Does JW Sync run in the background?

No — it's a web page, not an installed service. Nothing scans your devices. You run the routine when you choose; the optional reminder is just a notification.

Can I sync three or more devices?

Yes. Back up each one, load all the files, merge once, restore the merged file everywhere.

What if I edited the same note on two devices?

Both versions are kept until you choose. The Conflict Reviewer shows them side by side with a word-level diff, or you can let it suggest the fuller version.

Does the order I restore in matter?

No. Once the merged file is created, restoring it on each device puts every device into the same complete state, in whatever order suits you.

Can I sync three or more devices?

Yes. Back up each one and load them all into the same merge — there is no limit tied to device count.

Can this be automated?

Not fully, because JW Library has no sync API and the restore step happens in the app. The manual routine takes about two minutes once you are used to it.

Do I need to merge if I only read on the second device?

If you never annotate on it, you only need to restore onto it periodically so it carries your current notes.

How to keep JW Library in sync between multiple devices

JW Library has no built-in sync between devices. Here's a simple, private routine to keep notes, highlights and bookmarks identical on your phone, tablet and computer.

Most people who study on two devices discover the problem the same way: notes written on the tablet are not on the phone, and restoring one device's backup onto the other would wipe whatever that device had. JW Library offers no sync, and its Restore is deliberately all-or-nothing, so keeping devices aligned takes a routine rather than a setting.

JW Library doesn't sync personal study data between devices — there's no account that carries your notes from your phone to your tablet. The official mechanism is Backup and Restore, and a restore replaces the device's data outright. So how do you keep two or three devices identical without losing anything?

The answer is a short merge-and-restore routine. Done weekly or monthly, it takes about two minutes and keeps every device carrying your complete library.

Step by step

Back up every device
On each device: Personal Study → three-dot menu → Backup and Restore → Create a backup. You get one .jwlibrary file per device.
Merge the backups at jwsync.org
Load all the files. JW Sync combines the notes, highlights, bookmarks and tags from every device into one merged .jwlibrary file — locally in your browser, nothing uploaded.
Restore the merged file on every device
Backup and Restore → Restore, pick the merged file. Every device is now identical and complete.
Let JW Sync remind you
Turn on a sync reminder (weekly or monthly) in JW Sync and it will nudge you when it's time to repeat the routine. It also remembers your saved devices, so each round is faster.

Do it now — free, in your browserJW Sync merges, edits and analyses .jwlibrary backups entirely on your device. No account, no uploads, nothing installed.Open JW Sync →

Why not just restore the newest backup?

Because “newest” only reflects one device. If you took meeting notes on the phone and study notes on the tablet the same week, each backup has content the other lacks. Restoring either one over the other loses half your work. Merging first is what makes the routine safe.

How often should I sync?

Match it to how you study. Two active devices used daily: weekly is comfortable. A tablet that only comes out for meetings: monthly is plenty. The cost of waiting longer is only that the merge has more to combine — nothing is ever lost between rounds.

Why there is no true sync

JW Library has no account that carries personal study data between devices. Notes, highlights and bookmarks live in a database on each device and stay there. The only official mechanism for moving them is Backup and Restore, and a restore replaces the target device's data outright rather than combining it. So two devices used independently diverge permanently unless something merges them — which is the whole point of the routine below.

Keeping one master file

The routine works best if you treat one merged file as the current master. Each cycle, back up every device, merge those backups together, and restore the result everywhere. The merged file then becomes the master for the next cycle. Keeping the dated masters in cloud storage gives you both a sync mechanism and a running archive — if you delete something by accident, an earlier master still contains it.

What happens if you skip a device for a while

Nothing is lost. A device left out of several cycles simply carries older data; when you finally include it, its notes merge in alongside everything else and duplicate items are matched by GUID rather than duplicated. The only situation needing a decision is the same note edited on two devices since they were last merged, and that is surfaced in the Conflict Reviewer with both versions shown side by side.

How often is often enough

Match it to how much work you would mind redoing. Weekly suits people who study on two devices most days; monthly is plenty if one device is occasional. The important thing is doing it before anything irreversible — a phone upgrade, a reset, a repair — because that is when a divergence becomes a loss.

Phone, tablet and the Windows app together

The routine does not care how many devices are involved or what they run. Back up each, merge them all in one pass, restore the merged file everywhere. A Windows machine used for preparation and a phone used at meetings combine exactly as two phones would, because every platform writes the same backup format.

Reducing conflicts before they happen

Conflicts only arise when the same note is edited on two devices between merges. In practice that is rare, and it becomes rarer if you write on one device at a time — reading anywhere, but doing the typing where you usually type. Merging more often also shrinks the window in which a divergence can occur, which is a better fix than trying to remember which device holds the newest version.

Where the routine pays off

The value of keeping devices merged is not the tidiness — it is that every device becomes a full backup of your study library. Lose or break any one of them and the others still carry everything, which turns the worst case from years of lost notes into an inconvenience. That is a stronger position than any single-device backup habit can give you.

Frequently asked questions

Does JW Sync run in the background?: No — it's a web page, not an installed service. Nothing scans your devices. You run the routine when you choose; the optional reminder is just a notification.
Can I sync three or more devices?: Yes. Back up each one, load all the files, merge once, restore the merged file everywhere.
What if I edited the same note on two devices?: Both versions are kept until you choose. The Conflict Reviewer shows them side by side with a word-level diff, or you can let it suggest the fuller version.
Does the order I restore in matter?: No. Once the merged file is created, restoring it on each device puts every device into the same complete state, in whatever order suits you.
Can I sync three or more devices?: Yes. Back up each one and load them all into the same merge — there is no limit tied to device count.
Can this be automated?: Not fully, because JW Library has no sync API and the restore step happens in the app. The manual routine takes about two minutes once you are used to it.
Do I need to merge if I only read on the second device?: If you never annotate on it, you only need to restore onto it periodically so it carries your current notes.