Import and export - Tana Outliner Help

How do I import from Notion?

Tana Outliner supports Notion exports in Markdown (.md) or CSV, up to 1500 Markdown files in one import. This gives you room to bring over substantial project documentation, research pages or operational material.

Included in the import:

Page content and subpages in Markdown
Linked databases exported as CSV
Images will be included and shown inline
Attachments such as PDFs and videos will
Links between Notion pages, converted to Tana Outliner references
Links to Notion pages that are not included in the export will retain the Notion URL

Not included:

Relational links between Notion databases (can be re-created with fields and supertags)
Custom Notion views such as cards or galleries (these doesn't exist in Tana Outliner)
Workspace-wide structures or automations

We recommend to import some sections or databases at a time, instead of your entire workspace. This keeps the migration clean and easier to reorganize.

See the full tutorial for Notion import

How do I import from Roam?

Before exporting anything from Roam, you may want to do some preprocessing on your graph. Here are some tips on things to consider.
When ready, choose Export all to download a JSON of your graph in a zip file
In the Tana Outliner sidebar, go to the User icon > Import content > Roam, and drag your JSON file in to be uploaded
Imports create a new Tana Outliner workspace, so it's separate from your existing workspaces. Imported content may be located in the Library.
If you want to access the Roam content from another workspace, you can go to your workspace home, press on ··· > Allow content from... and check the Roam workspace.

How do I import from Logseq?

In Logseq, choose Export graph to download a JSON or OPML of your graph.
In the Tana Outliner sidebar, go to the User icon > Import content > Logseq, and drag your file in to be uploaded
Imports create a new Tana Outliner workspace, so it's separate from your existing workspaces. Imported content may be located in the Library.
If you want to access the Roam content from another workspace, you can go to your workspace home, press on ··· > Allow content from... and make sure the imported workspace is checked.

Can I import markdown files?

While it is not possible to import markdown files straight into Tana Outliner, the Tana Paste format is based on markdown and is therefore very similar. It's a format that allows you to paste structured Tana Outliner content via a plain text input.

Alternative resource: Ambassador Andrea Grasso created a Tana Paste GPT that converts different formats into Tana Paste format.

Can I export my Tana Outliner data?

Yes, you can export your data as a Markdown or JSON file. Go to your workspace home node and click the ellipsis menu to the right.

Read more about workspace export or options for copy-paste and downloading nodes.

How can I download images and attachments with my Markdown export?

The Markdown ZIP does not contain media files. Images and videos usually appear as links in the Markdown, which you can open to save an individual file. Some other attachments may have no link in the Markdown; save those from Tana Outliner.

To save Tana-hosted media in bulk and make the Markdown links point to local copies:

Export your workspace as Markdown and unzip the archive.
Download the media helper and save it outside the unzipped folder.
Run python3 localize-tana-media.py "/path/to/unzipped-folder" in a terminal. On Windows, use py instead of python3.

The helper streams each reachable Tana-hosted file linked in the Markdown into an _media folder and updates those links. It only follows links to Tana's Google Storage hosts. Links to other sites, and any links that fail to download, remain unchanged. Keep the original ZIP as a backup; the helper edits the extracted Markdown files.

Can I get my data in and out?

Yes. Currently we support Roam, OPML/Workflowy, and Logseq as native import formats. Export as Markdown or JSON, or check out Tana Outliner Publish, whenever you need to move things elsewhere. Your data stays yours.

What are all the ways I can copy data out of Tana Outliner?

Basic copy-paste. Copy-pasting content is the fastest way of getting data out of the app. Select the content you want to copy, then hit Cmd/Ctrl+C. To paste, Cmd/Ctrl+V either in Tana Outliner (will create references) or elsewhere.

More copy-paste options. Via the command line (Cmd/Ctrl+K) there are various flavors of copy available to you. Read about all copy-paste options in copy-paste and export.

Other ways to get content out:

Download nodes. You can download a selection of nodes (for example, all tagged items or results in a search node) in markdown or Tana Outliner Paste with the Download as command in the Ctrl/Cmd+K menu.
Export plain HTML. Renders an HTML page of the selected content that you can copy the HTML of, or save as an HTML file.
Export workspace as markdown or JSON. To learn more about this, read about workspace export.

Copying data out of Tana Outliner

How to use Tana Outliner Paste with supertags that have non-alphanumeric characters?

Tana Outliner Paste can usually parse supertags that are one word, such as #task. If a supertag has spaces, numbers, or irregular characters, try wrapping the name in double brackets like this:

#[[1'3$4'6]]

If you want to grab the supertag definition, include the hashtag within the brackets, like this:

[[#1'3$4'6]]

How do I enable the scan text feature in Tana Outliner Capture on iOS?

The iOS feature Live Text needs to be turned on for all supported languages:

Go to iOS Settings > General > Language and Region.
Turn on Live Text (green is on).

This feature is available with iOS 15.4 or later.