By default, DEVONthink imports files which does copy them into the database. This creates a self-contained database that can easily be backed up or transported as a single unit. Whether to delete the originals is up to you, but many people choose not to keep the external copies.

Alternatively, you can index external files and folders which just adds references for them to your databases. In this case you must not move or delete the files outside of DEVONthink or you’ll break the references.

DEVONthink imports and stores files in their native formats. There is no conversion to any proprietary formats, nor do we have any. For instance, a PDF imported into DEVONthink remains a PDF.

Also, while files are stored in a proprietary folder structure internally, we provide many options for getting the files out. This includes simple drag-and-drop out of DEVONthink and the File > Export > Files and Folders command. It is also possible to access the internals of a database to access all these files in an emergency setting, but please contact our support team for assistance with this.

This depends on the specific application as not all applications share their data easily. Applications with drag-and-drop and extensive export options provide more potential for moving data between the apps. DEVONthink includes a few built in options in its File > Import menu. For specific applications, please check our community or contact our support.

With macOS Sonoma, Apple discontinued Mail plugins and replaced them with a new extensions architecture. Unfortunately, the new extensions are more limited in functionality and no longer allow us to access your email in the way we need to make email archiving work. They also no longer lets us insert our own commands into Mail. A future version of DEVONthink might offer more sophisticated email archiving options that don’t rely on a Mail plugin.

The New Outlook is Microsoft Outlook’s new interface. It’s the same application with a different appearance. Unfortunately, Microsoft also removed the support for AppleScript, an inter-application communication technology that DEVONthink and other apps need to talk to Outlook.

To enable email archiving from Outlook again, switch off the new appearance via Outlook > New Outlook. You’re presented with a prompt asking why you’re changing away from the new look. Please feel free to let Microsoft know by choosing AppleScript from the list of reasons.

According to Microsoft’s roadmap, AppleScript support is planned to return to Outlook.

With the release of version 10, Evernote broke support for inter-application communication. In order to use DEVONthink’s menu command File > Import > Notes from Evernote, you’ll need to download and use the legacy version of their application. You can find more information here: Install an older version of Evernote.

When choosing applications, if using or migrating your data between applications is important to you, look for one or more of these features:

• Drag-and-drop
• Export functions, especially to PDF or text formats like rich text or Markdown
• File Provider support, e.g., access via Files.app, on mobile
• AppleScript support on the Mac, Shortcut support on mobile

But be aware, some applications implement proprietary variations of commonly used functions, like their own flavor of Markdown. Or perhaps they store document metadata in a particular way or location, making it difficult (or impossible) for other application’s to use it. These things may be overcome using other tools, like scripting, but there’s no guarantee it can be done. Apps using standards lead to more opportunities.