Apple Notes’ Native Markdown Export vs Exporter Pro: What macOS 26 Actually Changed
Notes can finally export to Markdown on its own. Here is exactly what that feature does, where it still comes up short, and when you still want a dedicated export tool.
Quick Answer
macOS 26 Tahoe and iOS 26 added a real, free Markdown export and import to Apple Notes: select one or more notes and use File > Export as > Markdown (or Share > Export as Markdown on iPhone). It works, and it is the first time Notes has done this without a third-party app. It still flattens your folder structure on a bulk export, handles checklists inconsistently, and only outputs Markdown or PDF, one at a time. If that is all you need, use the free native option. If you want your folders to survive the trip, need PDF, Word, or another of ten formats, or want backups on a schedule, Apple Notes Exporter Pro still does what the OS does not.
For years, getting notes out of Apple Notes meant a third-party app or a lot of manual copy-pasting. The app itself could export a single note to PDF and not much else. That changed with macOS 26 Tahoe and iOS 26: Notes can now export to Markdown natively, and import it too, for the first time.
It is a genuinely useful addition, and it is fair to ask whether it makes a dedicated export tool unnecessary. The honest answer is that it depends on what you are exporting for. This guide covers exactly what the native feature does, the specific things it still does not do, and where that leaves a tool like Apple Notes Exporter Pro.
What macOS 26 actually added
On Mac, open Notes, select a note (or Cmd-click to select several), and choose File > Export as > Markdown from the menu bar. The same menu also offers PDF, which replaces the old single-note PDF export. Each note you select is written out as its own file.
On iPhone and iPad, the path is the Share icon on an open note, then “Export as Markdown.” iOS 26 added the same capability there, matching what shipped on the Mac.
The other half of the feature is new too: Notes can now import Markdown files, not just export them. On Mac, use File > Import to Notes and point it at your files. On iPhone or iPad, share a Markdown file to the Notes app and confirm the import. Headings, links, bold and italic text, and bulleted lists come across and render as normal formatted text inside Notes, the same way they would if you had typed them by hand.
What the native export gets right
- It is free and built in. No app to install, no account, nothing to configure.
- Bulk selection actually works. Cmd-click several notes and export them together, a real gap that the old single-note PDF export never closed.
- Attachments travel with the note. Images and files inside a note are saved into an Attachments folder next to that note’s Markdown file and linked from it, so a single exported note keeps its images.
- Basic formatting is solid. Headings, links, bold, italics, and simple bulleted lists convert cleanly in both directions.
- Import is genuinely new. Pulling Markdown files from Obsidian, Bear, or anywhere else back into Notes was not possible before this.
Where it still falls short
None of this is a knock on Apple for shipping a free feature. But it is worth being precise about what it does not do, because most of the gaps only show up once you are exporting more than a couple of notes.
- Folder structure is not preserved on a bulk export. Select notes from three different folders and export them together, and all three land as flat files in one destination folder. There is no option to mirror your Notes folders into matching export folders.
- Attachment organization has no controls. Each note gets its own Attachments folder, which is fine for one note, but a large export turns into a long, flat list of note files and attachment folders sitting side by side with nothing tying related notes together.
- Checklists are inconsistent. Some users report checkboxes round-tripping cleanly. Others report doubled indentation or checkboxes that do not carry over correctly, particularly when importing a checklist back into Notes. If your notes lean on to-do lists or shopping lists, check a few after export before you trust the archive.
- Only two formats, one at a time. Markdown or PDF, and nothing else. No Word, HTML, plain text, EPUB, LaTeX, JSON, or JSONL, and you cannot export the same batch to both Markdown and PDF in one action.
- Markdown import skips images and links. A Markdown file that references an image comes into Notes as text, without the image, and note-to-note links do not carry over either.
- Nothing runs on its own. Every export is a manual menu action. There is no scheduled or automatic backup built into Notes.
Full comparison table
| Feature | macOS 26 Native Export | Apple Notes Exporter Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, built into macOS 26 / iOS 26 | $14.99 one-time, lifetime updates |
| Export formats | Markdown, PDF (2, one at a time) | PDF, Word, Markdown, HTML, Plain Text, RTF, EPUB, LaTeX, JSON, JSONL (10) |
| Bulk / multi-select export | Yes (Cmd-click to select notes) | Yes, whole library or chosen folders |
| Preserves folder structure on export | No, exports land flat | Yes |
| Attachments kept and linked | Yes, per note in an Attachments folder | Yes, kept with each note |
| Checklist / checkbox reliability | Inconsistent, user-reported issues | Preserved as part of the note render |
| Markdown import into Notes | Yes (text and formatting only, no images) | Not applicable (export-only tool) |
| Scheduled / automatic backups | No | Yes (daily / weekly / monthly) |
| Requires a menu action every time | Yes | Yes, or set-and-forget with scheduling |
| Runs fully offline / local | Yes | Yes |
| Minimum OS version | macOS 26 Tahoe / iOS 26 | macOS 11 Big Sur and later |
| Works on iPhone / iPad | Yes | No (Mac-only, run against iCloud-synced notes) |
Native export details reflect macOS 26 Tahoe / iOS 26 as of August 2026. Apple Notes Exporter Pro pricing and formats as of the same date. Verify current details on each product page before deciding.
Which one should you use?
