Why Is Evernote So Slow?
Workaround available Windows, Mac, Web Updated October 21, 2026
Quick answer
Evernote slowdowns usually come from an outdated app, huge notes and attachments, low disk space or, on Windows, hardware acceleration and old GPU drivers. Update everything, restart, and toggle hardware acceleration.
Most likely fix: Update Evernote and your OS.
Symptoms
Typing lag, slow note loading, high CPU, long waits after login, or the web app taking a long time to open.
Why it happens
- Outdated Evernote app or OS
- Very large notes or many big attachments
- Low free disk space
- Hardware acceleration / outdated NVIDIA driver on Windows
- Slow network on Evernote Web
How to fix it
Try these in order — the most common fix is first.
1. Update Evernote and your OS
- Install the latest Evernote version
- Install pending OS updates
- Restart the computer
2. Toggle hardware acceleration (Windows)
- Open Evernote settings and switch hardware acceleration off (or on if it was off)
- Restart Evernote
3. Update your graphics driver
- NVIDIA users: install the latest driver, since older ones shipped a bad profile for Evernote
4. Split huge notes and free disk space
- Break very long notes into smaller ones
- Move large attachments out of Evernote
- Free up disk space
5. Check your connection
- On Evernote Web, test another network or browser
This guide also covers
- why is evernote so slow
- evernote slow
- evernote lagging
- evernote high cpu
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