Move from Evernote to Obsidian without losing email-to-note

For a lot of Evernote users, the scary part of switching isn't the notes. It's the habit. For years you've forwarded receipts, confirmations and interesting emails to your Evernote address without thinking. Obsidian doesn't have one.

The good news: you can keep the habit and change the home. Your notes become plain files on your own disk, and a private forwarding address picks up where your Evernote address left off. This guide does it in two parts: move your notes, then restore capture.

What you're moving, and what you'll rebuild

Obsidian's help docs list what the Importer converts. Read the Evernote import page before you start so there are no surprises.

Before you start: plan the move

A little prep saves a lot of cleanup later:

• Prune first. Delete or skip notebooks you'll never open again. Moving less means reviewing less.
• Decide on a structure. Will each notebook become a folder, or will you flatten everything into one folder and rely on tags? Either works in Obsidian; pick one before you import.
• Move in batches. Export and import a few notebooks at a time, and check each batch.
• Keep Evernote for a while. Don't delete your account until you've checked that the notes you care about made it across.

Step 1: Export from Evernote

In the Evernote desktop app, export your notebooks as .enex files. Evernote moves its menus around between versions, so look for an Export option on the notebook itself and choose the .enex format.

Export one small notebook first. It's a quick way to see how your notes look after import before you commit to moving thousands of them.

Step 2: Import into Obsidian

1. In Obsidian, install and enable the official Importer plugin from Community plugins.
2. Open the Importer and choose Evernote (.enex) as the source.
3. Select your .enex files.
4. Choose an output folder in your vault.
5. Run the import.

Import into a dedicated folder like Evernote import/, then look through a few notes. Formatting that relied on Evernote-specific features may need a tidy. Step-by-step details are on Obsidian's help page.

Step 3: Bring back email-to-note

This part takes about two minutes:

1. 1

   Step 1: Sign up

   Create a free account, no credit card. You get a private ingest address.
2. 2

   Step 2: Install the plugin

   In Obsidian, open Settings, then Community plugins, then Browse. Install and enable "Send Email into Vault".
3. 3

   Step 3: Paste your API key

   Copy the API key from your dashboard into the plugin settings.

Now open your contacts and replace your old Evernote address with your new ingest address. Same name, new destination, and your muscle memory keeps working.

One thing Evernote didn't make you think about: we only accept email from addresses you've authorized. Your account email is authorized automatically, and you can add up to 3 more (work, personal, school), each confirmed by email.

Rebuild your other capture habits

Email-in was probably one of several ways things got into Evernote. Here's where the others go:

• Forwarding from your inbox: your new ingest address. Press Forward, tidy the subject, send.
• Quick notes from your phone: write a short email or use a one-tap Shortcut. See quick capture from your phone.
• Photos of receipts and documents: share the photo into your mail app and send it to your address. It's attached and embedded in the note, up to 25 MB.
• Web pages: Obsidian Web Clipper, or share the page link by email if you're on your phone.

Give it a week. Most people find the forwarding habit comes back within a few days, because the motion is exactly the same.

Evernote's subject syntax vs Email2Obsidian

If you used Evernote's subject-line shortcuts, here's how they translate. Evernote syntax is described at the time of writing (November 2026).

So Lease renewal #home #todo arrives as a note titled "Lease renewal" with the tags home and todo. The full syntax, including how spaces in tags are handled, is in subject-line tags and vault routing.

Things that work differently

Notes arrive on fetch, not instantly

The plugin fetches new emails manually, on a schedule, or when your vault opens. Emails wait on our servers for up to 72 hours, so a schedule or a daily vault open keeps things flowing.

Automatic Gmail forwarding isn't supported

If you had a Gmail filter forwarding to Evernote, that won't carry over. Gmail's automatic forwarding keeps the original sender, so the email doesn't pass our sender check. Pressing Forward yourself works from any email app. See forward from Gmail, Outlook or Apple Mail.

Free means 10 emails in total

The free plan is 10 lifetime emails, not a monthly allowance. That's enough to test the habit. Regular use means a paid plan.

Syncing is your choice

Your notes are local Markdown files. Getting them onto your other devices is up to you: Obsidian Sync, iCloud, or another sync tool you already use.

Your email makes a short stop

Emails are held on servers in Germany for at most 72 hours, then deleted. Read where your forwarded email goes for the full picture.

Is Obsidian the right move? (when to stay)

Be honest with yourself before you switch. If you rely heavily on Evernote's reminders, its search inside images and scanned documents, or notebooks shared with a team, weigh those first. Rebuilding them in Obsidian takes plugins and effort, and some won't feel the same.

Obsidian suits people who want local files, plain Markdown and the freedom to customize. If that's you, the move is worth it.

Cost check

At the time of writing, Evernote's email-to-note feature is tied to its paid plans. With Email2Obsidian:

• Free: $0, 10 emails in total, no credit card.
• Starter: $2.49/month for 300 emails a month.
• Pro: $4.49/month for 1,000 emails a month, plus multiple vaults.

Comparing the two email-in options side by side? See Evernote's email-to-note vs Email2Obsidian. And if you're leaving OneNote as well, read leaving OneNote too?