Export notes and back up everything
Export one note as Markdown, HTML or PDF, or download everything, attachments included, as a single ZIP.
Applies to Web · Mac · iPhone app
You can take your CommonNote notes with you at any time. Export a single note straight to a file, or download all of them at once with Back up all notes. The full backup keeps your notebook folder structure and includes the attachments your notes use.
Export a single note
- Open the note.
- Click ⋯ (More tools) at the far end of the editor toolbar.
- Under Export, choose a format: Markdown (⌘E), HTML or PDF (⌘P). The Mac and iPhone apps can’t save files: Markdown and HTML are copied to the clipboard instead, and PDF isn’t available. Export from a browser when you need a file.
- PDF (in a browser) opens the print dialog. Choose Save as PDF as the destination.
You can also right-click a note in the note list and choose Export as Markdown, Export as HTML or Export as PDF. If you just want to paste the note somewhere, press ⌥⌘C (Copy as Markdown) to copy the whole note as Markdown.
Exporting a single note creates one file. In Markdown and HTML, images and attachments aren’t packed into it — they stay as links to the CommonNote server (https://commonnote.app/api/…), which open only in a browser signed in to an account that can see the note. A PDF captures what’s on screen, images included, but not the original attachment files. To keep the attachments too, use the full backup below.
Back up all notes (ZIP)
- Click the backup button in the top bar (Back up all notes (ZIP)).
- Choose a format.
- Chrome-based browsers ask where to save it. Other browsers download it as
commonnote-backup-YYYY-MM-DD.zip. The Mac and iPhone apps can’t save files, so the button opens commonnote.app in your browser — sign in there to download it.
| Format | Best for |
|---|---|
| Markdown (.md) | Most portable — opens in almost any note app or editor |
| HTML (.html) | Viewing in a browser with formatting and images intact |
| Word (.doc) | Opening directly in Word or Hangul (HWP) |
What’s in the ZIP
- Your notes, in their notebook folder structure
attachments/— images and files embedded in or linked from your notesNOTE-PROPERTIES.jsonandTASK-PROPERTIES.json— note and task property valuesBACKUP-INFO.txt— when the backup was made, the format, how many notes and attachments it holds, and how many locked notes were left out
Which notes are included
| Included | Left out |
|---|---|
| Notes you own, notes shared with you and notes in notebooks shared with you | Notes in Trash, templates, and locked notes you haven’t unlocked in this session |
To include locked notes, unlock the notes or notebooks before you start the backup. The number left out is recorded in
BACKUP-INFO.txt.Good to know
- On very narrow screens (380 px or less) the backup button is hidden from the top bar. Download the backup on a wider screen or a computer.
- A backup is a snapshot of the moment you download it. Version history and Messenger conversations aren’t included.
- To move notes in from another app, see Import notes from another app.