The steps Yahoo gives
Yahoo's shutdown page has one route and no troubleshooting. In its words you "go to the download manager", click Download under "Calendar and Notepad", then "confirm the email address you want the info sent to, and click OK" (Yahoo Notepad to be discontinued). Yahoo links the download manager to mail.yahoo.com/getmydata. Do it on a computer, signed in to the Yahoo account that holds the notes.
Yahoo lists Notepad and Calendar as one item, "Calendar and Notepad", so expect the file to hold calendar events too. Lastleaf shows the notes and sets the calendar apart.
The download page will not open
Yahoo gives the address and does not say what to do when it fails to load. A blog post that walks through the steps (17 July 2026) says it is a Yahoo Mail page rather than a documented permanent link, and that one user on Sky's help forum could not open it while others could (Yahoo Notepad Export, how to download your notes (July 17, 2026)). Sky's forum blocks automated reading, so we could not check that thread ourselves. Try these in order:
- Type the address yourself and sign in first, rather than following a link in an email you did not expect. See how to check a notice is real.
- Use another browser or a private window, and switch off extensions that block scripts.
- Try Yahoo's privacy controls. Yahoo's page on data downloads says to open "Manage Your Information" in your privacy controls, go to "Download and view your data", click Download My Data and choose the products to include (View and manage data associated with your account). We could not check whether Notepad is in that list, so look for it before you rely on this route.
An error or a redirect to your inbox does not mean your notes are gone. It means that page did not load for you.
The email has not come
- Look in spam or junk for the address you confirmed, and search it for "Yahoo" and "download".
- Check the address you typed. The form asks you to confirm where the file is sent (Yahoo Notepad to be discontinued). A typo sends it, and your notes, to the wrong place. If that happened, ask again with the right address.
- Wait a full day. Yahoo gives no time for the Notepad download. For a download started in the privacy controls it says "It can take up to 30 days for the download to become available" (View and manage data associated with your account). People who asked for the Notepad file report much shorter waits: the blog post above says users on Sky's forum received theirs in about a day.
- Then ask again, once. For the privacy-controls route Yahoo says you "cannot ask for another download for that product until the original request has been completed or cancelled" (View and manage data associated with your account). It does not say whether the Notepad download manager works the same way, so do not send a string of requests: ask, wait a day, ask once more.
The link in the email has stopped working
Yahoo says a download from the privacy controls "will only be available for 30 days" (View and manage data associated with your account). It gives no time for the Notepad file, so save it the day it arrives: use the link on a computer, keep the original, and open it on Lastleaf to check that your notes are in it. If the link has gone, ask for the download again.
Nothing has come after several days
The Yahoo pages we could read name no support route for the Notepad download, so write to Yahoo Help at help.yahoo.com, say what you did and when, and keep the date in view: Yahoo says every download or save has to happen before January 15, 2027 (Yahoo Notepad to be discontinued). While you wait, copy the notes that matter by hand: if Notepad still opens for you, select a note, copy it and paste it into a text file. Where your Notepad is says where to look.
When the file arrives
It is a data file, so it can look like code in a text editor. How to open the file Yahoo sends explains what it is. Lastleaf turns it into a list of notes you can search and save as one text file. Free, and nothing is uploaded.
Open your Notepad file
Got the file from Yahoo's email? Open it in your browser, read every note it holds with its notebook and dates, and save them all as one text file. Built for the export Yahoo describes and tested on sample files. Free, and nothing is uploaded.
Questions
How long does the Yahoo Notepad download take?
Yahoo gives no time for the Notepad download. A blog post written on 17 July 2026 says users on Sky's help forum received theirs in about a day. For downloads started in Yahoo's privacy controls, Yahoo says it can take up to 30 days to become available, and it stays available for 30 days.
Why does mail.yahoo.com/getmydata not open?
Yahoo's help pages do not say, and we do not know the cause. One user was reported to have the problem on Sky's help forum while others could open it. Sign in on a computer, type the address yourself, try another browser, and look for Download My Data in Yahoo's privacy controls.
Can I download only my notes?
Yahoo lists the download as "Calendar and Notepad", one item, so the file can hold both. Lastleaf lists the notes and keeps the calendar events apart.
What if the email never comes?
Check spam and the address you confirmed, wait a day, then ask once more. If it still does not arrive, contact Yahoo Help and keep January 15, 2027 in view.
Sources: Yahoo Help: Yahoo Notepad to be discontinued; Yahoo Help: View and manage data associated with your account; NagMeLater: Yahoo Notepad Export, how to download your notes (July 17, 2026). Last checked: October 28, 2026. Lastleaf is an independent tool by Peak Apps Studio and is not affiliated with Yahoo, Apple, Google, Microsoft or Evernote.