Transferring Libraries between Computers or Platforms

Any library created or updated with EndNote X9.3 can be used by EndNote X9.3 or later on Windows or macOS. No conversion is necessary. Therefore the methods described below can be used for transferring libraries between computers, no matter the platform.

With EndNote X9.3 the database engine changed. This means EndNote X9.3 or later are able to open and use libraries from EndNote 2025, but EndNote 2025 libraries cannot be opened in EndNote X9.2 or earlier.

Transferring a Library through Sync

The easiest way to transfer the contents of a library from one computer to another, whether Windows or macOS operating system, is to use EndNote Sync. This method will work even if not all of the libraries being synced are from the same version of EndNote.

If you have not yet done so, sync the library on your original computer to EndNote Web/online. You can find instructions in the section The Sync Feature.
On the computer you are transferring your library to, create an empty library and sync it to the same EndNote account. The empty library will be populated with all the references, group sets, and groups from the original library (if you use a library with references in it, they will be merged and you may end up with duplicate references). Attachments that are in the .Data folder of the original library will also be transferred. These will be attachments created as relative links. See Selecting a Relative Path or an Absolute Path for File Attachments for more information on relative links.
If automatic sync is turned off, be sure to manually sync the library before closing EndNote to update the online library.

Note: EndNote record numbers are not permanent and may change during sync.

The two copies of the library will continue to synchronize changes made to to the library on either computer.

Transferring a Compressed Library

If you want to copy a library to another computer, or give a copy of it to a colleague, but do not want to synchronize your references, the safest way to do so is by creating a compressed copy of the library. A compressed copy can be transferred through a network, through syncing services such as OneDrive, iCloud, or Dropbox, or attached to an email (if small enough),

To transfer a compressed library:

Create a compressed copy of the library. See Saving a Compressed Copy of a Library for detailed instructions. The compressed library will have a .enlx extension.
Copy the compressed library file to the new computer via a thumbdrive, a syncing folder, a network drive, or email.
On the new computer, place the compressed library in the location you want to permanently store it.
Open the compressed library from EndNote, uncompressing it. See Restoring a Compressed Library File for instructions. In the future, open the .enl file to open the library. This will be an uncompressed file.

Note: If using a cloud-syncing service such as OneDrive, iCloud, or Dropbox to transfer the compressed library, move it out of the syncing folder before opening the library. Uncompressed libraries should not be used in cloud-syncing folders to avoid data corruption.

Note: EndNote libraries larger than 4 gigabytes or 65,535 files cannot be compressed with EndNote’s Compressed Library command.

Transferring a Copy Made through the Save a Copy Command

If your library is too large to compress, you could save an uncompressed copy of the library and transfer it via a network or thumb drive. See Saving a Copy of a Library for more information.

To transfer an uncompressed copy of a library:

Select Save a Copy from the File menu in EndNote.
Name the file and select the location you want to save the copy, such as an external hard drive or thumb drive. By default, EndNote will use the original file name and add "Copy" at the end, but you can change the name.
The recipient of the library can use Windows Explorer to copy the library files to their own computer.

Sharing a Library

If you wish to give a colleague access to your EndNote library, with automatic updates, consider sharing your library with them through EndNote Sync. This would enable both of you to make changes to the library and have them automatically synchronized between computers, and would eliminate any problems with incompatibility from using different versions of EndNote. You can find information on this in About Shared Libraries.