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How to Export Obsidian Notes to Word, PDF and Google Docs

By the MDConverter team · Updated · 5 min read

Quick answer

Obsidian exports a note to PDF on its own, but has no built-in Word or Google Docs export. For Word, upload the note’s .md file to Markdown to Word and download the .docx. Obsidian’s own syntax is converted on the way: [[links]] become their text, callouts become quotes with a bold title, ==highlights== and %%comments%% are handled, and the YAML properties at the top are used as the title instead of being printed. Notes that embed other notes (![[Note]]) need Obsidian’s own PDF export or a plugin, because a single file does not contain them.

Why Obsidian notes look wrong in other tools

Obsidian reads standard Markdown plus a few additions of its own. Other programs do not know those additions, so they print them as typed:

In Obsidian Elsewhere it shows as
[[Project plan]] link the characters [[Project plan]]
![[Meeting notes]] embed the characters ![[Meeting notes]]
> [!tip] Title callout a plain quote beginning [!tip] Title
==highlighted== the characters ==highlighted==
%%private comment%% the comment, visible to the reader
^block-id a stray ^block-id at the end of a line
--- properties at the top a heading made of the property names

The fix is to convert those additions to standard Markdown before making the Word file or PDF. That is what the converters on this site do automatically when they find Obsidian syntax in the note.

Export an Obsidian note to Word

  1. In your vault folder, find the note’s .md file. (In Obsidian, Show in system explorer from the file’s menu opens its folder.)
  2. Drop it into Markdown to Word, or copy the note’s text from the editor and paste it in.
  3. Check the preview, then click Download .docx.

Headings, lists, tables, task lists, code blocks and links become real Word formatting, and the file is made in your browser — the note is not uploaded. Math written with $…$ becomes native Word equations.

What happens to Obsidian’s syntax in the .docx:

Obsidian syntax In the Word file
[[Note]], [[Note|alias]] The text Obsidian displays (Note or alias); [[Note#Heading]] reads “Note > Heading”
[[#Heading]] in the same note A link that jumps to that heading
![[image.png|300]] The picture’s name in place of the picture (see the pictures note below)
![[Other note]] A line “[Embedded: Other note]”, so you can see where content is missing
Callouts A quote that starts with the callout’s title in bold; the colour and icon are not carried over
==highlight== Plain text (Word output does not carry the highlight; HTML and PDF do)
%%comments%% and ^block-ids Removed
Properties (YAML) Not printed; title: becomes the document title

Pictures: a browser tool cannot read the image files in your vault from a note’s text, so images show as their file names. For notes that rely on pictures, use Obsidian’s own PDF export, or insert the pictures in Word afterwards.

Export an Obsidian note to PDF

Obsidian’s own export is on the desktop app only: open the note, then use the command palette (Ctrl/Cmd + P) or the note’s More options menu and choose Export to PDF…. You can set the page size (A3, A4, A5, Legal, Letter or Tabloid), landscape, the margin (Default, Minimal or None), a downscale percentage and whether the file name is added as a title. PDFs are always exported with light styling, even if your theme is dark, and the mobile app has no PDF export.

Markdown to PDF works with a copy of the note and adds choices Obsidian does not offer: a theme, the font and its size, a table of contents, page breaks where you put \pagebreak, and syntax-coloured code. It also works from a phone or tablet, where Obsidian has no export.

Use Obsidian’s own export when the note embeds other notes or relies on pictures, since it prints the note as Obsidian displays it. Use the online one when you want control over the look of the document, or you are not at your desktop.

Export an Obsidian note to Google Docs

Obsidian has no Google Docs export either. Paste the note into Markdown to Google Docs, copy the formatted result, and paste it into a Google Doc: headings, lists, tables and links arrive as real formatting. The same [[link]], callout and comment conversions apply.

Google Docs can also open a Word file, so exporting to Word first and uploading the .docx to Drive is a second route.

Keep a table of contents working

Notes with a table of contents written as [[#Heading]] links keep working in the exported file: each becomes a link to its heading, in Word, PDF and HTML. The Markdown TOC Generator builds that list for you — choose Obsidian as the link style.

Exporting a whole vault, or notes that embed other notes

A browser tool converts one note at a time, from the text it is given. For everything else, use a tool that can see the whole vault:

  • Pandoc plugin adds export commands to Obsidian’s command palette for Word, PDF, EPUB, HTML and other formats. It is described as beta and works through Pandoc, so check the result before you rely on it.
  • obsidian-export is a command-line program that rewrites a vault as standard Markdown: it resolves [[links]] and includes ![[embedded]] notes. It outputs Markdown only, so pair it with Pandoc or with this site to get Word or PDF. It supports “most but not all” of Obsidian’s syntax, so spot-check complex notes.
  • Publishing a few notes: paste each into the converter. For a handful of pages this is quicker than setting up a tool.

Where each export route works

What each way of exporting an Obsidian note can and cannot do.

AppSupportedNotes
Obsidian’s Export to PDFYesDesktop only. Light styling, fixed set of options; not available in the mobile app.
Obsidian → Word (built in)NoNot a built-in feature. Use a converter or a plugin.
Obsidian → Google Docs (built in)NoNot a built-in feature. Convert, then copy and paste.
This site (Markdown to Word / PDF)PartlyOne note at a time. Links, callouts, comments and properties handled; pictures and embedded notes are not included.
Pandoc pluginPartlyDesktop, needs Pandoc. Marked beta by its author.
obsidian-export (command line)PartlyWhole vault to standard Markdown, with embeds included. No Word or PDF output on its own.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

ProblemFix
The Word file shows [[double brackets]] or ![[embeds]]The text was converted by a tool that does not know Obsidian syntax. Use Markdown to Word on this site, which converts them, or run the vault through a plugin.
A line says “[Embedded: …]” where a note’s content should beA single note’s text does not contain the notes it embeds. Copy the embedded note’s text into the place it belongs, or export with Obsidian’s own PDF export or a plugin, which can see the vault.
Pictures are missing from the Word fileImages in your vault are not readable by a browser tool, so only their names appear. Add them in Word afterwards, or export to PDF with Obsidian’s own command.
The properties block shows up as a headingThe converters on this site leave the YAML properties out and use the title. If another tool shows them, delete the block between the two --- lines first.
Callouts lose their colours and iconsWord, Google Docs and PDF have no callout element. The text and title are kept in a quote; add shading yourself if you need it.

Tools for this

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions About Export Obsidian notes

Comprehensive answers to common technical, formatting, security, and compatibility questions.

Not by itself. Obsidian exports a note to PDF on the desktop app, and publishes notes to the web with Obsidian Publish, but has no built-in .docx export. Convert the note with Markdown to Word, or use a community plugin such as the Pandoc plugin.

Sources

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