The Complete Guide to Exporting Obsidian Notes

Obsidian is built for writing and thinking. It's not built for exporting. Your notes live as local .md files, and getting them into other apps with proper formatting is one of the most common frustrations in the Obsidian community.

This guide covers every destination and every method. Whether you need to get a note into Google Docs, Word, Slack, Email, OneNote, PDF, or published on the web, you'll find the current options here, along with what works, what doesn't, and the cleanest workflow for each.

Why exporting from Obsidian is difficult

Three factors combine to make Obsidian export painful.

Local markdown files. Your notes are .md files on your filesystem. Other apps don't read markdown natively. Google Docs, Word, Slack, and email clients all expect rich text or HTML, not raw syntax.

Obsidian-specific syntax. Beyond standard markdown, Obsidian adds callouts (> [!note]), wikilinks ([[page]]), embeds (![[note]]), dataview queries, and other vault-specific features. None of these are part of the markdown spec, so even tools that handle standard markdown will choke on them.

No built-in export pipeline. Obsidian has PDF export on desktop and that's it. There's no "Export to Google Docs" or "Copy for Slack" or "Send as formatted email." The community has built plugins to fill some gaps, but they vary in quality and maintenance status.

Exporting to Google Docs

Method 1: Copy from Reading Mode (partial)

Switch to Reading Mode in Obsidian, select all, copy, paste into Google Docs.

Result: Bold and italic usually transfer. Headings lose their levels (they may paste as bold text or font-size changes, not real Google Docs heading styles). Tables are inconsistent. Code blocks lose their styling. Links sometimes work, sometimes paste as raw syntax.

Verdict: Acceptable for short, simple prose. Not reliable for structured documents.

Method 2: Pandoc (command line)

Install Pandoc, then run: pandoc note.md -o note.docx. Upload the .docx to Google Docs.

Result: Standard markdown converts well. Headings, tables, code blocks, and lists come through. But Pandoc doesn't handle Obsidian-specific syntax (callouts, wikilinks, embeds). The output has no template styling. And it requires command-line familiarity plus an extra upload step.

Verdict: Good for technical users with standard markdown. Too much friction for most people.

Method 3: Unmarkdown (recommended)

Copy your markdown from Obsidian (Source mode, Cmd+A, Cmd+C). Paste into Unmarkdown™. Click "Google Docs" in the destination bar. Paste into Google Docs.

Result: Real heading styles (all 6 levels, appear in document outline), native tables with borders and header rows, styled code blocks with monospace font and background, working hyperlinks, properly nested lists, blockquotes with visual styling. Callouts convert as styled blockquotes. Optional templates for professional appearance.

Verdict: 30-second workflow, proper formatting, no technical setup.

Exporting to Word

Method 1: Pandoc Plugin (beta)

The Obsidian Pandoc Plugin wraps the Pandoc command line in a plugin interface. You can export to .docx from within Obsidian.

Result: Same quality as command-line Pandoc. Standard markdown converts cleanly. Obsidian-specific syntax doesn't. The plugin has had intermittent compatibility issues with newer Obsidian versions, and some users report crashes on large notes.

Verdict: Works if you need occasional Word export and your notes use standard markdown. Can be unreliable.

Method 2: PDF then convert to Word

Export to PDF from Obsidian, then use Word's "Open PDF" feature or an online PDF-to-Word converter.

Result: Variable. Tables often convert as images. Code blocks become plain text. The document is technically editable but usually requires significant reformatting.

Verdict: Last resort only.

Method 3: Unmarkdown (recommended)

Copy markdown from Obsidian. Paste into Unmarkdown™. Click "Word" in the destination bar. Paste into Word.

Result: Proper Word heading styles that work with the navigation pane and table of contents. Formatted tables. Styled code blocks. All standard markdown elements render correctly. You can also download as a .doc file directly from the File menu (Pro feature).

Verdict: The fastest path to a properly formatted Word document.

Exporting to Slack

Method 1: Slackify Note plugin

A community plugin that converts your note to Slack's mrkdwn format. It handles the syntax translation (double asterisks to single, link format change, etc.).

Result: Basic formatting transfers. Bold, italic, strikethrough, and code blocks work. But tables, headings, callouts, and images don't translate (Slack simply doesn't support them). The plugin needs to be installed and maintained.

