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description: "Importing Markdown into Jotaid (a folder maps itself onto projects and themes) and exporting notes as Markdown or PDF."
---
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# Import & Export

Jotaid stores standard Markdown, and neither direction is locked.

## Exporting the Current Note

| Format | Shortcut | Notes |
|--------|----------|-------|
| **Markdown** | ⇧⌘E | A portable `.md` |
| **PDF** | — | A typeset, printable document; LaTeX and Mermaid both render correctly |

**macOS** also supports **bulk export**: select several notes and export them to a folder, one `.md` each. **iOS** goes through the system share sheet, without bulk export.

> **Exports carry no attachments**
>
> An export is your **text**. Images and other attachments are not in it. To migrate those too, use an [encrypted backup](https://docs.jotaid.com/en/guide/backup).

## Importing Markdown

**Import** in the menu (⇧⌘I) offers two modes:

### Import File(s)

Pick one or more `.md` files; they land wherever you currently are.

Importing into the **Inbox is always free**. If you are currently inside a project, the notes go into that project — which falls under [multiple projects](https://docs.jotaid.com/en/guide/pricing) and needs Pro. On the free tier, switch back to the Inbox first.

### Import Folder

A whole folder comes in, its directory structure **mapping itself** onto Jotaid's hierarchy:

| On disk | Becomes |
|---------|---------|
| The folder you picked | A **[project](https://docs.jotaid.com/en/guide/projects)** |
| Each top-level subfolder | A **[theme](https://docs.jotaid.com/en/guide/themes)** |
| Anything deeper | Folded into **`#tags`** |

> **Importing a folder needs Pro**
>
> It necessarily **creates a project**, so the action is refused on the free tier. Importing individual `.md` files into the Inbox is unaffected and always free.

Nesting stops after two levels and turns into tags instead, because Jotaid has only two container tiers. Forcing deeper directories through would manufacture a pile of shell themes holding one note each; [tags](https://docs.jotaid.com/en/guide/tags) carry that information and retrieve better.

### What Gets Skipped

- Files over roughly **10 MB**
- Files that are not **UTF-8**

They do not fail the whole import; they are listed in the report ("N imported, M skipped") for you to handle separately.

## Moving In From Elsewhere

Coming from a folder-based tool such as Obsidian or Typora, **Import Folder** usually does it in one step — those are already a directory tree of `.md`. Afterwards:

1. Check that the project / theme structure the folders produced is what you wanted
2. `[[backlinks]]` in the bodies are recognised, and [nodes](https://docs.jotaid.com/en/guide/create-nodes) come into being with them
3. Use [Link All](https://docs.jotaid.com/en/guide/manage-nodes) to backfill plain-text mentions into real links

## Next Steps

- [Backup & Restore](https://docs.jotaid.com/en/guide/backup) — A complete copy including attachments
- [Quick Capture](https://docs.jotaid.com/en/guide/capture) — Other ways in, one item at a time
- [Note Formatting](https://docs.jotaid.com/en/guide/markdown-editor) — Which syntax Jotaid supports