Notion to Obsidian Migration: A Complete Guide & Checklist
The shift from Notion to Obsidian represents a growing trend among knowledge workers and note-taking enthusiasts seeking more control over their digital notebooks. While Notion excels at team collaboration and structured databases, Obsidian offers a local-first approach with powerful linking capabilities that appeal to those building personal knowledge systems. The migration is often driven by desires for better privacy, offline access, and the ability to create more organic connections between notes. If you're considering making this transition, this comprehensive guide will walk you through the process step by step.
Pre-Migration Checklist
1. Evaluate Your Current Setup
2. Assess Obsidian Compatibility
3. Prepare Your Environment
Migration Process
Now that everything is ready, we can now proceed to the migration, you can either follow this guide or follow the importer plugin directly.

Step 1: Export from Notion
1. Navigate to Settings & Members
2. Select Settings
3. Scroll to "Export all workspace content"
4. Choose HTML format (important!)
5. Enable "Include subpages"
6. Enable "Create folders for subpages"
7. Wait for export completion
Step 2: Import into Obsidian
1. Open Obsidian Importer plugin
2. Select "Notion (.zip)" format
3. Choose your export file
4. Select destination folder
5. Enable "Save parent pages in subfolders"
6. Start import process
Step 3: Post-Import Organization
1. Review imported content
2. Fix formatting issues
3. Reorganize folder structure
4. Update internal links
5. Verify media attachments
Essential Obsidian Setup
Core Settings to Configure
Editor:
Enable/disable live preview
Set preferred line width
Configure spellcheck
Files & Links:
Choose link format
Set default location for new notes
Configure attachment handling
Recommended Plugins
Core Plugins:
File explorer
Search
Quick switcher
Graph view
Backlinks
Tags pane


Best Practices for Success
Gradual Migration
Start with most-used notes
Migrate one project at a time
Keep Notion as backup initially
Test workflows before full switch
Remember that the migration process is a marathon, not a sprint. Take time to learn Obsidian's features and adapt your workflow gradually.
Focus on maintaining a system that works for you rather than perfectly replicating your Notion setup.
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