Evernote to OneNote Importer not working [Fixed]

Migration between similar applications should be a simple task. This, sadly, isn’t the case for users who try to import their Evernote notes to Microsoft OneNote. These apps are quite comparable and the whole process shouldn’t be a drag. Especially since there’s a dedicated tool provided by Microsoft which automatizes the transition. Except, it seems that Microsoft Evernote to OneNote Importer won’t work.

We have a few solutions, so make sure to check them out. Hopefully, they’ll help you address the problem.

However, a short disclaimer is necessary.

The Microsoft Evernote to OneNote Importer is not the best piece of software you’ll ever run into. The discrepancy between the updates of two respective applications is more than a problem. And frequent Evernote updates might’ve broken the connection between the two, which is responsible for how Importer works.

So, take these steps with the pinch of salt, since we can only guess possible fixes.

Table of contents:

1. Scan for malware
2. Sign out/sign in and disable encryption
3. Re-download the Importer tool
4. Disable Sync temporarily
5. Export notes as an ENEX file
6. Update Evernote for Windows and OneNote
7. Reinstall OneNote and Evernote for Windows

How do I get Evernote to OneNote Importer to work?

1. Scan for malware

There are, literary, dozens of threads on this topic. This means that the problem affected lots of users. And, also, that there’s no defined solution.

One user has successfully managed to resolve the error with Microsoft Evernote to OneNote Importer by cleaning his PC from malicious software.

There’s a good chance that there are some potentially unwanted programs that affect the import of notes.

Consequently, we can give you a robust solution to detect various malware types that may block your OneNote from working properly.

The most suitable antivirus for this issue would be ESET HOME Security Essential.

You can use this lightweight antivirus that will not interfere with your system at all, and also provide multilayered security against new cyber threats online.

ESET antivirus will also offer smart threat detection and secure your operating system and network for all your devices.

With comprehensive features against complex malware, it provides support for phishing protection, ransomware attacks, and other viruses that can compromise your sensitive data.

Moreover, using machine learning technology, the software can detect advanced malware locally on your device, and on the cloud as well to give you privacy during browsing activities.

2. Sign out/sign in and disable encryption

Having eliminated the scanning option, we can move on to other steps.

The following one is to sign out and sign in again with your Microsoft Account associated with OneNote.

Then, disable the encryption on your OneNote notebooks or individual notes. This helped some people avoid error or speed up the importing process. Which is, judged by reports, a lot slower than one could expect.

3. Re-download the Importer tool

The importer might be affected by some other third-party programs or it needs more permissions in order to access your notes. Also, there’s a chance that you misconfigured the setup.

With that in mind, after you’ve prepared Evernote for Windows and OneNote for the transfer, we suggest re-downloading the Importer tool. This might resolve your problem but don’t your hopes high.

If the issue is persistent, move to the next step.

4. Disable Sync temporarily

Official instructions suggest syncing all notes prior to using the Microsoft Evernote to OneNote Importer.

We would go a step further and suggest disabling the Sync during the procedure. If the Evernote for Windows syncs in the background all the time, it might disrupt the exporting of notes.

When you’re sure everything is OK, start the procedure. As mentioned above, we don’t advise to use of a web-based Evernote application. Download Evernote for Windows, here.

Wait until it syncs all notes to local storage, and only then use the Microsoft Evernote to OneNote Importer tool.

5. Export notes as an ENEX file

Instead of trying to directly transfer notes from Evernote to OneNote, you can try to export them in the ENEX format to your PC and import them that way.

This worked for some users, while others experienced a sudden halt and the application crashed. This is a common way of exporting notes and it completely diminishes the use of the Importer, but it is what it is.

If you’re still unable to resolve the problem this way, move onward to the next steps.

6. Update Evernote for Windows and OneNote

As we already said, Evernote developers are not exactly eager to meddle with reverse engineering and optimize Evernote to work with OneNote.

So the best thing you can do to reduce the discrepancy between the two is to update both and hope for the best. Make sure to keep them both up to date and try exporting notes again.

7. Reinstall Evernote for Windows

Finally, if none of the previous steps helped you successfully export notes from Evernote to OneNote (or vice-versa), the only thing we can recommend is the reinstallation of Evernote (since OneNote already comes in Windows 10).

If that doesn’t help, send your ticket to Microsoft or contact Live Support and ask for the resolution.

With that said, we can wrap up this article. Don’t forget to share your thoughts about the problem in the comments section below.