How to Recover Sticky Notes on Windows 11: A Step-by-Step Guide

Sticky Notes in Windows 11 are incredibly useful for quick reminders, personal thoughts, and productivity hacks. But what happens if those notes suddenly disappear after a Windows update, accidental deletion, or app crash? Don’t panic! There are multiple ways to recover Sticky Notes on Windows 11, and this guide will walk you through each method — clearly and step by step.

Whether your sticky notes were deleted, lost, or corrupted, you’ll learn how to restore them using:
✅ App recovery features
✅ Backup files
✅ Windows restore tools
✅ Cloud sync (Microsoft account recovery)

Let’s rescue your lost notes! 🧩✨

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✅ Quick Answer (For Most Users)

If Sticky Notes were synced with your Microsoft account:

Just sign in again:

1. Open Sticky Notes

2. Click the ⚙️ Settings icon

3. Sign in with the same Microsoft account

Your notes should instantly reappear! ✅

If that didn’t work — no worries. Keep reading for deeper recovery methods.

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🧠 Why Do Sticky Notes Disappear in Windows 11?

Loss can happen for many reasons:

But the data is usually still there — just hidden. So let’s retrieve it!

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🔍 Method 1: Recover Deleted Sticky Notes from “Deleted Notes” Folder

Windows 11 has an internal deleted item folder — like a recycle bin just for Sticky Notes.

Steps:

1. Open Sticky Notes

2. Click the three-dot menu (…) in the top-right

3. Select ✅ Notes list

4. Look for the Deleted Notes section

5. Right-click the note → Restore

🎯 Best case: Your notes bounce back instantly!

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☁️ Method 2: Restore Sticky Notes from the Cloud (Outlook Web Recovery)

If syncing was enabled, your notes are stored online.

Steps to recover via Outlook:

1. Go to: https://outlook.live.com

2. Sign in using your Microsoft account

3. In left panel → Select Deleted Items

4. Search for “Sticky Notes”

5. Restore any deleted items found there

💡 Cloud sync must have been turned on earlier for this to work.

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📁 Method 3: Restore Sticky Notes from Local App Data Folder (Database File)

Sticky Notes saves data in a hidden folder:

Look for these important files:

• plum.sqlite → contains your notes

• plum.sqlite.bak → backup database

Steps to restore:

1. Close Sticky Notes completely

2. Rename plum.sqlite → plum.sqlite.old

3. Rename plum.sqlite.bak → plum.sqlite

4. Reopen Sticky Notes

✅ If successful, lost notes will reappear.

📌 Tip: Copy files to a backup folder before editing!

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📝 Method 4: Recover Old Sticky Notes Using File History (Backup Enabled)

If you’ve enabled File History backup:

Steps:

1. Open the LocalState folder path mentioned above

2. Right-click inside folder → Properties

3. Choose Previous Versions

4. Select a version before data loss

5. Click Restore

🎯 Great for fixing overwritten or corrupted databases

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🛠️ Method 5: Use Windows System Restore (App + Data Recovery)

System Restore can roll back Sticky Notes to a working condition.

Steps:

1. Press Windows + R

2. Type: rstrui → Enter

3. Choose a restore point before notes were lost

4. Restart and check Sticky Notes

⚠️ You may lose recently installed apps — choose restore points carefully.

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🔄 Method 6: Re-Sync Sticky Notes via App Reset (No Data Loss on Cloud)

If Sticky Notes is stuck or not loading data:

Steps:

1. Open Settings

2. Go to:
   Apps → Installed Apps → Sticky Notes

3. Click Advanced Options

4. Select Repair
   → If not working, select Reset
   (Notes will re-sync if synced previously)

Restart PC → Launch Sticky Notes → Sign in again.

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🗂️ Optional: Extract Sticky Notes Manually Using SQLite Viewer

If the app database is corrupted, you can extract note text.

Steps:

1. Copy plum.sqlite to desktop

2. Open using a SQLite viewer app/tool

3. Export notes manually from tables

This allows data recovery even when the Sticky Notes app fails.

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📌 Where Are Sticky Notes Stored in Windows 11?

Here’s a quick location reference:

Keep this path handy for future recovery.

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🚫 Sticky Notes Still Not Recovering? Try These Fixes

💡 Restarting after each fix helps the app reload the database.

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✔️ How to Prevent Losing Sticky Notes in the Future

Enable Sticky Notes Sync:

1. Open Sticky Notes → ⚙️ Settings

2. Turn ON Sync

3. Log in with Microsoft account

Peace of mind restored! 😌

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🏁 Conclusion: You Can Recover Sticky Notes Easily

Now you know how to recover Sticky Notes on Windows 11 — step by step ✅
No more losing valuable notes or personal reminders.

Quick recap:

Start with the simplest methods → move to advanced only if needed.

Your notes are likely still there — now go reclaim them! 💪📝

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❓ FAQs — Quick Answers

1️⃣ Where do Sticky Notes store files in Windows 11?
In the LocalState folder under the user’s AppData directory.

2️⃣ Can I recover permanently deleted Sticky Notes?
Yes — if backed up via cloud sync or File History.

3️⃣ Why did all my Sticky Notes disappear after an update?
Sync may have been disabled — just sign in again.

4️⃣ Can I restore Sticky Notes without a Microsoft account?
Yes — using the plum.sqlite database recovery method.

5️⃣ Do Sticky Notes auto-backup?
Only when syncing with a Microsoft account — enable sync to protect data.

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📌 Summary — Key Takeaways