Importing Notes

NuvoPad can import individual .md files or entire directories of Markdown files. YAML frontmatter is parsed automatically, preserving titles, tags, pinned and favorite states from compatible exports.

How to Import

Import a Single File

  1. Open the command palette with Ctrl+P and search for Import Notes.
  2. Select a target notebook where the imported notes will be placed.
  3. Choose Import File and select a .md file from the file picker.
  4. The note appears immediately in the selected notebook.

Batch Import from a Directory

  1. Open the command palette and search for Import Notes.
  2. Select a target notebook.
  3. Choose Import Folder and select a directory. NuvoPad scans the directory for all .md files (non-recursive — subdirectories are not included).
  4. A progress indicator shows as each file is processed. All imported notes land in the selected notebook.

📝 Note

Import is available on all tiers. No Pro upgrade is needed to import files.

Frontmatter Parsing

If an imported file contains a YAML frontmatter block, NuvoPad reads the following fields:

Frontmatter KeyTypeEffect
titlestringSets the note title. Falls back to filename without extension.
tagsstring[]Creates tags and assigns them to the note.
pinnedbooleanMarks the note as pinned in the note list.
favoritebooleanAdds the note to the Favorites view.
createdISO 8601 stringPreserves the original creation timestamp.
updatedISO 8601 stringPreserves the original last-updated timestamp.

Keys not listed above are ignored. Files without a frontmatter block are imported as plain notes — the filename (minus extension) is used as the title.

File Size Limit

Each imported file must be 10 MiB or smaller. Files exceeding this limit are skipped; a warning is shown in the import results summary.

Duplicate Handling

When an imported note's title matches an existing note in the target notebook, NuvoPad appends a timestamp suffix (for example, Meeting Notes (2026-03-12 14:30)) to avoid overwriting. Re-importing the same file therefore creates a new copy rather than overwriting the original — if you want to update an existing note, edit it directly or delete the duplicate manually.

Supported File Types

Only .md and .markdown files are imported. Other file types in a batch directory are silently skipped.

💡 Tip

NuvoPad's Markdown export includes all the frontmatter fields listed above, so a full roundtrip (export → re-import) preserves all note metadata.

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