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Notion to Obsidian: API import vs ZIP export

Choose the route that fits your workspace, understand database differences, and inspect attachments and internal links.

For
People moving existing files
Reading time
4 min

Start here

  1. Choose API import if database preservation matters.
  2. Use an HTML ZIP export for the documented file-import route.
  3. Compare a small workspace containing pages, images, and a database.

API and ZIP imports have different results

Obsidian currently recommends its Notion API route for preserving databases and converting supported formulas to Bases. The ZIP route avoids an integration token but does not preserve databases in the same way. Neither route should be assumed to reproduce every Notion view or feature.

RouteRequirementMain distinction
Notion APIToken and internet accessSupports database conversion to Bases
Notion ZIPHTML workspace exportNo API token; database preservation differs

Set up account access deliberately

Create a connection following Obsidian’s linked instructions and give it access to the pages you intend to migrate. Select Notion (API) in Importer, link the secret, and load the available content. Review the preview before running the import. Keep the token out of screenshots and exported migration notes.

Prepare a file import

For the ZIP route, Obsidian recommends Notion’s HTML export, including content and subpage folders, rather than Markdown export. Preserve the downloaded archive and select Notion (.zip) in Importer. Import the related content together so links can be reconciled. A workspace-wide export may require administrator access.

Check the parts you use daily

For your own acceptance check, include a database item linked from another page, a file attachment, and a long article with images. Follow the internal link from the converted page and inspect the fields you actually filter on. Record formulas or views that need rebuilding instead of judging success by file count alone.

Plan the switch

Stop editing the old and new copies in parallel once the final migration begins. Keep a dated export and a list of exceptions. Test your routine searches and opening files from another machine after syncing the vault; a migration that works in the original folder can still have attachment-path problems after a move.

Sources

Updated October 30, 2026. Based on the linked documentation; the tools have not been benchmarked by NarrowTools. Editorial policy

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