Hi all,
Has anyone found success importing a large number of .md files into Notes? I’d like to convert them to rich text along the way, and have the linked images inserted inline if possible. When I left Evernote and converted to .MD for obsidian, Bear was a useful intermediate point, but it looks like Bear 2.0 no longer supports folders, which is how my obsidian vault is structured.
Thanks,
Ted
Am searching for the same sort of solution. I’m thinking I may have to create some kind of Shortcuts action myself to get this working.
Bear never had folders. Tags are folders in Bear, and can be hierarchical (nested).
Katie
Marked 2 can convert markdown files into RTFD files, which you can then import into Apple Notes with the images embedded inline in the document.
I don’t know if there’s a way you could batch-process the conversion, but you can certainly use the share sheet to move entire folders of documents into Apple Notes.
This would be a great way to migrate if possible. Obsidian had a lot of features, but it’s very weak on mobile compared to Apple Notes. I really hate having to wait 30 seconds or so for Obsidian for iOS to open just to jot down a quick thought.
I thought it’d be easy, given how much everyone talks about data portability, but it doesn’t seem to be.
Getting your data OUT of Obsidian isn’t hard, is it? Copying a folder of plain text files to a new location where dozens if not hundreds of text editors can view and modify it?
Where you seem to be running into issues is moving your data into a rich text word processing file format (.rtfd) and then into a proprietary data store that uses a database for structure and app-based retrieval (Apple Notes).
For the simplest and best way to work with images in a folder of Markdown formatted files, I recommend pointing the capable and reasonably priced Typora editor app at the folders that are your Obsidian vaults.
Having my long-term notes as plaintext files in folders is a crucial advantage to me. I personally love the Obsidian mobile app. I use Obsidian Sync, and with a lot of plugins it takes about 6 seconds to open on my five-year-old Xs Max running iOS 17.1.1. I can usually live with that, given that it’s nearly as powerful as the desktop app and probably the most powerful and feature-rich app on my phone.
But because it uses .md files in local folders, I can pin my vault in the libraries of 1Writer and iA Writer and use one of those for quick mobile capture if I’m in a hurry.
It’s reassuring to know that Obsidian could break and refuse to open, and I’d still be able to navigate my critical and long-term notes in any file manager and open and use them in any markdown or text editor.
I previously used Bear and liked it. It has great export, but that depends on the app continuing to work properly. With plaintext in local folders, I don’t have to rely on an export function. I could also point another PKM app that works similarly, such as Notenik or VS Code with the Foam extension at my root vault folder, and just use my notes without having to import them. I’d lose some Obsidian and plugin functionality, but my data would still be intact and useable.
I think if you’re not using a lot of plug-ins, the markdown files from Obsidian are fine. I was using a ton of plugins for my repo when my employer (civilian federal agency) blocked Obsidian and no longer me install the app. I can mostly still use those files in VS Code with Foam, but the experience is rather poor. But still, I have the data. For me, I’m considering getting back into Apple Notes because the Obsidian app is not a good participant of the iOS ecosystem. It lacks Shortcuts and Widgets and I don’t think they’ll participate in any potential future local LLM stuff Apple might introduce on the Mac or iOS.
And Typora will facilitate importing Markdown notes and attachments into Apple Notes?
with pandoc installed (there is a .pkg installer as well as homebrew) this is how Typora can export into a format Apple Notes can recognize. HTML import will hang up Apple Notes (at least what UpNote provides). I’ve had much better luck importing as RTF/RTFD.
Huh? Apple Notes? I mentioned the Obsidian app but nothing about Apple’s Notes app in the post to which you replied. I barely use the Notes app, currently keeping only a grocery list in it. Is Markdown coming to Apple Notes? If so, I haven’t noticed that capability in the app yet.
Is Markdown coming to Apple Notes?
It is, in OS26
It is, but only partially. The Notes app will support import and export of Markdown files (import via the Share sheet), but will not support writing and formatting in Markdown.
That’s right—I should have been more specific. I don’t have the beta version, but in a way, using Apple Notes is perhaps the inverse of most Markdown editors. In Notes, you’re essentially writing in “preview” mode, and then export to Markdown rather than writing in Markdown syntax from the start. From what I understand, headers and bullet points are converted to Markdown formatting upon export. I don’t know how or if internal or external links might be handled.
Maybe they will skip that like how the export to plain text works. When a note is exported to txt, there are no relevant image information (like their file names) as well as links.
Of course when exporting to Markdown they can add something like [[internal link]], [link](https://link.com), 
This is about as much as I’ve been able to find out about the import process via Web search.
What I really want to know is how true to the original the imported note will be, especially where embedded images and PDF files are concerned. I embed images and pdf’s into the majority of my markdown notes in Obsidian.
