Markdown to Notion
Notion already speaks some Markdown: paste it raw and headings, lists and to-dos convert on their own. The gaps are tables and long documents. This page covers both, and nothing you paste here is uploaded anywhere.
Preview
Converted in this tab. The file is never uploaded.
Three routes, and when each is right
- Paste the raw Markdown: fastest for prose. Notion converts headings, lists, to-dos, quotes and code fences as you paste. Pipe tables are the exception: they usually arrive as literal pipes.
- Copy as rich text (this page): paste your Markdown above, press the copy button, paste into Notion. Tables arrive as real table blocks, and you see exactly what Notion will receive before you commit to it.
- Import the file: for a whole document or many of them, use Notion's own Import, Markdown and CSV. One page per file, no clipboard involved.
What Notion makes of each element
Notion stores blocks, not text, so every pasted element becomes the
nearest block: a ## heading becomes a Heading 2 block, a
- [ ] item becomes a to-do with a working checkbox, a code
fence becomes a code block with a language picker, and a quote becomes a
quote block. That is also why the conversion is one-way: once it is
blocks, the original spacing and syntax choices are gone, which matters
only if you plan to bring it back out. For what the return trip loses,
see Notion and Markdown.
The two things worth fixing before you paste
Front matter first: Notion has no idea what the --- block at
the top of a file is, so it arrives as visible text. Delete it, or keep
the metadata in a table if it matters. Footnotes second: Notion has no
footnote block, so [^1] markers paste as literal text. Turn
them into plain links or parentheses first, and the
formatter can tidy what is left.
Common questions
- How do I paste Markdown into Notion?
- Two ways. Paste the raw Markdown and Notion converts most of the syntax itself: headings, lists, to-dos, quotes and code fences become real blocks. Or paste it below, copy the result as rich text, and paste that: the safer route when the document has tables, which the raw paste does not reliably convert.
- Why did my table paste as plain text?
- Notion's Markdown paste handles headings and lists well and pipe tables badly: they often arrive as literal pipes in a paragraph. Copying as rich text from this page carries the table as a table, and Notion builds a real table block from it.
- Can I import a whole .md file instead?
- Yes, and for a long document it is the better route: Settings and members, Import, then Markdown and CSV. Notion creates one page per file and keeps the structure. The paste routes are for sections, drafts and documents you are still editing.
- What survives the trip and what does not?
- Headings, lists, to-do items, quotes, dividers, links, emphasis, code blocks and, via rich text, tables all arrive as Notion blocks. Footnotes do not exist in Notion, YAML front matter arrives as visible text, and syntax highlighting inside code blocks is Notion's own choice of language, which you can reset per block.
- Does anything get uploaded when I use this page?
- No. The conversion runs in your browser tab, the result goes onto your clipboard, and the first server to see the text is Notion's, when you paste it there. This site never receives the document.
- Can I go the other way and turn a Notion page into Markdown?
- Export the page from Notion as Markdown and CSV, then open the file here. The details of what Notion's export does to databases, toggles and callouts are on the Notion and Markdown page.
Sources
- Notion Help: keyboard shortcuts and Markdownwhich Markdown Notion accepts as you type