To import a note:

• The easiest way to import is to simply drag & drop a file or an archive into the Note Tree.
  • This will automatically detect some formats such as Obsidian.
  • Safe import is automatically on to prevent accidental running of foreign scripts.
• To configure an import, there is a dedicated dialog which can be accessed from either Note Tree → Import into note or Note buttons → Import into note.
  • This feature allows for dedicated importers for others apps such as Obsidian or Microsoft OneNote.
  • Safe import as well as other options can be configured from the collapsed Options section at the bottom.

To export a note, right click the note in the Note Tree and select Export. Similarly, in Note buttons there is a Export note option.

Supported formats

Trilium natively supports the following formats for both import and export.

• HTML:
  • This is the main format used by Trilium, where standard tags are used to represent basic formatting and layout (e.g. <strong>, <table>, <pre>).
  • Note that HTML is not a standardized format so some more specific features such as admonitions or Internal (reference) links might not be supported by other applications.
  • The notes can also be exported as static HTML that can be used for web publishing.
• Markdown
  • Most of the formatting is preserved, see Supported syntax.
• OPML (Outliner Interchange Format)
  • Supports both OPML v1.0 for plain text and v2.0 with HTML support.

To import from other applications such as OneNote, Notion and others, see Importing data from other applications.

Maximum import size

Versions prior to v0.104.0 had an upload limit of 250 MiB that could be bypassed via a TRILIUM_NO_UPLOAD_LIMIT environment variable; with v0.104.0 this limit was removed.

Nevertheless, there is still a limit for the maximum size of a single item (whether it's a File, an Attachments or even a Text note). The limit is approximately 374 MiB and it's determined by the Synchronization protocol. Attempts to import such large files will be refused.

During large imports or exports, memory consumption might spike but it will remain somewhere around the 2 gigabyte mark. Tested with a 2.4 GB database with ~21k notes.

Exporting the root note

The root note is the top-most note. Exporting it behaves just like any other note: right click on it in the Note Tree and select Export.

Starting with v0.104.0, when a root note is imported, it will be imported as a child of your existing root note. This behavior makes sure that the import cannot change or overwrite your existing notes.

You can easily move the notes onto the root using the tree's Multiple selection and delete the redundant root note.