Import data into Notion

Notion imports are available on desktop and web (not on mobile yet).

To start an import, go to Settings → Import, or type / on any page and search for the importer you need.

Before you import, take a quick look at What imports, What doesn’t import, and Limitations below so there are no surprises.

Notion lets you directly import the following file types:

• Plaintext (.txt)

• Text & Markdown (.txt, .md or .markdown)

• Microsoft Word (.docx)

• CSV (.csv)

• HTML (.html)

• PDF (.pdf)

• ZIP (.zip)

You can also import data from a number of apps like Confluence, Asana, Evernote, and Trello, among others.

There are a couple of ways to start an import:

• Type /on any page and search for what you want to import (like CSV or Trello).

• Or go to Settings in your sidebar → Import, then choose an app or file type.

Evernote notebooks import as pages, and notes import as database items.

You can bring your Evernote notebooks into Notion and keep the same structure.

1. Go to Settings →Import. Then, choose Evernote.

2. Sign into your Evernote account.

3. Authorize Evernote to connect to Notion.

4. Once your Evernote account is linked, check the boxes next to the notebooks you'd like to move and click Import.

5. Your Evernote notebooks will appear as pages in Notion's sidebar. Inside, you'll find your notes as items in a list database.

6. Each note can be dragged and dropped anywhere else within Notion.

What imports:

• Notebooks

• Notes

What doesn’t import:

• Evernote Teams

How it maps to Notion:

• Notebooks import as pages in your sidebar.

• Notes inside each notebook import as items in a list database, and gallery views at import.

Limitations:

• Reliable up to ~5,000 notes. Larger imports may fail.

• There’s no progress bar or status tracking, and Evernote rate limits can force long backoffs during import.

• Images within notes may not render correctly and may need cleanup after import.

Troubleshoot common errors:

• If an import appears stuck, wait to see if it resumes, then try importing smaller batches.

• If you don’t see new notes being added for 3 consecutive hours, escalate for investigation.

• If created/updated dates look wrong after import, that can be expected. Add a Date property in Notion after import if needed.

Trello boards import as a Notion database, with cards as items. You can import a Trello board into Notion in just a few steps.

1. Type /Trello and hit enter.

2. Log in to your Trello account.

3. Grant access to Notion so you can import your Trello boards.

4. Once you've linked your Trello account, select the boards you'd like to migrate from the dropdown menu.

What imports:

• Boards

• Lists

• Cards

What doesn’t import:

• Any Trello content that can’t be represented as a board, list, or card may not transfer.

How it maps to Notion:

• Boards import as a Notion database.

• Cards import as database items.

• Lists import as database groups

Limitations:

• Reliable for up to ~5,000 cards per board. For very large boards, split them into smaller boards before importing.

• Recommended limit of ~5,000 comments per board. Exceeding this can cause comment loss (even if the import succeeds).

• Imports are board-by-board only, not full workspace imports.

• Power-Ups, automations, and permissions don’t carry over and need to be rebuilt in Notion.

Troubleshoot common errors:

• If you can’t connect Trello or get stuck on a loading spinner, remove and re-add your Trello account, then confirm you have access to the boards you’re importing.

• If you see an “Unrecognized URL” error, make sure you’re using a supported Trello URL format.

Import Quip by exporting individual pages (Markdown or HTML), then importing into Notion.

Quip only lets you export one page at a time. You can still move pages to Notion — you’ll just import them one by one.

1. In Quip, click the document icon at the top left of any page and choose

   Export.

2. Export as Markdown or HTML.

3. In Notion, go to Settings → Import.

4. Upload the file you exported from Quip.

What imports:

• Individual Quip pages (exported as Markdown or HTML)

What doesn’t import:

• Bulk exports of multiple Quip pages (Quip only allows exporting one page at a time).

• Live apps

• Polls

• Spreadsheets

How it maps to Notion:

• Each exported file imports as a Notion page.

Limitations:

• You can’t bulk-export multiple pages directly from Quip’s UI, so self-serve migrations can be slower.

• Formatting fidelity: complex tables, special callouts, and advanced formatting may degrade. Expect some manual cleanup after import.

• Comments, permissions, and revision history don’t transfer in self-serve exports.

• Very large files or large ZIPs can fail or partially import. Import in smaller batches if needed.

Troubleshoot common errors:

• If complex tables import poorly: simplify the table in Quip before export, or export table data as CSV and import it into a Notion database.

• If images or attachments are missing: make sure assets are included in the export bundle, or re-upload them in Notion after import.

• If you see “Import failed” for Quip HTML/Markdown: try Markdown instead of HTML (or vice versa), split large docs/ZIPs into smaller batches, and re-export from Quip with assets included.

In Dropbox Paper, you can export files individually or all at once.

