How to Copy From Notion and Obsidian Without Losing Format

What you get when you copy from Notion or Obsidian depends on where you copy from and where you paste. Copying from Notion gives formatted text, so paste it into Word with Keep Text Only or Merge Formatting and reapply your styles. In Obsidian, copy from Reading view if the destination is Word or email (you get formatted text) and from Editing view if it's another Markdown file (you get the Markdown source). For a whole page, export it instead of copying.

Match the copy to the destination

Copy from Notion

Notion lets you copy part of a block's text or whole blocks. Dragging from the page margin selects whole blocks; dragging inside a block selects text across paragraphs, lists and callouts.

Notion to Word, Outlook or Google Docs

A Notion copy pastes into Word as formatted text, and Word's default paste keeps that formatting. To make it match your document:

1. Copy the blocks in Notion.
2. In Word, press Ctrl+Shift+V to paste text only (current Microsoft 365 Word), or press Ctrl+V, then Ctrl, and choose Keep Text Only or Merge Formatting.
3. Apply your Word styles to headings and lists.

In Google Docs, Ctrl+Shift+V pastes without formatting. The same paste choices apply as for any web content; copying from Google Docs to Word covers them in more detail.

Notion-only blocks such as databases, synced blocks and embeds don't become equivalent Word content. Expand toggles before copying so the hidden text is included, and copy an embed's URL if the reader needs it.

Notion to Markdown

For a whole page, export it rather than copying:

1. Select ••• at the top right of the page and choose Export.
2. Choose Markdown & CSV, and turn on Include subpages if you want nested pages.
3. Select Export and save the zip file.

Notion notes that callout blocks export as HTML because Markdown has no equivalent, and full-page databases export as CSV files. A database is better copied that way than through the clipboard.

Copy from Obsidian

Obsidian notes are Markdown files, so what you copy depends on the view:

• Editing view (Source mode or Live Preview) copies the Markdown source: bold, # Heading, [[wikilinks]] and so on.
• Reading view copies the rendered text, so formatting arrives as formatting instead of symbols.

Obsidian to Word or email

1. Switch the note to Reading view.
2. Select and copy the text.
3. Paste into Word or Outlook. Use Merge Formatting to keep bold and italics but take on your document's styles, or Keep Text Only if you only want the words.

Wikilinks only work inside your vault. Before sharing, replace them with the note's title or a public URL. Embedded notes (![[note]]) and images stored in the vault don't travel as content; copy the image file separately or attach it.

Obsidian to Google Docs

Google Docs can convert Markdown on paste:

1. In Google Docs, open Tools > Preferences and select Enable Markdown.
2. Copy the text from Obsidian's Editing view.
3. In Docs, right-click and choose Paste from Markdown.

Headings, lists, bold and links become Docs formatting. The reverse also works: select text in Docs, right-click and choose Copy as Markdown, then paste into Obsidian.

Pasting into Obsidian

When you paste formatted text from a browser or Word into Obsidian, it converts the HTML to Markdown by default, so links and headings arrive as Markdown syntax. Press Ctrl+Shift+V to paste as plain text instead. Obsidian's editor settings also let you turn the automatic conversion off.

PowerToys Advanced Paste has a Paste as Markdown action that converts HTML on the clipboard to Markdown locally, which is useful for Markdown editors that don't convert on their own.

Roam and other outliners

Roam and similar outliners copy blocks as indented text with their own syntax, such as [page]] links and ((block)) references. Those only mean something inside the app. Before pasting into Word or email, expand block references in the outliner, then paste as text and apply a list style. [Which Windows apps understand Markdown from the clipboard helps when the destination is unclear.

Slack, Teams and web forms

Paste as plain text so the destination applies its own formatting. In Chrome and Edge, Ctrl+Shift+V pastes plain text into most web apps; how to paste without formatting on Windows lists the shortcut for other apps. If line breaks disappear or double up, see how to keep line breaks when pasting into Slack.

FAQ

Why do I see asterisks and hash signs when I paste from Obsidian?

You copied from Editing view, which gives you the Markdown source. Copy from Reading view instead, or paste into an app that understands Markdown.

How do I copy a Notion database into Excel?

Export it. From the database's ••• menu choose Export and Markdown & CSV, then open the CSV in Excel. The export includes every row and property, which a clipboard copy of the visible rows may not.

Does Notion keep formatting when I paste from Word?

Usually. Notion turns pasted headings, lists and bold text into its own blocks. Check tables and images after pasting, since those are the most likely to need fixing.

Related reading

• Pasting Markdown on Windows: Which Apps Understand It?
• How to Paste Without Formatting on Windows
• How to Copy Google Docs to Word and Keep Formatting
• PowerToys Advanced Paste vs a Clipboard Manager

Sources

• Intro to writing and editing (Notion Help) — selecting whole blocks versus text within blocks.
• Export your content (Notion Help) — Markdown & CSV export, callouts and databases.
• Use Markdown in Google Docs, Slides & Drawings (Google Docs Editors Help) — Enable Markdown, Paste from Markdown, Copy as Markdown.
• Advanced Paste (Microsoft Learn) — Paste as Markdown runs locally.
• Control the formatting when you paste text (Microsoft Support) — Word's paste options.

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