EndNote Desktop

Download EndNote Desktop and related files, such as styles and filters.

EndNote Desktop

For RMIT computers

EndNote Desktop is already installed on campus computers.

For personal computers

EndNote Desktop software is available from the Software for personal devices pages for students and staff.

Problems downloading?

If you need help with downloading or installing EndNote Desktop, contact the IT Connect.

Software updates

EndNote Desktop releases important updates regularly. Go to Help > Check for Updates within your EndNote library, or download updates from the EndNote Recent Software Updates page.

Note for Mac users

When exporting references/citations from LibrarySearch, library databases, or Google Scholar, use the Firefox browser for best performance.

Styles, journal term lists, filters and connections

For RMIT computers

The 'RMIT Harvard' referencing style and the RMIT Connection File are already available within the EndNote Desktop software installed on all RMIT student and staff computers on campus (Windows and Macs). You do not need to separately download and install them.

For personal computers

If you have installed EndNote Desktop on your own personal device, you will need to download 'RMIT Harvard' referencing style or the RMIT Connection File. See the options below.

If you are unable to directly save style, connection or filter files into EndNote's Styles, Connections or Filters folders, please save the file to your desktop, then drag and drop it into its respective folder.

Downloading tip: To download files, right-click on the file link and select the Save Link As option. or use Alt + Enter keyboard shortcut.

Output styles are used to control the appearance of references in a bibliography. While EndNote will help you store and manage your references, you must still follow the referencing rules. You will find these rules and examples for your recommended referencing style in our Easy Cite referencing tool.

Remember to save the output style to its corresponding sub-folder:

  • On Windows: save the file to C:\Program Files (x86)\EndNote 21\Styles
  • On your own Mac: save the file to Applications > EndNote 21 > Styles (if not there, try: Finder > Documents > EndNote 21 > Styles)
  • On an RMIT Mac: save the file to Finder > Documents > EndNote 21 > Styles

RMIT Harvard style downloads and instructions

You need to set up two files to get the RMIT Harvard style working on EndNote Desktop.

Step 1: Set up the RMIT Harvard reference types and fields (XML file)

The RefTypeTableRMITHarvard.xml file creates all the reference types and fields specific to RMIT Harvard, and is needed for the Harvard EndNote output style to work.

  1. Download the XML file by right-clicking (or press Shift + F10 on Windows, Control-click on a Mac) on RMIT Harvard RefTypeTable (XML, 54.4KB) Last updated: August 2022.
  2. Select 'Save link as' and save directly to your desktop or your Downloads folder. In step 3, you will need to select this file, so remember where you've saved it.
  3. To install XML file, open EndNote Desktop then:
    • On Windows: Edit > Preferences > Reference Types > Import > select 'RefTypeTableRMITHarvard.xml' file > Open > Apply > OK.  
    • On a Mac: EndNote 21 > Preferences > Reference Types > select 'RefTypeTableRMITHarvard.xml' file > Open > Save > close 'EndNote Preferences' box by clicking on red dot.
Step 2: Set up the RMIT Harvard output style (ENS file)

The RMIT_Harvard_EndNote.ens file ensures that all the reference types display correctly within the in-text references and the reference list in accordance with the rules of RMIT Harvard.

The new RMIT Harvard EndNote style is called RMIT_Harvard_EndNote (begins with ‘RMIT’). The old RMIT Harvard EndNote style is called Harvard_RMIT_EndNote (begins with ‘Harvard’). If you still have the old RMIT Harvard style, you should delete it BEFORE installing the new style. First close EndNote Desktop and MS Word, then delete Harvard_RMIT_EndNote from:

  • On Windows: delete from C:\Program Files (x86)\EndNote 21\Styles
  • On your own Mac: delete from Applications > EndNote 21 > Styles (if not there, try: Finder > Documents > EndNote 21 > styles)
  • On an RMIT Mac: delete from Finder > Documents > EndNote 21 > Styles

To install the new RMIT Harvard EndNote style:

  1. Download the ENS file by right-clicking (or press Shift + F10 on Windows, Control-click on a Mac) on RMIT Harvard EndNote output style (ENS, 61.5KB) Last updated: September 2023.
  2. Select 'Save link as' and save directly to your desktop or your Downloads folder. Do not try to save directly to the Styles folder because you may get a "You don't have permission to save in this location" error message. In step 3, you will need to select this file, so remember where you've saved it.
  3. To install ENS file, move (cut > paste) downloaded ENS file from your desktop or your Downloads folder to its relevant location:
    • On Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\EndNote 21\Styles
    • On your own Mac: move to Applications > EndNote 21 > Styles (if not there, try: Finder > Documents > EndNote 21 > Styles)
    • On an RMIT Mac: move to Finder > Documents > EndNote > Styles
  4. Open EndNote Desktop, then: Tools > Output Styles > Open Style Manager > locate and tick 'RMIT_Harvard_EndNote' > close pop-up window.
  5. In EndNote Desktop: Tools > Output Styles > tick 'RMIT_Harvard_EndNote' from the list.
  6. All your references in EndNote Desktop will now display in RMIT Harvard style
  7. When you are in MS Word, ensure that you select 'RMIT_Harvard_EndNote' from the EndNote 21 tab > Style drop-down list.
Inserting EndNote references into a Microsoft Word document

EndNote automatically hyperlinks URLs in the 'URL' field and this default setting cannot be changed. However, in the RMIT Harvard style the URLs must not be hyperlinked, so you will need to manually remove each hyperlink in the reference list within the document. To do this:

  • Right-click (or press Shift + F10 on Windows, Control-click on a Mac) on each hyperlinked URL
  • Select 'Remove Hyperlink'.

Please note: If you press the Update Citations and Bibliography button within the 'EndNote' tab in Microsoft Word or other word processor, all hyperlinks will re-appear and you will need to remove them again.


Other output styles

Download additional styles from EndNote's Output Styles site.

When EndNote is installed, several Journal Term Lists are automatically incorporated in the installation, except for Earth Sciences.

You will need to download the Earth Sciences Journal Term List separately.

One way to export references into your EndNote Desktop library is via a filter​. Some databases, such as Factiva, use filters if they do not have an exporting function.

EndNote Import Filters tells you which databases need an import filter that you can download for free. To find a filter, you need to search by the company (information provider) that owns the filter, e.g. search for Dow Jones for the Factiva filter.

Connection files allow EndNote Desktop and EndNote basic to connect to a library's search engine (e.g. LibrarySearch) or an online database to search for and import references directly from EndNote’s interface. But connection files will only let you do basic searches. If that is not enough, start your search in LibrarySearch or in a database.

Both EndNote Desktop and EndNote basic come with many pre-installed connection files. These include the RMIT University Library connection file and others from publicly-available library catalogues and databases. Use the Online Search feature in EndNote to access these connection files. You can download additional connection files from EndNote.com, and the RMIT University Library connection file (ENZ, 26 KB) if it is not already available in EndNote Desktop.

For EndNote Desktop, save a downloaded connection file to its corresponding sub-folder:

  • On Windows, save the file to C:\Program Files (x86)\EndNote\Connections
  • On Mac, save the file to Applications > EndNote > Connections

Download additional connection files from EndNote's Connection Files site.

Please note: If using EndNote basic, you can only use pre-installed connection files. You cannot add any new connection files. The RMIT University Library connection file searches for and imports references from LibrarySearch only.

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.