Boox Google Drive: Connect, Export and Restore Notes

Where it lives

Where Boox puts the Google Drive setting

Most people go looking for Boox Google Drive sync inside the Notes app, because that is where the notes are. It is not there. Boox treats Google Drive as an account the whole device binds to, so the switch sits in the system settings: from the home screen, Settings > Accounts. That is the path in Boox’s own backup guide, which covers the Note Air 2 and the rest of the line on the same software.

Google Drive is one of several services on that list. Boox names Dropbox, OneDrive, Baidu Cloud and NutStore as cloud storage, any WebDAV service such as NextCloud, and three note platforms: OneNote, Evernote and Youdao Cloud Note. If your notes already live in one of those, bind that one instead; the steps are the same.

One caution on menu names. Boox’s guide dates from August 2023, and Boox renames settings between firmware releases. If your Note Air 2 shows a slightly different label, look for the account list inside Settings rather than inside any single app.

Setup

How to connect a Boox Note Air 2 to Google Drive

Open Settings from the home screen, then Accounts.

This is the device-wide Settings, not the menu inside Notes. The Accounts page lists every cloud and note service Boox can bind to.

ii.

Choose Google Drive and finish the sign-in.

Boox’s instruction is to pick the platform and follow the on-screen steps to finish the binding. Use the Google account you want the notes to land in; switching accounts later means binding again.

iii.

Open each note you want on Drive, then close it.

This is the step people miss. Boox says you need to open and exit a note at least once after binding before its backup is created on the cloud. Notes you never reopen stay on the device only.

iv.

Check Drive from a computer.

Open Google Drive in a browser and find the new files. Boox warns that the copy can look different from one platform to the next, so judge it there, not on the tablet.

Restore

Google Drive is a copy, not a backup you can restore

Boox is direct about this. Copies on third-party platforms can be viewed and edited there, but restoring them to the device through this route is not supported. If the reason you want Google Drive is to survive a lost or reset tablet, Drive alone does not do that job. Boox offers three other routes that do restore, and pairing one of them with Drive covers both needs.

Route	Where to find it	Restores to the device?
Google Drive (or another bound service)	Home screen, Settings > Accounts	No. Read and edit on Drive only
ONYX Cloud	Sign in to your ONYX account; Notes > menu (top right) > Sync Settings	Yes, on the same or another Boox signed in to the same account and server
Offline backup, all notes	Notes > menu > Options > Backup and Restore	Yes, from the backup folder in `\note\backup\local`
Offline backup, one note	Share and Export, saved as a .note file (firmware 3.3.2 and later)	Yes, open the .note file from Storage

ONYX Cloud can also be switched on or off per note: long-press a note in Notes and use the Sync tab. The offline backup is worth doing before any firmware update, since the folder it writes is a plain directory you can copy to a computer.

One note at a time

Sending a single note to Google Drive as a PDF

Sometimes you do not want a standing link, only one set of meeting notes in a shared folder. Boox exports notes as PNG or PDF files and shares them to cloud services including Google Drive, OneDrive and its own OnyxCloud, as well as email and apps such as Slack and Teams. Inside an open handwritten note, the Share and Export tool on the toolbar lets you pick the pages first, so a 40-page notebook does not go out whole when you only need today’s two pages.

The Note Air 2 line runs Android and has access to the Google Play Store, which Boox lists as a feature of the Note Air2 Plus. That makes Google’s own Drive app an option when you want a file to travel the other way, from Drive onto the tablet, for example a PDF planner you keep in a shared folder.

What to sync

What is worth keeping on Drive

The pattern that holds up is simple: bind Google Drive for reading your notes on a laptop or phone, keep ONYX Cloud or a regular offline backup for recovery, and export PDFs when a note leaves your hands. Notes written on a clean, consistent page layout read better on a laptop screen than a blank canvas full of arrows, which is the case for working from a template on an e-ink tablet in the first place. Our guide to Boox templates covers which layouts suit the Note Air line, and the Boox hub collects the rest of our Boox how-tos.

If your Note Air 2 shows a different menu on your firmware, or Drive behaves differently from what Boox describes, tell us in the comments with your firmware version and we will check it against Boox’s own documentation.

FAQ

Common questions, answered briefly

Does the Boox Note Air 2 work with Google Drive?

Yes. Google Drive is one of the third-party clouds Boox lets you bind, alongside Dropbox, OneDrive and WebDAV services. You bind it from the home screen under Settings > Accounts.

Where is the Google Drive setting on a Boox?

In the device Settings, under Accounts, reached from the home screen. It is not inside the Notes app.

Why are my Boox notes not showing up in Google Drive?

Boox says each note has to be opened and exited at least once after you bind the account before its backup is created on the cloud. Reopen and close the notes you want, then check Drive in a browser.

Can I restore Boox notes from Google Drive?

No. Boox does not support restoring notes to the device from third-party platforms. Use ONYX Cloud or the offline Backup and Restore option in Notes for anything you may need to restore.

Can I export a Boox note to Google Drive as a PDF?

Yes. Boox exports notes as PNG or PDF files and can share them to Google Drive. Use the Share and Export tool in an open note to choose the pages first.