten their password.

Evernote uses email as a unique identifier for an account so you MUST have access to the email address you signed up with to access things like forgotten password or password reset features.

If you are using an old email address with your Evernote then change it right now from the account page.

If you have a really old account from around 2008/9 then you may still be using a user name to login. Make sure you also check your email address is up to date.

The same applies to emergency two factor auth codes.

When you setup Two Factor Authorisation (2FA) for your Evernote account you would've been given a bunch of emergency login codes.

Make sure you have access to these. Don't store them in Evernote.

If you've lost them then head into your Account info page which you get to from clicking your avatar and email address in the app, then click on Security Summary and Manage Settings under the Two Factor Auth section.

You can view your backup codes from here.

Don't store them in Evernote as the only time you'll need them is if you're logged out.

All my notes are gone after logging into Evernote?

OK, so you're notes won't be gone. Evernote doesn't just delete everything when you log in.

This has been very common for years and years when using Evernote.

It’s fairly easy to create a new account with Evernote when logging in.

This seems to happen a lot when folks thought they used Google or Apple to log in instead of their email address and they've clicked the log in with Google/Apple button.

What can sometimes happen is a brand new Evernote account is created which will be blank.

Folks panic and shout about it on socials.

This again leads me to ask folk to keep on top of their login information, not just for Evernote.

Know how you log into all apps.

Use a password manager like Bitwarden, 1Password or the one I use, Zoho Vault.

Store all your details for all apps in your password manager so you also have access to them.

Let me know in the comments if you've had trouble logging in and how you solved it.

That’s it.

Have a great weekend

All the best

Jon