When you import notes from Evernote into Notion, you may notice that the tag structure you carefully built in Evernote does not appear the same way in Notion. Evernote allows nested tags, such as Projects > ClientA > 2024, where sub-tags sit under a parent tag. Notion treats all tags as flat labels attached to a database entry, with no built-in nesting or parent-child relationship. This article explains why the tag hierarchy is lost during the import and what you can do to preserve or reconstruct that structure in Notion.
Key Takeaways: Why Evernote Tags Break During Notion Import
- Evernote nested tags vs Notion flat tags: Notion has no native parent-child tag hierarchy, so all imported tags become flat labels.
- Import process strips tag metadata: The Notion importer converts Evernote tags into a single Select property, losing any nesting information.
- Manual reconstruction with Relation properties: You can recreate hierarchy by creating a separate Tags database and linking it to your notes database using a Relation column.
Why Evernote Tag Hierarchy Does Not Survive the Import
Evernote stores tags as a tree structure. A tag like Projects can have child tags such as ClientA, and ClientA can have its own child tags. When you export an Evernote notebook as an ENEX file and import it into Notion, the Notion importer reads each note and its associated tags. It converts all tags into a single Select property on a database. The Select property in Notion is a flat list of options. There is no way to indicate that one tag is a child of another tag within that property. The importer does not parse the tag hierarchy from the ENEX file, so all tags appear at the same level.
The ENEX file format stores tags as XML elements with a nested structure. Notion’s import logic flattens this structure intentionally because Notion’s database model does not support nested tags. The result is that a note tagged with Projects > ClientA > 2024 in Evernote will have three separate tags in Notion: Projects, ClientA, and 2024. None of these tags will show any connection to each other.
Steps to Reconstruct Tag Hierarchy After Import
To restore a hierarchical tag structure in Notion, you need to use a separate Tags database and a Relation property. This approach gives you full control over parent-child relationships.
- Create a Tags database
In your Notion workspace, create a new database and name it Tags. Add a Title property for the tag name. Add a Relation property that points back to the Tags database itself. Name this property Parent Tag. This Relation will let you link a tag to its parent tag. - Add a Rollup property to show hierarchy
Add a Rollup property to the Tags database. Set it to use the Parent Tag Relation and pull the Name property. This Rollup will display the parent tag name. You can add multiple Rollups to show grandparent tags if needed. - Import all tags as individual entries
Manually create an entry in the Tags database for each unique tag that appeared in your imported notes. Use the names exactly as they appeared in Evernote. For example, create entries for Projects, ClientA, and 2024. - Link parent-child relationships
Open each tag entry and use the Parent Tag Relation to select its parent. For ClientA, select Projects. For 2024, select ClientA. The Rollup property will automatically show the parent name. - Connect the Tags database to your notes database
In your notes database (where the imported notes reside), add a Relation property that points to the Tags database. Name it Tags. This Relation replaces the flat Select property that the import created. - Link each note to its tags
Open each note and use the Tags Relation to select the appropriate tag entries. If a note was tagged with Projects > ClientA > 2024 in Evernote, you would select all three tag entries: Projects, ClientA, and 2024. - Hide or delete the original flat tag property
After linking all notes to the new Tags Relation, you can hide or delete the original Select property that was created during the import. This keeps your database clean and removes the flat tag list.
If Notion Import Still Produces Incorrect Tags
Some tags appear as separate words instead of combined phrases
Evernote allows multi-word tags like In Progress. If the ENEX file uses underscores or hyphens, the importer may split them. Check the original tag format in Evernote. After import, manually rename the tag options in the Select property to match the correct multi-word format. You can also use the Tags database approach described above to re-enter tags with the exact names.
Duplicate tags appear after import
The importer may create duplicate tag options if the ENEX file contains slight variations in capitalization or spacing. For example, Projects and projects may become two separate options. Open the Select property in your notes database and merge the duplicates by renaming one option to match the other. Notion will automatically update all notes that used the original option.
Notes without tags are missing from the import
If a note in Evernote had no tags, it still imports correctly. The issue is that the importer may skip notes that have corrupted tag data in the ENEX file. Re-export the notebook from Evernote using the latest version of the Evernote desktop app. Try importing the new ENEX file into a fresh Notion database.
Evernote Tag Hierarchy vs Notion Tag Structure: Key Differences
| Feature | Evernote | Notion |
|---|---|---|
| Tag nesting | Supports unlimited parent-child nesting | No native nesting; all tags are flat |
| Tag storage | Stored as XML tree in ENEX file | Stored as Select options in a database property |
| Import behavior | N/A | Flattens all tags into a single list |
| Workaround for hierarchy | Not needed | Use a separate Tags database with a Relation to itself |
| Multi-word tags | Preserved exactly | May be split if ENEX uses underscores or hyphens |
Notion’s flat tag system means you cannot directly replicate Evernote’s nested hierarchy. The Tags database with a self-referencing Relation is the closest workaround. This method requires manual setup but gives you full search and filter capabilities on the hierarchy.
After you set up the Tags database and link it to your notes, you can use Notion’s Relation and Rollup properties to display the full parent-child chain in any database view. For example, you can create a Gallery view that shows each note’s tag hierarchy as a breadcrumb. You can also use filters to show only notes that belong to a specific parent tag. This approach restores the organizational power of Evernote’s nested tags within Notion’s database system.