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RIS ENL
File conversion

Convert RIS to ENL

Verified by Adam B.· reviewed by FE Editorial ·updated Aug 25, 2026
QUICK ANSWER
Is it possible to convert RIS to ENL?
Yes - RIS converts to ENL.

Open EndNote, go to File > Import > File, select your .ris file, choose the RefMan RIS import filter, and click Import. The references appear in your library immediately.

3 programs

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Tested on macOS, Windows & Linux
Last verified Oct 2026

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Why convert RIS to ENL?

ENL is a proprietary EndNote library database, not a citation exchange format, so users searching for RIS-to-ENL conversion actually need to import citations into their EndNote library - which is exactly what EndNote's built-in RIS import does. No external tool can create a .enl file because the format has no open specification.

How to convert RIS to ENL

EndNote APP

Go to File > Import > File, select the .ris file, set Import Option to RefMan RIS, and click Import. References appear in an Imported References group in your library.

EndNote for Mac APP

Use File > Import > File, select the .ris file, choose RefMan RIS as the import filter, and click Import to add references to your .enl library.

EndNote for iPad APP

Open the EndNote app and use its import function to bring in the .ris file; references sync to your connected library.

Programs that convert RIS

EndNote
EndNote for Mac
EndNote for iPad

About these formats

.RIS Research Information Systems citation file

An RIS file is a plain-text bibliographic citation file - the standard exchange format used by Google Scholar, PubMed, and library databases to hand references to citation managers. You…

Open .RIS details →
.ENL Endnote library file

A .ENL file is associated with Endnote library, a data file.

Open .ENL details →

Quality & what to watch

  • ENL is a proprietary binary database format with no open specification; no third-party tool can create or directly edit a .enl file.
  • All standard RIS tags - authors (AU), title (TI), year (PY), DOI (DO), abstract (AB), keywords (KW) - map to their EndNote field equivalents during import.
  • On Windows, double-clicking a .ris file launches the EndNote import dialog automatically once EndNote is installed and associated with .ris files.

Frequently asked questions

Why is there no converter that produces an ENL file from RIS?
ENL is a proprietary EndNote database format with no published specification; only EndNote itself can create and manage .enl files.
What import filter should I choose when importing RIS into EndNote?
Select RefMan RIS from the Import Option dropdown; type RIS in the filter search box to find it quickly.
Can I import RIS into EndNote Online instead of the desktop app?
Yes - in EndNote Online go to Collect > Import References, upload the .ris file, and select RefMan RIS as the filter; references sync to your online library.
What RIS fields may not transfer during import?
All standard fields transfer cleanly; very rarely used or custom RIS tags with no matching EndNote field may be dropped, but this is uncommon for journal articles and books.