How to Import an Obsidian Vault into Flexnote: Notes, Links, and Canvas (2026)

The hardest part of changing note apps is rarely learning the new one. It is moving the old library. A mature Obsidian Vault contains more than Markdown files: folders, tags, wikilinks, images, PDFs, and Canvas boards that may have taken hours to arrange. Starting again from an empty workspace is not a serious option.

Flexnote can now read a local Obsidian Vault directly. You can import the whole Vault or select a few top-level folders. Markdown notes become cards, while the original folder structure appears in an “Ob导入” collection in the sidebar. With Canvas import enabled, text, notes, groups, attachments, and connections are converted as well.

What can Flexnote import?

The importer does more than copy Markdown text. It scans the Vault first, then converts each supported content type.

Conversion rules worth knowing

Folders are preserved as navigation

A Vault path such as “Research / Paper A / Literature Notes” becomes the same nested path under the “Ob导入” collection. The cards also live in Flexnote’s card library; the collection preserves a familiar route to them.

Tags enter Flexnote’s tag system

If YAML Properties contain tags, the importer uses those first. Otherwise, it reads inline #tags from the body. Once an inline tag has been attached to the card, the duplicate marker is removed from the note text.

Wikilinks keep pointing to the intended note where possible

[[Note]], path-based links, and [[Note|Alias]] are matched against notes in the import batch. A successful match becomes a link that opens the corresponding card. An unresolved link keeps its title so that you can find or reconnect it later.

Obsidian-specific syntax is converted

Callouts become quoted blocks with an icon, Obsidian comments are removed, and footnotes, task lists, highlights, superscript, subscript, and details blocks are converted into formats the Flexnote editor understands. Theme styling, plugin-defined syntax, and Properties other than tags may not transfer exactly, so inspect a few of your most complex notes.

How to import an Obsidian Vault

Step 1: Open Import and choose an Obsidian Vault

Open Collections in the Flexnote sidebar, enter the import window, and select “Obsidian Vault.” The desktop app attempts to list Vaults registered on the computer, with recently opened Vaults first. If yours is missing, choose another folder and select the Vault root manually.

Step 2: Select the folders to move

Flexnote counts the notes and Canvas files in the Vault root and each top-level folder. Select all of them, or move only active projects and course notes first. A staged migration makes it easier to review formatting and links before importing an archive.

“Import Canvas boards” is enabled by default. Turn it off if you only want Markdown this time. The original Canvas files remain in the Vault and can be imported later.

Step 3: Import and inspect the “Ob导入” collection

The progress view shows the current file and overall completion. When it finishes, expand “Ob导入” in the sidebar to find the imported notes and boards under their original paths. The result summary separates new notes, updated notes, new boards, updated boards, skipped items, and repaired collection entries.

What happens to an Obsidian Canvas?

Obsidian Canvas and Flexnote whiteboards use different data models, so the importer converts object types rather than inserting the Canvas JSON unchanged. It aims to preserve position, size, color, grouping, and connection direction.

• Text nodes become whiteboard text with Markdown conversion.
• Markdown file nodes reference the note cards imported from the Vault.
• Images, video, and audio become media cards; PDFs become PDF cards.
• Other attachments become file nodes, while web links become website cards.
• Groups become whiteboard groups, with contained objects restored from their spatial position.
• Edges become connections with labels, colors, direction, and arrow styles.

If a Canvas references a missing file, Flexnote leaves a text node containing the original filename instead of silently removing that part of the board. Because the renderers differ, deeply nested groups, unusual colors, and plugin-defined node types may still need adjustment.

Will a second import create duplicates?

Not by default. Flexnote records the relative Vault path for every imported note and Canvas. When it sees the same path again, it treats that item as already imported and offers three policies:

• Skip existing: keep the Flexnote version and import only new files. This is the default and safest option for incremental moves.
• Overwrite existing: update the original note from Obsidian. For Canvas, Flexnote keeps the board entry, clears its objects, and rebuilds it. Check that you have no Flexnote-only edits first.
• Collections only: do not create or change notes and boards; only restore missing sidebar entries.

A safer migration order

For a Vault built over several years, there is no prize for moving everything in one pass. Use this sequence:

1. Back up both the Obsidian Vault and your Flexnote data.
2. Choose a small folder that includes tags, links, images, and a Canvas.
3. Inspect its folder structure, a few complex notes, and one busy Canvas after import.
4. Import the remaining folders once the test looks right.
5. Use “Skip existing” for later incremental imports; choose “Overwrite” only when the source file should replace Flexnote edits.

Import lowers the cost of trying a different workflow; it does not force an overnight switch. Keep writing in Obsidian while moving selected visual projects into Flexnote, or migrate the full library and use the card library for retrieval before arranging the important notes on a whiteboard. Testing one real project tells you more than another round of feature comparisons.