Guide Updated 16 Oct 2026 5 min read
Apple Notes and Markdown: what works on Mac and iPhone
Short answer
Yes, Apple Notes speaks Markdown now, but only at the edges. Since iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26 it can import .md files and export a note as Markdown, and on macOS 27 Apple also documents copying a selection as Markdown and pasting Markdown in as formatting. What hasn’t changed: Notes keeps your notes in its own database, not as Markdown files, and you still format with the toolbar.
What Notes can do with Markdown
| Task | Where | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Export a note as .md (Mac) | File › Export To › Markdown | Yes, one note at a time |
| Export a note as .md (iPhone, iPad) | Share › Export as Markdown | Yes |
| Import .md files (Mac) | File › Import Markdown | Yes, files or a whole folder |
| Copy a selection as Markdown | Edit › Copy as Markdown | Yes, on macOS 27 |
| Paste Markdown as formatting | Edit › Paste | Yes, on macOS 27 |
| Type Markdown and see it render | — | Not documented by Apple |
| Keep notes as .md files on disk | — | No |
The pattern is clear once you see it in a table. Markdown is how text gets into Notes and back out of it. Inside Notes, it’s rich text, the same as it always was.
Export a note as Markdown on Mac
- Open Notes and click the note you want to export.
- Choose FileExport ToMarkdown. On macOS Tahoe 26 the menu reads Export as rather than Export To.
- Give the file a name, optionally add Finder tags, choose a folder, and click Save.
A .md file can’t hold images, so expect a note’s pictures to be saved as separate files next to it (people on macOS Tahoe report an Attachments folder). Keep the .md file and its images together if you move them.
Export on iPhone or iPad
- Open the note in Notes.
- Tap the Share button, then Export as Markdown. If it isn’t listed, tap the More button first.
- Choose where it goes: save it to Files, AirDrop it to your Mac, or send it to another app.
Import Markdown files into Notes
Importing works for iCloud notes (on the upgraded notes format) and notes stored on your Mac. Besides Markdown, Notes imports TXT, RTF, RTFD, HTML and Evernote’s ENEX files.
- In the Notes sidebar, click the iCloud or On My Mac folder you want to import into.
- Choose FileImport Markdown (or FileImport to Notes, which takes every supported format).
- Select one or more .md files, or a folder to import every text file inside it.
- If you picked a folder, turn on Preserve folder structure on import. Click Options if you don’t see it.
- Click Import. Your notes land in a new Imported Notes folder, ready to move.
Notes converts the Markdown into rich text as it imports. Front matter, wiki-style [[links]] between notes, and other syntax that isn’t standard Markdown has nothing to turn into, so expect it to arrive as plain text and plan some cleanup if your files came from Obsidian or a similar app.
Copy and paste as Markdown
For moving a paragraph rather than a whole note, macOS 27 has two smaller tools:
- Copy as Markdown. Select text in a note and choose EditCopy as Markdown. The clipboard gets Markdown you can paste into a code editor, a static site, or any Markdown app.
- Paste Markdown. Paste Markdown text into a note and Notes shows it as formatted headings, lists and so on, rather than leaving the # and * marks in place.
Before you move a whole library
Export is one note at a time, so it suits sharing a note, not leaving Notes. If you’re planning to move hundreds of notes into a Markdown-based app, test first:
- Make a test note with the things you actually use: a checklist, a table, an image, a link, a scanned document, a drawing.
- Export it and open the .md file in a text editor to see what came through as Markdown and what didn’t.
- Then pick your route. One note at a time is fine for a handful. For more, use a tool that reads your Notes library directly, or an app that imports from Apple Notes itself.
Some things have no Markdown equivalent at all. Drawings and scans become images at best, tags are just text, and the folder a note sits in isn’t part of the note. If you’re curious where all of this lives today, see where Apple Notes are stored.
Quick answers
Does Apple Notes support Markdown?
Partly. Since iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26, Notes can import .md files and export a note as Markdown, and on macOS 27 you can copy a selection as Markdown and paste Markdown in as formatting. Notes is still a rich-text app: it doesn’t store notes as Markdown files.
Can I type Markdown in Apple Notes?
Apple doesn’t document Markdown typing shortcuts for Notes. You format with the toolbar or the Format menu. If you write in Markdown elsewhere, paste it in and Notes turns headings, lists and similar marks into formatting.
Can I export all my Apple Notes to Markdown at once?
Apple’s guides describe exporting one note at a time. For a whole library, use an app that reads Notes directly and writes Markdown, or one that imports from Apple Notes and exports Markdown itself.
Why don’t I see Markdown in the Export menu?
Your Mac or iPhone is probably on an older system. Markdown export arrived with macOS Tahoe 26 and iOS 26. On older versions, Notes exports PDF only.
Where are Apple Notes stored, if not as Markdown files?
In a database inside your user Library folder, synced through iCloud if you use an iCloud account. Markdown is the format notes travel in when you export them, not how Notes keeps them.
Sources
Checked against Apple’s documentation on 16 October 2026: