Notion to Obsidian: How to Move Your Pages and Databases (2026)

Use Obsidian's free, official Importer plugin. It has two routes: connect your Notion account with an access token, which keeps your databases as Obsidian Bases, or import the HTML .zip that Notion exports, which needs no token but turns databases into plain notes. Either way every page becomes a Markdown file in your vault, with page properties at the top of the note.

This guide covers both routes, step by step, and what to check after. We make SystemSculpt, an AI plugin for Obsidian, so the last part shows how to add AI to the notes you bring over.

Checked on November 3, 2026, with Importer 3.1.16 and Obsidian's and Notion's own help pages, linked at the end.

Which route to use

Obsidian recommends the account route if you use databases. Use the .zip route for a workspace that's mostly pages, or if you'd rather not create a token.

Before you start

1. Install Obsidian and create a vault, or open the one you'll keep these notes in. A new, empty vault makes the first import easy to check.
2. In Obsidian, open Settings, then Community plugins, and turn them on if they're off.
3. Select Browse, search for Importer, then Install and Enable. Importer is made by the Obsidian team and is free.

Route 1: Import from your Notion account

First create a token in Notion. It takes about two minutes.

1. Open Notion's Connections dashboard and choose New connection.
2. Give it any name, choose Access token as the authentication method, and pick your workspace under Installable in. Select Create connection.
3. On the Configuration tab, select Show, then Copy, next to Access token. Keep it somewhere safe, like your password manager.
4. On the Content access tab, add the pages and databases you want to import. The token can read only what you add here.

Then import:

1. Open Importer from the left ribbon or the command palette (Importer: Import notes).
2. Choose Notion (API).
3. Under API token, select Link..., name the secret (for example notion) and paste your token as the Secret.
4. Select Load and choose the pages and databases to import.
5. Review the options, then select Continue until Importer shows the note template it will use and previews a few of your pages.
6. Select Start import and wait for it to finish.

Each database becomes a folder holding a .base file, which Obsidian's Bases core plugin opens as a table, with one note per row. A page with no subpages becomes a single note.

Route 2: Import a Notion export (.zip)

Export first. You need admin access to export a whole workspace.

1. In Notion, open Settings in the sidebar, and under Workspace choose General.
2. Select Export all workspace content.
3. Set Export format to HTML, not Markdown: Obsidian says the Markdown export leaves out important data.
4. Choose Include everything and turn on Create folders for subpages.
5. Notion sends a download link by email or in your inbox. Big workspaces can take hours; the link lasts 7 days.

To move a single page instead, open its ••• menu, choose Export, pick HTML and turn on Include subpages.

Then import:

1. Open Importer and choose Notion (.zip).
2. Choose the .zip. Import everything at once, so links between pages can be matched up.
3. Optionally choose an output folder, and turn on Save parent pages in subfolders to keep Notion's nesting.
4. Select Continue until the preview shows, check it, and select Start import.

If the import fails with an error naming a Part-1.zip, your export holds zips inside the zip. Unzip it and import each Export-...-Part-1.zip file. If Obsidian seems to freeze, turn off other community plugins and try again.

Want a quick look before you install anything? Our free Notion to Obsidian converter cleans a Notion export into an Obsidian-ready zip in your browser.

What carries over and what doesn't

Comes through, on both routes:

• Pages, as Markdown notes, with subpages in folders.
• Page properties, such as dates, selects, checkboxes, numbers and URLs, as note properties at the top of the note. A Tags property becomes Obsidian tags.
• Headings, lists, to-dos as checkboxes, quotes, code blocks with their language, and equations as LaTeX.
• Callouts, as Obsidian callouts.
• Links between pages, as links between notes.
• Images and files, saved in your vault and linked from the note.

Changes or doesn't come through:

• Databases on the .zip route. You get one note per row with its properties, not a working database. Use the account route, or rebuild the view with Obsidian Bases.
• Database views on the account route. Only each database's primary view is imported. Linked databases are skipped, so share the original database with your token.
• Some formulas. The account route can't convert the People functions name() and email(), or the text functions style() and unstyle().
• Toggles. The hidden content comes through, but as open text, not a collapsible toggle.
• Pages that are also folders. Notion lets a page hold both text and subpages; Obsidian folders can't hold text, so that text becomes a note inside the folder.
• Page history and sharing settings stay in Notion.

After the import, open a few of your busiest pages next to the original in Notion. Keep Notion until you're happy with the result.

Add AI to your imported notes

Once your pages are Markdown files, any AI tool that reads files can work on them. If you already use Claude Code or Codex, install the free SystemSculpt plugin from Obsidian's community plugins. It runs your signed-in Claude Code or Codex in a chat pane in your vault on desktop, and can ask for your approval before each edit. You can ask it to fix leftover Notion formatting, add links between related notes or summarize a project. Chats are saved as Markdown notes in your vault. It needs no SystemSculpt account or plan.

For mobile chat, audio transcription and related-note search, eligible new accounts can claim 500 one-time starter credits with no card. Paid plans are $9 a month or $90 a year. Compare plans.

Still deciding between the two apps? Read Obsidian vs Notion.

Questions

Can I import Notion databases into Obsidian? Yes, with Importer's Notion account route. Each database becomes an Obsidian Base with one note per row, and formulas are converted. The .zip route keeps the rows and their properties but not the database.

Should I export Notion as Markdown or HTML for Obsidian? HTML. Obsidian's help says Notion's Markdown export leaves out important data.

Is the Obsidian Importer plugin free? Yes. It's an official plugin made by the Obsidian team, free in Obsidian's community plugins.

Does importing delete anything in Notion? No. Importer only reads your workspace or your export. Your pages stay in Notion.

Can I keep using Notion and Obsidian together? Importer is a one-time copy, not a sync. Pages you change in Notion afterwards need importing again.

Sources

• Import from Notion, Obsidian Help
• Importer, Obsidian Help
• Obsidian Importer 3.1.16, GitHub
• Export your content, Notion Help Center