How to move Apple Notes to Obsidian
There are three main ways to move notes from Apple Notes (the built-in Notes app on iPhone and Mac) into Obsidian. The right one depends on how many notes you have and what you want afterwards.
Method 1: Obsidian's official Importer (free)
An official Obsidian plugin that supports importing Apple Notes. It's free. According to the official documentation it converts most content types — tables, images, drawings, scans, PDFs and links (for notes from iOS 17 on).
- Good for: a moderate number of notes; people who want images and tables too.
- Watch out: Mac only. Password-protected notes must be unlocked first. For very large imports (over 10,000 notes), some users have reported errors and duplicates (individual reports; results vary).
- Steps: the official documentation has the current steps: Obsidian Help: Import from Apple Notes
Method 2: VaultDrop (paid, $12)
A Mac tool that reads the Apple Notes data directly and exports everything to Markdown. It then installs Obsidian and configures the Smart Connections search plugin for you.
- Good for: thousands of notes; people who want install-to-search done in one go.
- Watch out: built for text-centric notes — images, tables and attachments aren't exported yet. Password-protected notes can't be exported. It needs Full Disk Access.
- Measured (developer's Mac): about 12,000 notes exported in seconds; indexing everything took about 14 minutes.
Method 3: Copy by hand
Open a note, copy the text, paste it into Obsidian. For a handful to a few dozen notes it's the easiest, and needs no tools. It stops being practical as the number grows.
Comparison
| Official Importer | VaultDrop | Manual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $12 one-time | Free |
| Images / tables / attachments | Imported | Not yet | If you paste them |
| Large libraries (thousands) | Possible (some reports of problems at large scale) | Strong (12,000 notes in seconds) | Not practical |
| Installing Obsidian and search setup | You do it | Automatic | You do it |
After you've moved your notes
- Check the folder structure. Your Apple Notes folders become Obsidian folders.
- Make notes searchable by meaning. With the Smart Connections plugin, notes related in meaning are listed even when the wording differs.
- Keep a backup. Until you're done, it's safest to leave the originals in Apple Notes.
FAQ
Do my notes disappear from Apple Notes after moving them?
VaultDrop only reads your Apple Notes data and doesn't change the originals. Manual copy leaves the originals too. For the official Importer, check its official documentation.
Can I move notes I wrote on my iPhone?
Yes, if they sync to your Mac through iCloud. They are stored in Apple Notes on the Mac, so every method covers them.
Can I move password-protected notes?
With the official Importer you need to unlock them first. VaultDrop can't export password-protected notes (it skips them).
Is there a free way?
Yes. For up to a few hundred notes, the official Importer or manual copy is often enough.
Written by the developer (Kasey Kobayashi) as an introduction to VaultDrop as well. Statements about the official Importer are based on its official documentation as of October 2026.