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EndNote

Installation

Staff and students may download EndNote to personal laptops or home desktops for free. Be sure to check your system requirements first. 

  1. Click on the Downloads tile in MyND Portal and accept the terms and conditions.
  2. In the new window, click the EndNote folder to open.
  3. Select the EndNote Installer folder > Choose MacOS or Windows.
  4. Click the file under the File Name column.
  5. Follow the installation instructions below for your device.

For Windows:

  1. Save the EndNote21.zip folder to your desktop. Then right click on the zip folder to choose the Extract all option (do not just click Open).
  2. In this folder, find the EN21Inst file, and double click to run the program. Follow the prompts in the pop up window.
  3. A dialogue box "Installation in progress" will appear on your screen. It will close when the installation is complete.
  4. Delete the zip folder you created in step 1 from your desktop.
  5. You can now access EndNote 21 from your Start Menu applications list.

For Mac:

  1. Run EndNote21SiteInstaller.dmg and follow the prompts.
  2. You can now access EndNote 21 from your Application menu.

 

New EndNote Libraries

 

The first time EndNote opens on your computer you will be asked if you wish to create a new EndNote library (amongst other options).

Create a library with a distinctive name (eg Alex’s EndNote Library) and save it somewhere that is NOT in the Cloud. When you use EndNote, especially when inserting references in Word documents, it constantly reads and writes information back to your EndNote library. If you use and save your files in a cloud-based location, such as OneDrive or iCloud, your library can become corrupted over time. Instead, you should store your EndNote files on your computer’s local hard drive, such as in My Documents (Windows) or Home (Mac), or on the Desktop.

Alternatively if you open the program after initial installation without saving a new library, click File > New to create a new EndNote Library – save to your Documents (H drive), NOT OneDrive or iCloud as above.

Once you have created an EndNote Library it should automatically open when you access EndNote; if not, go to the local hard drive location and double click on the EndNote .enl file icon(.enl file) .

*Note: it is highly recommended that beginner users complete the Library's EndNote Essentials online training tutorial. See link below.

 

For staff with new University devices, EndNote may not be installed. Please follow these instructions to install it:

1.    In the search bar at the bottom of the screen of the new device, type Company Portal. Select the Company Portal app.
2.    A pop up screen will appear: choose EndNote 21, then Install.

 

To open EndNote on a University PC where the software is already installed, go to the Start menu and type EndNote into the search bar. The program should appear in the results. 

  • If you are using EndNote for the first time, once you have clicked on the program to open it you will see a blank grey screen. Click File > New to create a new EndNote Library – save to your Documents (H drive), NOT OneDrive. Once you have made an EndNote Library it should automatically open when you access EndNote; if not, go to the My Documents file location and double click on the EndNote .enl file icon(.enl file) . *Note: it is highly recommended that beginner users complete the Library's EndNote Essentials online training tutorial. Please see the Support & Training page in this guide for the link.
  • If you have already created an EndNote Library, try using the PC's Search function to locate it.

EndNote search

It is strongly advised for staff and students to contact a Liaison Librarian for troubleshooting advice in the first instance.
See the Support and training page in this guide for contact details.

 

Installation Problems: PC

  • Ensure that you have followed the installation instructions exactly.
  • Installing the latest software upgrade can solve many randomly occurring problems, such as the toolbar disappearing after being repaired. To ensure that you have the latest software upgrade, click "Help" in EndNote X9 toolbar, and choose "Check for Updates".
  • If these instructions don't solve the issue, the Clarivate EndNote Knowledgebase has comprehensive instructions for most EndNote issues. This knowledgebase provides solutions for the most commonly encountered problems. Search install or upgrade for issues related to installation. If you cannot find a solution, please contact a Librarian.

Installation Problems: Mac

  • Check that you have followed the installation instructions exactly - see the Installation & Compatibility page under the Software tab in this guide.
  • Most Mac EndNote problems are readily solved by ensuring that the latest software upgrade for your version of Word is installed. You can access software upgrades via the link below.  If you are not sure what version you have, choose "Check for Updates" under the "EndNote" menu in the EndNote programme.
  • You can check your Word processor compatibility with EndNote on a Mac.
  • If the issue is related to downloading citations, note that Safari is not compatible with EndNote. Please use a different browser.

Common Problems: 

  • Being asked for a Product Key? You have downloaded the trial version. See here for instructions on how to install the institutional version which is available to staff and students.
  • MacOS user? See our Using EndNote page - For macOS users section
  • Corporate Authors not displaying properly? Place a single comma after the name.
  • Field codes showing? Press ALT F9.
  • Is your bibliographic style "wrong"? Check the citation style is correct in both your EndNote Library and your CWYW (Word) editor and try reformatting your document using Update Citations and Bibliography from the EndNote Toolbar.
  • EndNote ribbon not appearing in Word? Check our FAQ.

Further assistance: 

  • Search AskUs, the Library's Q&A service, to find an existing answer, or to ask us a question. 

It is recommended that you uninstall earlier versions of EndNote before upgrading. Make sure to first back up your library, styles, import filters or connection files. Follow the instructions to create a compressed library for this purpose, then see the upgrade instructions.

If you are currently working on a Word document using your EndNote library, you should unformat the document before upgrading to the newer version of EndNote. To do this in most versions of Word, go to the EndNote tab and choose the Convert Citations and Bibliography > Convert to Unformatted Citations command. Field codes will show in your document (eg {Blakiston, 2018 #2711}), but these will re-format following the upgrade and upon clicking on the Instant Formatting is Off command in the toolbar.

If you need more information on uninstalling and installing, check the EndNote FAQs.

It is very important to back up your EndNote library, as a corrupted library could negatively impact the timely completion of an essay or dissertation. For backups it is recommended to use File > Compress Library.  A Compressed Library is a zip file which should be held in reserve in case errors in your library can't be reversed; it shouldn't be opened if it is not necessary. Save a compressed file to several locations - for example a thumb drive or external hard drive in case your device crashes or is stolen. It is not recommended that you save Libraries (normal or compressed) to cloud-based locations such as Dropbox or iCloud. These services have been known to corrupt the code underlying the program data.

Each time you save a new Compressed Library with your latest uploads, delete the previously compressed library.

Each EndNote library consists of two parts:

  • The Library (filetype .enl), which contains all your EndNote references
  • The Data folder (filetype .data), which contains supporting information such as terms and group structures.  It may also contain your attached files and images.

It is vital that you retain both of these parts of your library and retain them in the same folder on your computer.  You can reconstruct an EndNote library from just the Library (.enl) file, however, your organisation and attached files will be lost if you delete the .data folder.

You may also back up your library by using EndNote's File > Save a Copy. However using this function creates a full copy of your library - meaning that you would have 2 versions of it, which can create confusion as to which is the master or working library. It is therefore recommended that the Compressed Library function is used for back ups.