Free, built in, and fine for a handful of notes where flat output and Markdown-only is not a problem.
The native export flattens everything on a bulk run. A full-library backup that respects your folders needs a dedicated tool.
Native export tops out at Markdown and PDF. Word, HTML, EPUB, LaTeX, JSON, and JSONL all require a separate tool.
Scheduled daily, weekly, or monthly exports mean the archive stays current on its own. The native feature is menu-only.
macOS 26’s native Markdown export closes a real gap and it is worth using for what it is good at: quick, free, one-off exports where Markdown is all you need. It is not a full backup or migration solution yet, since it flattens folders, handles checklists unevenly, and stops at two formats. Apple Notes Exporter Pro exists for the cases the OS still does not cover.
Frequently asked questions
Does macOS 26 let you export Apple Notes to Markdown natively?
Yes. macOS 26 Tahoe added a native Markdown export to the Notes app. Select a note, or select several with Cmd-click, then use File > Export as > Markdown (or PDF). iOS 26 has the same feature on iPhone and iPad through the Share icon, then "Export as Markdown." Neither platform had this before macOS 26 and iOS 26; on older versions, Notes only exported to PDF.
Can I export multiple notes at once with the native macOS 26 Markdown export?
Yes, that part works. Cmd-click to select several notes in the list, then export as Markdown or PDF, and each note is written out as its own file. It is a real improvement over the old one-note-at-a-time PDF export. What it does not do is preserve how those notes were organized, which is the main thing it still gets wrong for anyone with more than a folder or two.
Does the native export preserve my Apple Notes folder structure?
No, not for a bulk export. Every note you select lands as a flat file in the destination folder you pick, regardless of which Notes folder it came from. If your notes are organized into Work, Personal, Recipes, and so on, that structure disappears the moment you export more than a couple of notes at once. You would have to export folder by folder and manually re-sort the output to keep any organization at all.
What happens to images and attachments when I export Notes to Markdown?
Each exported note gets its own Attachments folder next to its Markdown file, and the images or files inside that note are saved there and linked from the Markdown. That part works reasonably well for a single note. The catch shows up on a bulk export: since folder structure is not preserved, you end up with a pile of individual notes and their attachment folders sitting side by side, with no higher-level organization tying related notes back together.
Are checklists preserved when exporting Apple Notes to Markdown?
Mostly, but this is the one area where real users report inconsistent results. Basic Markdown, headings, bold, italics, links, and bulleted lists, carries over cleanly by Apple's own account. Checklists are shakier: some people report checkboxes round-tripping fine, others report doubled indentation or checkboxes that do not come back correctly, especially when importing a Markdown checklist back into Notes. If your notes lean heavily on checklists, like shopping lists or task notes, it is worth spot-checking a few after export rather than assuming they came through intact.
Can macOS 26 export Apple Notes to PDF, Word, or other formats in one batch?
Only Markdown and PDF, and only one of those two per export action, not both together and nothing else. There is no native path to Word, HTML, plain text, EPUB, LaTeX, JSON, or any AI-training format like JSONL. If you need your notes as a Word document to share with someone in Office, or as JSON to feed into a script, the native export cannot do it. That is where a dedicated tool with more output formats comes in.
Can I import Markdown files into Apple Notes now too?
Yes, that is new as well. On Mac, use File > Import to Notes and point it at your Markdown files. On iPhone or iPad, share a Markdown file to the Notes app and confirm the import. It handles headings, links, lists, and basic formatting well. What it does not currently bring in is images, other attachments, or links between notes, so a Markdown file that references an image will import as text with a broken or missing link rather than a working embedded image.
Do I still need Apple Notes Exporter Pro now that macOS 26 exports Markdown for free?
Depends what you're exporting for. If Markdown is genuinely all you want and your notes are not organized into folders you care about keeping, the free native export in Notes now covers that case, which it did not before macOS 26. Apple Notes Exporter Pro is still the better fit if you need a format the OS does not offer (PDF as an actual document rather than a rendered note, Word, RTF, EPUB, LaTeX, JSON, or JSONL), if you want your folder structure to survive a full-library export, or if you want backups that run on a schedule instead of a menu you have to remember to use.
Does the native Markdown export work the same way on iPhone as on Mac?
The core idea is the same, export through a menu, one or more notes at a time, to Markdown or PDF, but the path to get there differs. On Mac it is File > Export as > Markdown from the Notes menu bar. On iPhone and iPad it is the Share icon on an open note, then "Export as Markdown." Both were introduced together as part of the macOS 26 Tahoe and iOS 26 release, and both share the same folder-structure and attachment limitations described above.
Keep reading
- Apple Notes Exporter Pro vs Exporter for how the paid tool compares to the leading free app.
- Export Apple Notes to Markdown for a full walkthrough of the Markdown format itself.
- Batch Export Apple Notes Folders on Mac for keeping folder structure intact on a full-library export.
- How to Automatically Back Up Apple Notes on Mac for scheduled, hands-off backups.
- Migrate Apple Notes to Obsidian for a Markdown-based move to a PKM vault.
- Browse all Apple Notes export guides.
Need more than the native export gives you?
Apple Notes Exporter Pro keeps your folder structure intact, exports to ten formats including PDF and Word, and can run backups on a schedule, all processed on your Mac.