# Export your Obsidian vault

Obsidian has no export step and does not need one: a vault is already a folder of Markdown files. That makes this the easiest migration of all. Zip the vault, drop it in.

## Export your vault

1. Find your vault folder on disk. If you are unsure where it lives, Obsidian shows the path when you click the vault name in the vault switcher.
2. Compress the folder to a .zip: right-click > Compress on macOS, or Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder on Windows.
3. That zip is the import file. No plugins or exports needed.

## What comes along

Your folder structure is rebuilt as real folders, not flattened into tags, no matter how deep it nests. A note in Work/Projects lands in a Work > Projects folder. Re-importing the same vault reuses the folders it already created instead of duplicating them.

On the free plan you can browse these folders straight away; creating, renaming, and moving folders is a Pro feature, so an Obsidian import is a good way to try it before you upgrade.

YAML frontmatter is understood: tags, aliases, and created dates are honored, and inline #tags in the body are merged into the tag field. You can also tick "Also tag notes by folder" during import to add each folder name as a tag too, handy if you also like filtering by tag.

Your [[...]] links keep working: PrivacyNotes renders them as note-links, so the connections between notes survive the move. The .obsidian config folder and .trash are skipped automatically.

## Import into PrivacyNotes

1. Open PrivacyNotes and go to Settings > Import & Export.
2. Pick **Obsidian** as the source.
3. Drop in the file you just exported, or click to browse.
4. Check what the preview says will arrive, then start the import.

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Source: https://privacynotes.app/help/import/obsidian