Joplin keeps notes, to-do items, notebooks, tags and attachments in a local collection on each device. Editing works without a server connection. Optional synchronization later exchanges item changes through a chosen target such as Joplin Server, WebDAV or a filesystem location. The target stores Joplin synchronization data; it does not become a folder of ordinary Markdown files for direct editing.
Local edits and synchronization are separate steps
Joplin saves an edit locally first and queues the changed item for upload. Other clients poll for remote changes and download them. A deletion also synchronizes, so removing an item on one client can eventually remove it elsewhere. A device that remained offline can still hold an older copy until it reconnects.
The first synchronization transfers a complete collection and takes longer than later incremental runs. The safest editing rhythm synchronizes before changing a note on a device that has been offline and synchronizes again after finishing. This reduces the chance that two devices modify the same item without seeing each other’s work.
Encryption rollout starts on one device
End-to-end encryption creates a master key protected by the user’s master password. The first device must finish uploading the encrypted collection before the next device enables the encrypted connection. Starting independently on several devices can create multiple master keys and make setup harder to understand.
A large collection can take a long time because the first encrypted synchronization sends the data again in encrypted form. Changing the master password re-encrypts the keys rather than every note payload. Forgetting it is different: resetting a forgotten password disables the associated keys, and Joplin cannot decrypt data that only those lost keys protect.
Conflicts preserve both versions without merging them
A conflict can occur when two places change the same note or attachment before synchronization establishes one intended version. Joplin copies the local version into the Conflict notebook and places the remote version in the ordinary location. It does not combine the sentences, attachments or task state automatically.
The user must compare the conflict copy with the current note and copy or merge the wanted changes. Preserving both versions prevents silent loss, but it leaves a manual editorial decision. Attachments can conflict too, so checking only visible note text may miss the object that caused the problem.
History and export solve different recovery jobs
Note history saves revisions at intervals and synchronizes them between clients. Restoring a revision creates a copy under Restored Notes rather than overwriting the current note. Retention behaves globally because revision deletions synchronize; when devices use different periods, the shortest setting determines what survives.
JEX is Joplin’s lossless archive for notes, notebooks, tags and related metadata. ENEX import converts Evernote content into Joplin’s representation and can preserve available resources or tags, but it cannot retain information Joplin cannot represent. Note history remains a time-limited convenience, while a separate JEX archive provides the independent recovery copy.