Verdict: Functional for basic notes. Doesn't solve Slack's fundamental formatting limitations.

Method 2: Direct copy-paste

Copy from Obsidian, paste into Slack.

Result: Raw markdown syntax. Double asterisks showing instead of bold. Hash marks before headings. Pipe characters instead of tables. Links in [text](url) format that Slack doesn't recognize.

Verdict: Does not work.

Method 3: Unmarkdown (recommended)

Copy markdown from Obsidian. Paste into Unmarkdown™. Click "Slack" in the destination bar. Paste into Slack.

Result: Bold converts from **text** to *text* (Slack's format). Italic converts from *text* to _text_ (Slack's format). Links convert from [text](url) to <url|text> (Slack's format). Headings become bold text (Slack has no headings). Tables become readable plain-text layouts (Slack has no tables). Code blocks work directly (both use triple backticks).

Verdict: The only option that handles the markdown-to-mrkdwn translation comprehensively.

Exporting to Email

Method 1: Native (no good option exists)

Obsidian has no built-in email export. If you copy from Reading Mode and paste into Gmail or Outlook, you get partial formatting at best. Images don't transfer. Tables show as pipe characters. Callouts appear as raw > [!note] syntax.

Verdict: There is no reliable native path from Obsidian to email.

Method 2: Copy as HTML plugin (unmaintained)

A community plugin that copies note content as HTML to the clipboard. In theory, this HTML can be pasted into email clients.

Result: When it worked, basic formatting transferred. However, the plugin hasn't been updated in over three years. It may not be compatible with current Obsidian versions. Email clients are notoriously inconsistent with HTML rendering, and the plugin doesn't generate email-safe inline CSS.

Verdict: Unreliable. Not recommended for production use.

Method 3: Unmarkdown (recommended)

Copy markdown from Obsidian. Paste into Unmarkdown™. Click "Email" in the destination bar. Paste into your email compose window.

Result: Inline CSS that renders correctly across Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, Yahoo Mail, and other clients. Headings, tables, code blocks, blockquotes, and lists all formatted. Images referenced by URL are included.

Verdict: The only method that produces email-safe formatted content from Obsidian notes.

Exporting to OneNote

Method 1: Native (no method exists)

There is no built-in path from Obsidian to OneNote. No export option, no plugin specifically for OneNote, no clipboard format that OneNote handles well from markdown source.

Copy-paste from Reading Mode transfers some bold and italic text, but headings, tables, and code blocks are unreliable.

Verdict: Not viable.

Method 2: Unmarkdown (recommended)

Copy markdown from Obsidian. Paste into Unmarkdown™. Click "OneNote" in the destination bar. Paste into OneNote.

Result: All 6 heading levels, formatted tables, styled code blocks, properly nested lists, and blockquotes. Formatting optimized for OneNote's specific clipboard handling.

Verdict: The only clean path from Obsidian to OneNote.

Exporting to PDF

Method 1: Built-in PDF export

On Obsidian desktop, go to File > Export to PDF.

Result: Generally decent for basic content. Headings, bold, italic, and lists render. Code blocks have basic styling. Tables can be hit or miss depending on width. Callouts render.

Limitations: Not available on Obsidian mobile (iOS/Android). Quality varies with complex content. No template control. The Better Export PDF community plugin offers more options (page breaks, headers/footers, custom CSS).

Verdict: Fine for simple notes on desktop. Limited control over the output.

Method 2: Unmarkdown

Paste markdown into Unmarkdown™, apply a template if desired, then use File > Download as PDF (Pro feature). The PDF is generated client-side with full template styling, Google Fonts, and rendered diagrams.

Verdict: Better visual quality with template support, but requires a Pro subscription for downloads.

Publishing to the web

Method 1: Obsidian Publish ($8 to $16/month)

Obsidian's official web publishing solution. Select notes from your vault and publish them to a site hosted on publish.obsidian.md.

Pros: Integrated into Obsidian, supports graph view on the published site, custom domains available.

Cons: $8/month minimum. Published pages use Obsidian's design. No destination-specific formatting (only web output). No templates.

Method 2: Quartz (free, open source)

A static site generator specifically designed for Obsidian vaults. Supports wikilinks, backlinks, graph view, and other Obsidian features.

Pros: Free. Full control over design. Self-hosted. Excellent Obsidian compatibility.