To migrate individual files:

1. In Dropbox Paper, choose Download from the menu at the top right of your screen.

2. Download the page as Word.

3. In Notion, go to Settings → Import → Word.

4. Upload the .docx file you downloaded.

To migrate all your documents at once:

1. In Dropbox paper, choose Download docs you created from the menu at the bottom of your screen.

2. Choose to download as Word. This will download a zip file to your computer.

3. Unzip the file.

4. In Notion, go to Settings → Import → Word.

5. Upload the .docx files.

You can export all your files from Hackpad at once.

1. Select Export on the right of your Hackpad feed.

2. Choose to export as Markdown. You'll download a zip file.

3. Unzip the downloaded file.

4. In Notion, go to Settings in your sidebar → Import → Text & Markdown.

5. Upload the Markdown files you exported from Hackpad.

Each Google Doc imports as its own Notion page (one doc at a time).

Start an import in any of these ways:

• Paste a Google Doc link into Notion → select Import from Google Drive.

• Type /Google Docs on a page.

• Go to Settings → Import → Google Docs.

Then:

1. Click Connect Google account and sign in.

2. Choose the doc you want to import, then click Select.

What imports:

• Your Google Doc imports as a Notion page.

What doesn’t import:

• Suggestions

• Comments from other users (will show “Notion importer”)

• Horizontal rule (i.e. dividers)

• Color

• Advanced layouts, headers/footers, special objects (often flattened or omitted⁠⁠)

• Code blocks style doesn’t import into Notion correctly

How it maps to Notion:

• 1 Google Doc → 1 Notion page

Limitations:

• File size limits: 5 MB per file on the Free plan and 50 MB per file on paid plans (i.e. Plus, Business, and Enterprise).

• Some formatting won’t carry over 1:1, like suggestions, comments, colors, dividers, headers/footers, and complex layouts.

• Google Docs checklists import as bullets (not to-dos).

• Large batches can result in intermittent “Import failed,” especially after several successful imports in a row.

Troubleshoot common errors:

• If you hit the file size limit or repeated failures, export using Google Takeout as DOCX and import in smaller batches.

• If you’re seeing formatting issues, simplify tables/complex styling in Google Docs first, or try exporting as .docx and importing into Notion.

Import Word documents (.docx) as Notion pages.

1. Go to Settings → Import → Word.

2. Upload whatever .docx files you want to import from your computer.

What imports:

• Text

• Headings

• Lists

• Images

• Tables

What doesn’t import:

• Comments and tracked changes

• Advanced layouts (text boxes, shapes, SmartArt, WordArt)

Limitations:

• File size limits: 5 MB per file on the Free plan and 50 MB per file on paid plans.

• Complex tables (like merged cells) may not import correctly.

• Some Word formatting won’t carry over, like comments, tracked changes, and advanced layouts (text boxes, SmartArt, WordArt).

Troubleshoot common errors:

• If tables look distorted: simplify tables in Word (remove merged cells) and try importing again.

• If formatting looks off or content seems missing: try exporting the doc as HTML from Word, then import the HTML into Notion.

To import an Excel spreadsheet, first export it as a .csv file, then import it to create a Notion database.

1. In Microsoft Excel, export your content as .csv

2. In Notion, go to Settings → Import → CSV.

3. Upload the exported .csv files you want to import from your computer.

ZIP imports let you bring in lots of files at once (instead of importing them one by one).

1. In any page, type /zip, then upload to “Convert Zip to pages.”

2. Go to Settings → Import, then upload to “Convert Zip to pages.”

What imports:

• DOCX, CSV, Text, Markdown (.md), HTML (.html/.htm), XLSX/XLS, TSV/DSV, ODS, EPUB, OPML.

What doesn’t import:

• PDFs, HWP files, and file types that cannot be converted into a supported format first.

How it maps to Notion:

• DOCX, Text, Markdown, HTML/HTM, EPUB, OPML import as Notion pages.

• CSV, XLSX, TSV/DSV, ODS import as Notion databases.

Limitations:

You can import up to 5 GB per ZIP. Very high file counts can fail even under 5 GB (10,000+ files are likely to fail or partially import). Hidden folders or files (like .DS_Store) can cause failures. Files with nonstandard extensions (example: ".md copy 273") may not convert as expected.

Troubleshoot common errors:

• If a ZIP upload fails while under the size limit, reduce the file count, remove hidden folders, re-zip, and retry.

• If the UI says failed, check your workspace for partially imported pages before trying again.

You can import one HTML file at a time, or import multiple HTML files at once using a ZIP.

1. Make sure all your HTML files and any images or assets they reference are in the same folder.

2. In Notion, go to Settings.

3. Select Import then choose HTML.

If you have many HTML files to import, zip the folder first and use the ZIP importer instead.

