Import & export

Move your Obsidian vault or your Kindle highlights into Lar, and take your Books back out as Markdown whenever you like. Imported content becomes ordinary Objects on your device; nothing passes through a vendor’s server on the way in. Exports use standard formats, and a full workspace backup is separate from exporting a single Object.

Import

1. Open Settings → Import (“Import from other tools”) and choose Start importing.
2. Pick a tile: a file format, or the tool you’re migrating from.
3. For a migration, choose Read the documentation to open that tool’s guide below, tick I read the documentation and prepared the data I will be importing, and choose Continue.
4. Drag the files in, or choose Select File(s) (or Select Folder for a vault).
5. If asked, pick the Target Type for the new Objects, review what the import will create, and choose Import.

The desktop app and browser windows wider than about 768 pixels show this full wizard. Phones, narrow browser windows, and the mobile apps have a simpler import page.

Import a file format

Tile	Accepts
Markdown	.md and .markdown files
Media	Images, audio, video, and PDFs, stored as file-backed Objects
Other Files	Markdown, CSV, ZIP, OPML, ENEX, JSON, media, and ICS; a ZIP is expanded and each entry is handled by its extension

Migrate from another tool

Tile	Accepts	What happens
Notion	.zip from Notion’s Markdown & CSV export	Pages keep their folder hierarchy, database CSVs become Objects, and links between pages resolve. Images and other assets are not imported.
Obsidian	A vault folder	Every .md file becomes an Object, and [[wikilinks]] resolve once all files are in. Images and other assets are not imported.
Evernote	.enex	Note bodies become Markdown, tags become Tag Objects, and attachments come across as files. Original timestamps are not kept.
Roam Research	.json	Each page becomes one Object. [[links]] carry over; ((block references)) and live constructs such as queries stay as plain text.
OPML outline	.opml or .xml	One Object per outline node, with the hierarchy kept through the mentions relation.
Calendar (.ics)	.ics	Each event becomes an Event Object, without duplicates on re-import.
Readwise	A .json export	Each book or article becomes a Weblink Object with its highlights in the body.
Kindle highlights	My Clippings.txt	Each book becomes a Weblink Object with its highlights in the body; repeated clippings are imported once.
Apple Notes, Tana	—	Marked Not available; see the guides below for a workaround.
Other tool	Markdown, CSV, ZIP, OPML, ENEX, JSON, media, ICS	Handles each file by its extension.

A CSV opens a column-mapping step first, so you can map or skip each column. Files Lar doesn’t recognize are stored as file-backed Objects with their original bytes, as long as a file-backed Type exists. Every import ends with a report of anything that was skipped.

Try it

Before a large migration, set up the Object Types you want, then import a small sample into a disposable workspace. Re-importing behaves differently per source, so keep the original export until you’ve reviewed the result.

Guides for each tool

Read the documentation in the import wizard opens the matching section here.

Notion

In Notion, choose Export all workspace content and pick Markdown & CSV. Choose the Notion tile and select the resulting .zip without unpacking it. Page folders are kept, database CSVs become Objects, and links between pages resolve. Images and other assets are not imported; image references stay as links.

Obsidian

Choose the Obsidian tile and pick your vault folder. Every .md file becomes an Object, and [[wikilinks]] are linked once all files are in. Images and other assets are not imported. The mobile apps have no folder picker, so import a vault from the desktop or browser app.

Evernote

Export your notes from Evernote as .enex and use the Evernote tile. Note bodies become Markdown, tags become Tag Objects, and attachments come across as files. Original created and updated dates are not kept.

Roam Research

Export your graph from Roam as JSON and use the Roam Research tile. Each page becomes one Object with a Markdown body, and [[links]] carry over. ((block references)) and constructs that Roam renders live, such as {{query}} and {{embed}}, arrive as plain text, and the import report lists them.

OPML outline

Export an outline from any tool that writes OPML and use the OPML outline tile (.opml or .xml). Each outline node becomes an Object, and the hierarchy is kept through the mentions relation.

Calendar (.ics)

Export a calendar as .ics and use the Calendar (.ics) tile. Each event becomes an Event Object, and importing the same file again does not create duplicates. Event time zones are dropped (times are kept as written), and alarms don’t become reminders. To keep a calendar up to date instead, subscribe to it in Settings → Calendar feeds.

Readwise

Use the Readwise tile with a .json export. Each book or article becomes a Weblink Object with its highlights in the body, and a source already in the workspace isn’t duplicated. Highlight tags and locations are not imported. To keep Readwise up to date instead, connect it under Settings → Integrations → Readwise.

Kindle highlights

Use the Kindle highlights tile with your Kindle’s My Clippings.txt. Each book becomes a Weblink Object with its highlights in the body. A Kindle rewrites an entry every time it syncs, so the file often repeats passages: repeated clippings of the same passage are imported once, and a book that already exists in the workspace is skipped. Clipping locations and dates, and bookmarks without text, are not imported.

Apple Notes

Lar has no Apple Notes importer, so its tile shows Not available. Use a converter such as Exporter from the Mac App Store to turn your notes into Markdown files, then import them with the Markdown tile.

Tana

Lar has no Tana importer, so its tile shows Not available. Export your workspace from Tana as Markdown or OPML, and import the files with the Markdown, OPML outline, or Other Files tile.

Other tool

The Other tool tile accepts Markdown, CSV, ZIP, OPML, ENEX, JSON, media, and ICS, and handles each file by its extension.

Export

Export one Object

Open the Object’s ⋯ menu and choose Export…, press Ctrl+E, or run Export current object… from the command palette. In the Export dialog, pick a format and choose which properties to include:

• PDF
• Markdown, with options such as Include media, Export folder containing all subpages, and Portable backup, which exports the page and its linked subpages with links rewritten so they still work outside Lar
• Microsoft Word
• Latex

PDF, Word, and LaTeX flatten the Object, so Lar shows a notice that some content can’t be represented. Per-Object export works in the desktop app and in browser windows wider than about 768 pixels. On phones and narrow windows, use Share from the Object’s menu, which sends its Markdown through your device’s share sheet.

Export a view as CSV

To export a Type or a table view as CSV, choose Export CSV from the Type’s menu, Export as CSV from a table’s menu, or Export current view as CSV in the command palette. CSV keeps values but not rich content or relations, and Lar tells you so.

Back up the whole workspace

Settings → Backup & restore exports every Object, Type, and body as one bundle you can import again. It is the format to use when you want your whole workspace back in Lar. See Backup & restore.

Next: Keyboard shortcuts.