How to Switch From Evernote to Obsidian

Evernote is framed as a “toxic” knowledge partner—tracking user behavior, leveraging contact data, and potentially using stored text in ways people may not fully realize—while Obsidian is positioned as the faster, more private, and more future-proof alternative. The core message: switching isn’t just about changing apps; it’s about regaining control over personal notes and rebuilding a system that supports original thinking rather than hoarding and shuffling other people’s words.

The transcript lays out three “toxicity signs.” First, Evernote is described as stalking users through features that can reveal what actions were taken, including saving and sharing notes and using integrations such as contact-based auto-complete. It also points to privacy language suggesting that anonymized or de-identified data could still be reviewed under broad circumstances—effectively implying that user content may be examined more widely than expected. Second, Evernote is portrayed as silencing the user by filling the workspace with noise: the platform is good at capturing words, but those words often aren’t the user’s own—leading to a cluttered environment where “cherished memories” and original ideas get drowned out. Third, Evernote is said to be unstable: after being bought by an Italy-based company called Bending Spoons, staff were reportedly fired, raising concerns that trust and privacy commitments can evaporate when the company changes hands.

Against that backdrop, the switch checklist centers on three qualities. Obsidian is presented as responsive—fast enough to keep up with thought, unlike slower web-based workflows. Privacy is treated as the deciding factor: Obsidian is described as offering end-to-end encryption, with files encrypted across devices so the user’s data isn’t left exposed on someone else’s servers. Finally, Obsidian is framed as “future proof” because exported data remains readable on a computer even if the app disappeared, avoiding lock-in.

The practical portion then walks through the migration. The recommended export path starts in Evernote by selecting all notes, exporting them as a .enex file (including tags), and saving the packaged export into a vault folder structure (the transcript references an “Atlas Vaults” setup and an example vault). It warns that attempting to open Evernote from a long-dormant state may trigger a credit-card requirement and a seven-day trial, so it suggests using an older Evernote version on Apple devices to bypass that friction and complete the export.

Import into Obsidian uses a community plugin called “Importer” (from the core Obsidian team). After installing the plugin, the user selects the Evernote .enex file, imports into a chosen output folder, and waits while thousands of notes are indexed—described as taking around ten minutes for roughly 3,100 notes (and more files). Once imported, the notes appear in a dedicated vault location, visualized through graph view and an “ideaverse”/lyt mode theme that helps users navigate connections, tags, and attachments.

Two storage strategies are offered: keep Evernote notes as a subfolder inside a main ideaverse vault, or—preferably—create a completely separate vault for the Evernote archive to prevent tag clutter and reduce risk if the archive needs to be managed later. The closing argument ties everything together: Obsidian is cast as supporting “idea management” and sense-making, while Evernote encourages information hoarding and rearranging other people’s words. The switch is framed as a way to build a healthier relationship with knowledge and protect the user’s voice.