Importing notes

Free

Notes → + New → Import notes brings notes in from somewhere else. Three sources, one dialog:

• A file: .md, .txt, .rtf, .doc, .docx, .html
• A folder: everything inside it, and your folders become collections
• Apple Notes: macOS asks your permission first

You see everything that would happen before anything is written, and you tick what you want. Rich documents are converted to markdown on the way in; the originals are never modified.

Running it again

Every imported note remembers where it came from, in the note's own file. So a second import is a delta, not a pile of duplicates, and it shows you three groups:

• New: never imported, ticked for you
• Changed since you imported: left unticked, because taking one replaces your copy along with any edits you made here
• Already imported: grayed out

Use the filter box and the All / None buttons per group when the list is long. Select-all obeys the filter, so searching first and then pressing All takes only what you searched for.

Apple Notes specifics. Folders become collections. Notes in Recently Deleted are never offered: those are notes you threw away. Attachments and drawings stay in Apple's app, because they are references rather than part of the note's text. If you denied permission and want to change your mind, it is in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation.