What the file is
Yahoo's page on data downloads says: "Your information will be formatted in JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) and might be hard to read at a glance" (View and manage data associated with your account). JSON is a text format for data that programs pass to each other (Introducing JSON). Your notes are in there as text, with their titles and dates, wrapped in brackets, quotes and field names.
Yahoo's Notepad page names no file format of its own (Yahoo Notepad to be discontinued), so the download may also arrive as a ZIP holding one or more of those files. We have not seen a real Yahoo Notepad export, so Lastleaf is built for the layout Yahoo describes and tested on sample files.
Open it on Lastleaf
- Save the file to your computer from Yahoo's email. Use the download link, not the preview, and keep the original.
- Open Lastleaf and drop the file on the page, or choose it. It takes .json, .zip, .jsonl and .txt files. Do not unpack a ZIP first.
- Read the list. Each note shows with its notebook and dates. Search looks through titles and text, and the notebook filter narrows the list.
- Save all notes as one text file, or copy or print a single note.
The file is read in your browser and is not sent anywhere. The page's security policy lets it connect to one anonymous visit counter and nothing else.
Other ways to read it
- A text editor. Windows Notepad or Notepad++ opens a .json file. Expect brackets and quotes around every note, and line breaks written as \n. In Windows Notepad the Open window may list only .txt files until you change the file type box beside the name to "All files". A ZIP has to be unpacked before any editor can read it.
- A browser. Most desktop browsers show a .json file as text when you drop it into an empty tab.
- Online converters. Think before you upload. Notepad notes often hold passwords, addresses and plans, and an upload hands all of it to someone else's server.
If it does not open
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| This file is not complete | The JSON stops part way, usually a cut-off download. | Download the file from Yahoo's email again and open the new copy. |
| This is not the Notepad file | It is not a .json or .zip file, for example a photo, a document or the email itself. | Open the file that came with Yahoo's email. |
| This file holds your calendar, not your notes | Yahoo sends the calendar and Notepad together. | Look for the Notepad part, another file from the same download, often in the same ZIP. |
| No notes were found | The file opened but no notes were in it. | Ask Yahoo for the download again. Or use "Copy structure report" (field names only, no note text) and email it to info@peakappsstudio.com. |
If the file never arrived, see Yahoo Notepad download not working.
Passwords and private notes
The text file Lastleaf saves holds your notes in plain text, passwords included. Keep it somewhere private, or move those notes into a password manager. Where to move your notes has the details.
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
What program opens a Yahoo Notepad JSON file?
Any text editor can show it, but it reads like code. Lastleaf opens the .json or .zip file Yahoo sends and shows the notes as a list with their notebooks and dates, in your browser.
Is the Yahoo Notepad download a ZIP file?
Yahoo's Notepad page does not say. Yahoo's page on data downloads says they are formatted in JSON. Lastleaf takes a .json file or a .zip without unpacking it.
Why does the Yahoo file look like code?
JSON is a format for programs, and Yahoo says it "might be hard to read at a glance". The notes are in it as text, wrapped in field names, brackets and quotes.
Does Lastleaf upload my notes?
No. The file is opened on your own device. The page lets itself connect only to an anonymous visit counter.
Sources: Yahoo Help: Yahoo Notepad to be discontinued; Yahoo Help: View and manage data associated with your account; JSON.org: Introducing JSON. 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.