How to share JW Library notes with a friend — without a server
Send selected JW Library notes (and their highlights) to a friend as a small file — no server, no account. The receiver merges them in without overwriting their own notes.
JW Library has no way to give another person a copy of specific notes. Sending your whole backup would work — but it hands over everything, and restoring it would wipe the receiver's own library. JW Sync's note sharing solves both problems: pick exactly which notes to share, and the receiver adds them without losing anything.
Step by step
Pick the notes to share
On the Share page at jwsync.org/share.html, load your backup and select the notes — a handful from one talk, everything under a tag, whatever you choose. Highlights attached to those notes travel along.
Send the share file
JW Sync produces a small file containing only the selected notes. Send it by any channel you like — messaging app, email, AirDrop. There is no server and no account; the file is the whole exchange.
The receiver merges it in
Your friend opens the same page, loads the share file together with their own backup, and gets a new backup with your notes added. Their own notes are never overwritten — if a shared note clashes with one of theirs, they choose how it's added — and imported notes arrive tagged, so they're easy to find, review or remove later.
Good uses
Passing on research to a study partner, sharing meeting notes with someone who was away, giving a new publisher a starter set of notes on a publication, or moving a specific project's notes to a family member — all without exposing the rest of either library.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the receiver need JW Sync installed?
- Nothing is installed on either side — it's a web page. The receiver just needs the share file and their own backup.
- Can I unshare or expire a shared file?
- The file is an ordinary file you sent — there's no server copy to expire. Share only what you'd share in any message.