Import and export notes on Mac
You can import text files into Notes, export notes as PDF files, or open a note in Pages.
Tip: If you keep notes in internet accounts—for example, iCloud, Google, Yahoo, or AOL—you can add those accounts to Notes on your Mac to access all your notes in one place without importing each note one by one. See Add or remove accounts in Notes.
Import text files into Notes
If you use upgraded iCloud notes or notes stored on your Mac, you can import text files into Notes as individual notes. You can import files in TXT, RTF, RTFD, HTML, or Evernote XML Export (ENEX) format.
If you have macOS 13 or later, you can also import tags from Evernote (ENEX) files.
In the Notes app
on your Mac, in the sidebar, click a folder in the account (iCloud or On My Mac) you want to import files into.Choose File > Import to Notes.
Select one or more files, or select a folder to import all the text files in it. If you select a folder, click “Preserve folder structure on import” to keep the imported notes organized the way they were in the folder. (If you don’t see this option, click Options.)
Click Import.
Your new notes (and folders, if you imported any) appear in an Imported Notes folder. You can now move or rename the notes and folders as usual. See About accounts and folders.
Tip: To add non-text files, such as PDFs or image files, into Notes, you can simply attach them to a note. See Attach photos, PDFs, and more.
Export a note
You can export notes as PDF files.
In the Notes app
on your Mac, click the note you want to export.Choose File > Export as PDF.
If you want, you can type a new name for your PDF, and add tags that you can search for in the Finder.
Click Save.
Open a note in Pages
You can open a note in Pages to create a new document, rather than copying and pasting its content.
In the Notes app
on your Mac, click the note you want to export.Choose File > Open in Pages. (If you don’t see this option, update the Pages app
to the latest version.)The content of the note appears in a new Pages document and retains formatting such as bullets, indentation, and bold text.
In the Pages app, click Save.
By default, the file name is the same as the title of the note. You can also type a different file name next to Save As.
Click Save.
Note: After you open a note in Pages, you’ll have two separate versions. Changes you make in the note using the Notes app don’t sync to the Pages document, and vice versa.
Tip: You can also export all your notes from the Stickies app into Notes. They appear in the Imported Notes folder, with a subfolder for each color of note. See the Stickies User Guide.