How to import notes into Flow Productivity

By Gerald · 11 June 2026

Moving notes is usually the worst part of changing apps. Your old app gives you one file format, the new app expects another, and a simple move turns into hours of copying and pasting.

Flow Productivity takes a more practical route. You can download Flow's own Excel export, use it as a template, paste your old notes into the correct columns, and import the workbook into your account.

Download the Excel import template .xlsx

The short version is:

1. Sign in to Flow and open your account page.
2. Under Your data, choose Excel (.xlsx) and click Export everything.
3. Open the downloaded workbook and keep the sheet names and column headings unchanged.
4. Add the data from your old notes app, with one item per row.
5. Return to Your data, click Choose file to import, and upload the workbook.

Treat each spreadsheet row as one item. One row in the Notes sheet becomes one FlowNote.

Use Flow's Excel export as the import template

The download above is a blank workbook with an Instructions tab and the exact sheet names and headings the importer reads:

• Notes
• Tasks
• Captures

You can import only notes. Leave the Tasks and Captures sheets empty, but do not rename the Notes sheet or its headings.

If your current app exports CSV, open that file in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers, or LibreOffice. Then copy each field into the matching Flow column. The old app's column names do not matter once the data is placed inside Flow's workbook.

You can also export an Excel workbook from your own Flow account and use that as the template. Both files use the same format.

This is not a direct Notion, Evernote, Apple Notes, Obsidian, or Google Keep importer. It is a common spreadsheet format that gives you control over what moves. If you are pruning an old workspace at the same time, my guide to migrating from Notion to a simpler system explains why moving the active material first is usually better than rebuilding everything.

How to fill in the Notes sheet

Keep these headings exactly as written. Capitalisation and spaces matter.

The most important columns are Title, Notebook, Tags, and Content. Dates and note settings are optional.

For example, a note called "Quarterly planning" could use:

Notebook names are matched without caring about capitalisation. A notebook called Work will be reused if work already exists. This prevents a simple capital letter from creating two notebooks.

Tags are less forgiving. Separate them with a comma followed by a space. If you write planning,q3 without the space, Flow may treat it as one tag instead of two.

If you need a cleaner structure before the move, use the simple notebooks and tags method rather than copying every old folder and label without checking whether you still use it.

Plain text is the main limitation

Spreadsheet imports create plain-text note content. Each line in the Content cell becomes a paragraph in Flow.

Bold text, headings, tables, colours, links, embedded images, file attachments, and other rich formatting do not carry across through Excel or CSV. The words move. The old presentation does not.

That tradeoff is often acceptable for a large note migration because the searchable text is the part you need most. Keep the original export from your old app as an archive if formatting or attachments may matter later.

Flow's own JSON export is different. It is intended for moving data between Flow accounts and retains Flow's note structure. For imports from unrelated apps, Excel is easier because you can see and edit every field before uploading it.

You can import tasks in the same workbook

The Tasks sheet is optional. Use it when your old app also contains action items that belong on FlowBoard.

A checklist cell can look like this:

[x] Export old notes; [ ] Check the workbook; [ ] Import into Flow

The board interface calls the final column Delivered, but the spreadsheet value is done. The importer reads the stored status value, not the label shown on the board.

Leaving Board blank sends the task to a fallback board. Use a board name when you want predictable placement.

You can also fill the Captures sheet

The Captures sheet is for quick thoughts that have not yet become a note or task.

Captures are useful when your old app contains an inbox, scratchpad, or list of unprocessed ideas. If you are not sure where something belongs yet, import it here and sort it later. That follows the same approach as the capture inbox method.

Check the workbook before importing

Run through this list before you upload:

1. Keep the sheet names as Notes, Tasks, and Captures.
2. Keep every heading exactly as shown in the exported workbook.
3. Remove blank rows and test rows you do not want.
4. Make sure every note and task has a title.
5. Format dates as YYYY-MM-DD.
6. Use lowercase yes for pinned, confidential or priority settings.
7. Use triage, executing, or done for task status.
8. Save the file as .xlsx.

Start with five notes rather than five thousand. Import the small workbook, check the notebook names and tags, then confirm the dates and paragraph breaks before preparing the full file.

This matters because imports only add data. They do not update or merge with existing notes. Uploading the same workbook twice creates another copy of each item.

Import the finished workbook

When the workbook is ready:

1. Sign in to Flow.
2. Open Account.
3. Scroll to Your data.
4. Under Import, click Choose file to import.
5. Select the .xlsx workbook.
6. Wait for the result message showing the imported totals for each item type.

New notebook and board names are created during the import. Existing names are reused. Existing content is not overwritten.

Flow also accepts .csv, .json, and .zip files. For moving data from another app, I recommend .xlsx because one workbook can hold notes, tasks, and captures while keeping the structure visible.

What the spreadsheet importer does not copy

The importer does not copy:

• rich-text formatting
• images or file attachments
• public sharing settings
• links between notes and tasks
• database relations or custom views from another app
• an old app's automation rules

It also does not decide which old notes are worth keeping. That part still belongs to you.

I would keep the untouched source export, import a small batch, and move the material you still use. This is the same reason I recommend a restrained system in how to organise notes: a smaller library you trust is more useful than a perfect copy of years of clutter.

Frequently asked questions

Can I import notes from Notion, Evernote, Apple Notes, Obsidian, or Google Keep? Yes, if you can get the note titles and content into a spreadsheet. Export options differ by app, so you may need to copy or convert the old export before placing the data into Flow's Excel template.

Will importing overwrite my existing Flow notes? No. Imports only add new items. Existing content is not overwritten.

What happens if I import the same file twice? You get duplicate items. Flow does not currently deduplicate spreadsheet imports, so test with a small file and upload the final workbook once.

Can I import note images and attachments? Not through Excel or CSV. Spreadsheet imports move plain text and selected metadata. Keep your original archive if you need the old images or files.

Why was a row missing after the import? Check the required fields first. Notes and tasks need a title, while captures need content. Also check that the sheet name and column headings match Flow's export exactly.

Can I use a CSV file instead of Excel? Yes, but a single CSV represents one item type and relies on the expected headings. Excel is the safer choice for a mixed migration because it keeps each item type in a separate sheet.

Can I undo an import? There is no one-click import rollback. Test a small batch first and check the results before importing the full workbook.

Related reading

• Migrating from Notion to a simpler system
• Flow vs Evernote
• How to organise notes without overbuilding the system
• Tags and notebooks: a simple organisation system
• What it means to own your notes
• Self-hosted note-taking without running a server

My verdict

The Excel importer is the most predictable way to move notes from another app into Flow. Use Flow's export as the template, keep the headings exact, test a few rows, and accept that spreadsheet imports preserve the text rather than the old app's formatting.

Once the mapping is correct, copy the data, check it, then import it.