Notes Disappeared in Notes app

[mike2874]

I have an iPad 4 and I've accumulated quite a few notes over time but yesterday I opened notes and in a split second I saw them disappear. I did the latest IOS update a couple of days ago so don't know if these things are related or not.

Anyway it's probably been 2 or 3 months since I backed up my iPad by hooking it up to iTunes so I haven't tried that. Does the iTunes backup usually backup contents in the Notes app? Is this what I should do or are there other options to recover my notes?

 

[J. A.]

Your notes should be included in the iTunes backup:
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204136

 

[mike2874]

Well I just upgraded to Windows 10 with a Clean Install so iTunes does not currently show I have synced with it yet? Since it sounds like the Cloud backup doesn't include notes I'm thinking I may be screwed.

I like Notes because it's so simple to use vs Evernote which I find very complicated... even though it's supposed to be a better backup option. I guess I need an app as simple as Notes yet does a better job of backing things up.

 

[twerppoet]

If you were syncing Notes with iCloud, Gmail, Yahoo, etc., check your account settings and make sure Notes is still turned on. Settings can occasionally get messed up when updating.

If you were using Gmail or Yahoo, your notes may still exist in a special email folder (named Notes) in those accounts. While you should not edit those emails, you can copy the text and paste it elsewhere. You'll probably have to visit your account via website or computer to see that folder.

If you have a current AppleCare subscription for any Apple Device or computer, then you have free Apple Tech Support. They can probably recover files, though it make take a while. If the notes are important enough, you could pay for the Apple Tech Support call.

And, of course, if you have not already done so restarting, reseting, and signing out and back into your iCloud account (if that's where your Notes were synced) are worth trying.