Cons: Requires Git and command-line setup. Ongoing maintenance. Hours of initial configuration. Technical barrier for non-developers.

Method 3: Hugo or Jekyll (free, open source)

General-purpose static site generators that can process markdown files.

Pros: Extremely flexible. Huge theme ecosystems. Free hosting options.

Cons: Not Obsidian-aware (no callout, wikilink, or embed support without custom configuration). Even more setup time than Quartz. Best suited for developers.

Method 4: Unmarkdown publishing (recommended for non-developers)

Paste markdown into Unmarkdown™, choose a template, and click Publish in the Share modal. You get a clean, shareable URL with professional styling.

Pros: 30-second workflow. 62 templates. Custom slugs (Pro). Page width control. Password protection. Analytics. No technical setup.

Cons: Not a full website. Best for individual documents and small collections, not entire vault publishing.

Exporting to Plain Text

Method 1: The file is already markdown

Your .md files are technically already plain text. You can open them in any text editor.

Method 2: Unmarkdown (strips formatting symbols)

If you want clean readable text without the markdown syntax (#, **, |, backticks, etc.), paste into Unmarkdown™ and click "Plain Text." The output strips all formatting symbols while preserving the content structure through indentation and spacing.

Handling Obsidian-specific syntax

Before exporting, it helps to know how Obsidian's non-standard syntax will be handled.

Callouts (> [!note], > [!tip], > [!warning], > [!important], > [!caution]): Unmarkdown™ converts these to styled blockquotes with appropriate visual accents. Pandoc ignores them. PDF export renders them if the theme supports it.

Wikilinks ([[page name]]): Brackets are stripped by Unmarkdown™, leaving the page name as text. If you need working links, convert to standard markdown links ([page name](url)) before exporting.

Embeds (![[other note]]): Transclusion doesn't work in any export method. Use the Easy Bake community plugin to flatten embeds into the parent note before exporting, or copy the embedded content manually.

Tags (#tag): The hash is stripped by Unmarkdown™, leaving the tag name as text. No destination app has an equivalent tagging system.

Dataview queries (dataview code blocks): These are plugin-generated dynamic content. They won't render in any export. Copy the rendered results from Obsidian's Reading Mode instead.

Mermaid diagrams (```mermaid code blocks): Unmarkdown™ renders these as SVG images. Obsidian's PDF export also renders them. Pandoc does not.

Math/LaTeX ($...$ and $$...$$): Unmarkdown™ renders these via KaTeX. Obsidian's PDF export handles them. Pandoc handles them with the right configuration.

The universal workflow

Regardless of your destination, the workflow is the same:

1. Open your note in Obsidian. Switch to Source mode for the cleanest copy.
2. Select all (Cmd+A or Ctrl+A) and copy (Cmd+C or Ctrl+C).
3. Go to unmarkdown.com and paste into the editor.
4. Optionally choose a template for professional styling or use AI editing to polish the content.
5. Click your destination: Google Docs, Word, Slack, Email, OneNote, or Plain Text.
6. Paste into the destination app.

For web publishing, click Share > Publish instead of choosing a clipboard destination.

The core converter is free with no account required. Templates, AI editing, and publishing are available with an account or Pro subscription.

Quick reference table

Try the Unmarkdown plugin for Obsidian

Unmarkdown is now available as an Obsidian community plugin. Right-click any note and copy it formatted for Google Docs, Word, Slack, OneNote, Email, or Plain Text, directly from your vault. You can also publish notes to the web with 62 templates.

How to install (Community Plugins directory approval pending):

1. Download main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the latest release
2. In your vault, create the folder .obsidian/plugins/unmarkdown/
3. Move the three downloaded files into that folder
4. Open Obsidian Settings > Community Plugins > Enable "Unmarkdown"
5. Go to Settings > Unmarkdown > Click "Connect account" to link your free Unmarkdown account

Once approved for the Community Plugins directory, you can install by searching "Unmarkdown" in Obsidian's plugin browser.

Related reading

• Obsidian vs Unmarkdown: When You Need Documents, Not Digital Gardens
• How to Export Obsidian Notes to Google Docs Without Losing Formatting
• How to Share Obsidian Notes With Anyone (Even Non-Obsidian Users)
• The AI Formatting Problem Nobody Talks About (And How to Fix It)