When you use Notion’s built-in Evernote import tool, many users find that their notes lose formatting such as bold, italic, bullet lists, and embedded images. This happens because Notion converts Evernote’s ENEX file format into its own block-based structure, and some inline styles and complex layouts are not mapped perfectly during the conversion. This article explains why the import process strips certain formatting and provides a step-by-step workaround to preserve most of your original note structure and styling.
Key Takeaways: Preserving Formatting During Evernote Import
- Export as HTML instead of ENEX: Avoids Notion’s limited ENEX parser and retains bold, italic, and list formatting.
- Use a plain text or Markdown intermediate format: Works well for notes with simple layouts and no embedded attachments.
- Recreate complex tables and image galleries manually: Notion does not support Evernote’s table merge cells or image group blocks.
Why the Built-in Evernote Import Loses Formatting
Notion’s Evernote import feature reads the ENEX file format, which is an XML-based archive that bundles note content, attachments, and metadata. The import engine converts Evernote’s rich text (which includes inline formatting, nested lists, and embedded objects) into Notion’s block system. However, Notion does not support all Evernote formatting features natively. For example, Evernote allows multiple font sizes and colors within a single paragraph, but Notion applies formatting at the block level. The result is that inline bold or italic may be lost, bullet list indentation may collapse, and images may appear as broken links or missing entirely.
Additionally, Evernote’s ENEX export does not always preserve the original note structure when the note contains complex elements like tables with merged cells, hand-drawn sketches, or audio recordings. Notion’s import parser attempts to flatten these elements into basic text or blocks, which strips the original formatting. Understanding this limitation helps you choose the right workaround for your specific notes.
Workaround: Export Evernote Notes as HTML and Import to Notion
The most reliable way to keep bold, italic, headings, and bullet lists intact is to avoid the ENEX import entirely. Instead, export your Evernote notes as individual HTML files and then import those HTML files into Notion. Notion can parse HTML formatting and convert it to its block equivalents with much higher fidelity.
- Export notes as HTML from Evernote
In Evernote for Windows or Mac, select the notebooks or individual notes you want to move. Go to File > Export. In the export dialog, choose “HTML” as the format. If you have multiple notes, select “Export multiple notes to separate files”. Save the files to a folder on your computer. - Prepare the HTML files for Notion
Open each HTML file in a text editor like Notepad or Visual Studio Code. Check that the file contains standard HTML tags such as<b>,<i>,<ul>,<ol>, and<h2>. Remove any Evernote-specific CSS or scripts that may interfere with Notion’s parser. Save the cleaned file. - Import the HTML file into Notion
Open Notion in your browser (desktop app may not support HTML import). Go to the page where you want the notes to appear. Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner and select Import > HTML. Choose the HTML file you prepared. Notion will convert the HTML tags into its block format, preserving most inline formatting and list structures. - Review and fix remaining issues
After import, scroll through the page. Check that bold and italic text rendered correctly. Verify that bullet lists and numbered lists maintain their indentation. If images are missing, you will need to re-upload them manually because Evernote embeds images as base64 data in the HTML, which Notion may not parse. Right-click any broken image placeholder and select “Replace” to upload the original image file from your Evernote export folder.
Alternative Workaround: Use Markdown as Intermediate Format
If your notes contain only text, headings, and simple lists, you can export from Evernote as Markdown using a third-party tool like Yarle or Ever2Simple. These tools convert the ENEX file to Markdown files that preserve bold, italic, and basic list formatting. Then import the Markdown file into Notion using the Markdown import option. This method works best for notes that do not include tables, images, or attachments.
If Notion Still Has Issues After the Workaround
Imported HTML Shows Plain Text with No Formatting
This usually happens when the HTML file contains excessive CSS classes or inline styles that Notion cannot interpret. Open the HTML file and strip out all <style> blocks and class attributes. Keep only the content tags. Re-save and import again.
Bullet Lists Are Flattened into One Paragraph
Evernote sometimes exports nested lists with incorrect HTML structure. In the HTML file, ensure that <ul> tags contain only <li> children and that nested lists are inside <li> tags. Use a tool like HTML Tidy to fix the markup before importing.
Tables Appear as Plain Text or Are Missing
Notion’s table support is limited compared to Evernote. The import may convert tables into blocks of text. The only reliable solution is to recreate the table manually in Notion after import. Copy the cell data from the original note and paste it into a Notion table block.
Notion Evernote Import Methods Compared
| Item | Built-in ENEX Import | HTML Export + Import |
|---|---|---|
| Formatting preserved | Low (bold, italic often lost) | High (bold, italic, lists kept) |
| Images and attachments | Partially (some images missing) | Partially (need manual upload) |
| Tables | Lost (converted to text) | Lost (converted to text) |
| Time required | Fast (minutes) | Moderate (15-30 minutes per notebook) |
| Best for | Simple notes with no formatting | Formatted notes with bold, italic, lists |
The built-in ENEX import is faster but sacrifices formatting. The HTML workaround takes more time but gives you much better formatting fidelity. For notes that contain critical formatting like code snippets with bold keywords or styled headings, the HTML method is the better choice.
Conclusion
You can now import your Evernote notes into Notion while keeping bold, italic, and list formatting intact by using the HTML export workaround instead of the default ENEX import. Start by exporting your notes as HTML from Evernote, clean the files, and import them into Notion using the Import > HTML option. For complex tables and image galleries, plan to recreate them manually after the import. As an advanced tip, consider using the Notion API to automate the cleanup of imported HTML files by stripping CSS classes programmatically before upload.