What imports:

• Headings, paragraphs, lists, links, code blocks, simple tables.

• Images if assets are included and reachable during import.

What doesn’t import:

• Complex styling and layouts, scripts, embeds, comments, edit history.

How it maps to Notion:

• HTML headings map to Notion headings (H4+ becomes H3).

• Lists and paragraphs map to Notion list and text blocks.

Limitations:

• File size limits: 5 MB per file (Free), 50 MB per file (paid).

• Rate limit: about 120 file imports per 12 hours.

• Complex layouts, scripts, embeds, and complex tables may flatten or require rework.

Troubleshoot common errors:

• If an HTML import fails, try splitting into smaller files/ZIPs, ensure assets are included, and remove scripts or unusual markup.

• If images are missing, make sure the assets are included in the same folder/ZIP and paths are correct.

You can import text and Markdown files one at a time — or import a whole folder at once using a ZIP.

1. Go to Settings in your sidebar → Import → Text & Markdown.

2. Upload your .md or .txt file.

To import multiple files at once, zip them first and import the ZIP.

What imports:

• Plain text and standard Markdown

• Headings, lists, and code blocks

What doesn’t import:

• Anchor links

• Advanced or nonstandard Markdown extensions (tool-specific formatting)

Limitations:

• File size limits: 5 MB per file (Free), 50 MB per file (paid).

• Rate limit: up to ~120 file imports every 12 hours.

• Anchor links and nonstandard Markdown extensions may not import cleanly.

Troubleshoot common errors:

• If large ZIPs partially import or fail, split into smaller ZIPs and retry. Create the ZIP by zipping a folder (not loose files) to preserve structure.

• If links/anchors don’t work, recreate navigation in Notion using headings and a table of contents.

You can export your WorkFlowy content and import it into Notion in one go.

1. Click the dropdown arrow to the right of Help.

2. Select Plain text and click to download.

3. In Notion, go to Settings in your sidebar → Import → Text & Markdown.

4. Upload the files you exported from WorkFlowy.

CSV imports create a Notion database (rows → items/pages, columns → properties).

1. Go to Settings → Import → CSV.

   • Or type /csv in a page.

2. Upload your .csv file.

3. Map each CSV column to the Notion property you want.

4. Upload whatever .csvfiles you want to import from your computer.

5. Setup the CSV columns by matching them to Notion properties.

Alternatively, you can add a CSV to an existing database:

1. While in a full page database, click •• at the top of a database → Merge with CSV.

2. Setup the CSV columns by matching them to Notion properties.

What imports:

• CSV files import as a Notion database.

• Rows import as pages.

• Columns import as properties.

What doesn’t import:

• Relations, rollups, or formulas (you’ll need to rebuild these in Notion after import).

Limitations:

• File size limits: 5 MB per file on the Free plan and 50 MB per file on paid plans.

• Imports add rows. They don’t update existing rows, so watch for duplicates.

• CSV merges add rows too. They don’t update existing rows, and you can’t directly undo a merge.

• Relation properties can’t be mapped during CSV import.

• The Title property doesn’t support formatting.

Troubleshoot common errors:

• Garbled characters: re-export your CSV as UTF-8.

• Values with commas not showing when mapped to Select: map that column to a Text property instead.

• If numbers aren’t importing correctly (like $ amounts, %s, or negative values), map that column to Text instead.

• Upload issues: make sure the first row is headers, and each data cell has a corresponding header.

Tips for a smoother CSV import:

• Make sure the first row is your header row.

• Re-export as UTF-8 if you see garbled characters.

• Dates import in MM/DD/YYYY format.

• If a column has mixed data types, Notion may import it as text to avoid data loss.

• If you’re merging into an existing database, make sure your CSV headers match the database’s property names exactly.

• Merging/importing adds rows (it won’t update existing rows), so watch for duplicates.

• You can’t merge a CSV column into a Relation property.

PDF imports convert your PDF into a Notion page (formatting may change).

You can import a PDF in a few different ways. Notion will convert the text so it’s searchable (and works well with Notion AI). After import, you may need to do a little cleanup for formatting.

• Use the slash command /import and select PDF.

• Use the slash command /pdf and select PDF — make sure you’re importing, not embedding!

• Open Settings and select Import → PDF.

Limitations:

• File size limits: 5 MB per PDF on the Free plan and 20 MB per PDF on paid plans.

• Scanned or image-only PDFs won’t be reliably searchable unless OCR is run first. Text-based PDFs work best.

• Some formatting won’t carry over 1:1, including font and background colors, and many rich blocks may be downgraded to plain text.

Troubleshoot common errors:

• If formatting looks different after import, that's expected for complex PDFs. Headings, quotes, and tables often need cleanup.

• If you need a database, convert the PDF table to CSV and import the CSV instead.