Export Apple Notes to Markdown
Each note becomes a Markdown file, with its folders, tags and attachments, kept in sync.
Your note, and the Markdown it becomes.
The file Exporter writes for this note: front matter first, then the note.
Studio- Pick the blue render
- Try a second type size
---
title: "Poster, first pass"
id: "8D2F5A41"
created: 2026-03-14T09:12:40
modified: 2026-05-02T18:31:05
source_url: "notes://showNote?identifier=8D2F5A41"
cover: "[[attachments/Blue render.jpg]]"
---
# Poster, first pass
- [x] Pick the blue render
- [ ] Try a second type size
| size | paper |
| --- | --- |
| A2 | matte 200g |
| A3 | satin |
#print #studio
![[attachments/Blue render.jpg]]What comes out
Every field is listed in the Apple Notes docs.
Your Apple Notes folders and subfolders, mirrored on disk.
Your #tags stay in the text, where Obsidian reads them as tags. Or sort the export into one folder per tag.
Tick smart folders on the smart tab and each one becomes a folder of its own on disk. The docs list the few whose search cannot be read.
Images, PDFs, scans and drawings, copied into an attachments folder beside the note and embedded where they were.
Created and modified times from Apple Notes, in the front matter.
Every file carries a notes:// link that reopens the note in Apple Notes.
Markdown by default. "switch to html" on the Apple Notes card writes each note as a web page instead, with its attachments in a folder next to it. One format at a time.
How it works
- 1Connect Apple Notes
Open Exporter and press connect on the Apple Notes card. A panel opens in the right folder: press Select this folder.
- 2Pick a folder
Choose an export folder: any folder, or a folder of its own inside your Obsidian vault.
- 3Sync
Press sync now. After that each edit in Apple Notes is written to its file, with the window open or closed.
How it works: Apple Notes docsGuides: Apple Notes to ObsidianBack up Apple NotesApple Notes in ClaudeApple Notes in Wander
Questions
Still have questions? Get in touch
Does it read the Apple Notes database directly?
Is anything uploaded?
Can I export straight into my Obsidian vault?
How is this different from Obsidian's free Importer?
What does it cost?
Against the alternatives
Apple's own export copies the notes you select: PDF on macOS 15, Markdown too on macOS 26.
| Feature | Exporter | Obsidian Importer | Apple's own export |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole library in one go | Yes | Yes | Selected notes |
| Kept in sync after the first run | Yes | One-time | One-time |
| Any folder, not just an Obsidian vault | Yes | Obsidian only | Yes |
| Messages, Contacts, Screen Time too | Yes | No | No |
| Feeds your agent (MCP) | Yes | No | No |
| Price | First 100 notes free, then a one-time purchase | Free | Free |
Give Claude your Apple Notes
Exporter runs a local MCP server, so Claude can search the notes you exported. Set it up.
Run this once, then ask Claude about your notes.
$ claude mcp add --transport http exporter http://localhost:8744/mcp
