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Adding a USB Storage Document Library

💡MarginNote 4 lets you add external source directories directly (such as online-course videos or reference PDFs on a USB flash drive or external hard drive). Add them to a study set without importing, take notes and make cards in the corresponding notebook, and study efficiently while preserving the original file structure.

Add External File button Add External File button

💡The advantages of using a USB Storage Document Library are:

  • No need to import each file individually; you can add an entire folder at once, saving time.
  • You can take notes and make cards directly on files such as PDFs, without copying or storing duplicate PDF files.
  • It preserves the original organizational structure of your materials, making them easy to manage and find.

1 Adding a USB Storage Document Library (for Mac & iPad)

A USB Storage Document Library can be either a large local folder or a folder on an external storage device such as a USB flash drive or external hard drive. Both are added in the same way and follow the same logic; here we use a USB flash drive as the example.

  1. Insert the USB device you want to add (USB flash drive, external hard drive, etc.)
  2. Tap the three dots to the right of the folder, then Add External Folder
  3. Select the folder you want to add and tap **Open** to finish
  4. A document with this icon is an external file

External file

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2 Removing a USB Storage Document Library

Disconnect

Tap the three dots to the right of the USB Storage Document Library, then Disconnect to remove the USB Storage Document Library.

ScreenRecording_10-23-2025 08-53-08_1.MP4

3 Notes

💡1. USB storage library files are disconnected after you remove the external storage device. When you reinsert the removable storage device, the disconnected files are relinked automatically.

💡2. The same folder cannot be added more than once.

💡3. You can rename files within MarginNote 4.

Note: This action will also modify the source document's filename.