How to Move a Notion Workspace to Plain Markdown Files
Published · updated · 4 min read
Key takeaways
- Export the whole workspace, not individual pages, so nested pages keep their hierarchy.
- Databases export as one markdown file per row — expect to merge the ones that matter.
- Internal Notion links export with page IDs in the filename and must be rewritten.
- Obsidian opens the folder directly; no import step is needed.
- Keep the Notion account open for 30 days so you can re-export anything that looks wrong.
The ranking at a glance
Step 1: Export the whole workspace, in markdown and CSV
In Notion's settings, choose 'Export all workspace content', select Markdown & CSV, and include subpages. Exporting single pages one at a time loses the parent-child structure, and the CSV files are the only clean way to recover database properties. This export takes a while on a large workspace — let it finish in the browser rather than closing the tab.
Step 2: Unzip somewhere you can live in
You get a folder tree that mirrors your workspace, plus a subfolder of images and attachments. Put it where you intend to keep it permanently, because the next steps rewrite paths and moving the folder afterwards breaks the links you are about to fix.
Step 3: Flatten the databases you actually use
Each database becomes a folder of one file per row, which is fine for a reading list and useless for a project tracker. Decide which databases were load-bearing in Notion. For those, either rebuild them as a single markdown index with a table, or keep that one database in Notion and move only your prose.
- Reading lists and link archives: one file per row is fine
- Project trackers and CRMs: keep in Notion, or rebuild as a table
- Meeting notes with properties: keep the property in the file's front matter
Step 4: Fix the internal links
Notion writes internal links as relative paths ending in a 32-character page ID, which Obsidian cannot follow. The practical fix is to strip the ID suffix from both the filenames and the links with a find-and-replace pass — the page titles are already in the filenames, so the links become readable once the ID is gone.
Step 5: Open it in Obsidian and check the graph
Obsidian reads the folder directly — there is no import. Open the folder as a vault, then click through five pages you know well. If the graph view looks empty, links are still broken. If images are missing, the attachment paths need the same treatment as the page links.
Step 6: Put it in Git before you trust it
A folder of markdown is worth a backup that is not another company's database. Pushing the vault to a private Git repository gives you history, sync across machines and a recovery path for free — and it is the step that makes the whole migration reversible.
What you give up, honestly
You lose live collaboration, database views, and Notion's templates. Obsidian has no real-time editing, so a shared wiki is not this migration's job. If your Notion usage is mostly team pages, keep Notion; if it is mostly your own thinking, the plain-files version of it is faster, private and permanent.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Notion export all my pages as markdown?
- Yes. Exporting the workspace as 'Markdown & CSV' produces a folder of .md files plus CSVs for databases. Subpages nest inside folders, and images are exported alongside, though the page IDs in filenames mean links need fixing afterwards.
- Can Obsidian open Notion exports directly?
- Yes — point Obsidian at the unzipped export folder as a vault and every markdown file becomes a note. The two things to repair are internal links, which carry page IDs, and image paths, which often need a find-and-replace pass.
- What happens to my Notion databases?
- Each database row becomes its own markdown file, and the columns become front matter. That works for reading lists but not for trackers, so most people keep the load-bearing databases in Notion and move only the written pages.
- Is it worth leaving Notion for Obsidian?
- If your Notion workspace is mostly personal writing and you want offline speed, privacy and files you own, yes. If it is a shared team wiki with database views and permissions, Notion is still the better tool and the migration costs more than it returns.