How to Move Notes From Bear to ClickUp
If you want to organize your notes, tasks, and projects in one place, moving content from Bear or Obsidian into ClickUp is a smart upgrade. This guide walks you through each step so you can centralize your writing, documents, and workflows in a single, powerful workspace.
The instructions below are based on the note-taking features highlighted in the comparison of Bear and Obsidian in the ClickUp blog, adapted into a clear, practical how-to process.
Why Move From Bear or Obsidian to ClickUp
Bear and Obsidian are excellent tools for focused writing and personal knowledge management. However, they are not full productivity platforms. ClickUp combines documents, tasks, chats, goals, and dashboards, making it easier to connect your notes directly to your daily work.
By migrating your notes, you can:
- Keep research, ideas, and tasks together
- Collaborate with teammates in real time
- Turn notes into actionable tasks and projects
- Use rich formatting, templates, and views across your workspace
Prepare Your Notes for ClickUp
Before importing content, clean up your existing notes to avoid clutter and confusion later. This applies to both Bear and Obsidian users.
Step 1: Audit and Organize Your Bear or Obsidian Notes
-
Review your notes library.
- Delete outdated or duplicate notes.
- Merge similar notes into a single, comprehensive document.
-
Group related notes with folders, tags, or links.
- In Bear, confirm your tag structure is tidy and descriptive.
- In Obsidian, verify your vault folders and wiki links reflect clear topics.
-
Identify which notes you really need in a work management platform like ClickUp, such as:
- Project briefs and client notes
- Meeting minutes
- Process documentation and SOPs
- Research for active initiatives
Step 2: Choose an Import Strategy for ClickUp
ClickUp supports flexible ways to bring in written material. Decide how you want your previous notes to appear:
- As Docs for long-form content, guides, and knowledge bases
- As tasks when notes are closely tied to action items
- As subtasks or checklists when your notes already contain step-by-step processes
Plan your structure ahead of time so you can quickly slot imported content into the right ClickUp Space, Folder, or List.
Export Notes From Bear and Obsidian
The first technical step is exporting your notes in a format that’s easy to reuse inside ClickUp.
Step 3: Export Notes From Bear
Bear offers multiple export options that preserve formatting and tags. To export from Bear:
-
Select the notes you want to move.
-
Click the File menu, then choose Export.
-
Pick a format compatible with a modern editor:
- Markdown for clean text with headings and lists
- TextBundle if you want to keep images and attachments bundled
- RTF or HTML if you prefer rich text formatting
-
Save the exported files into clearly named folders that match your planned ClickUp hierarchy, such as “Client A – Briefs” or “Marketing – Research.”
Step 4: Export Notes From Obsidian
Obsidian stores notes as Markdown files in a vault, which makes exporting simple:
-
Open your vault in your file system.
-
Review folders and confirm they mirror the structure you want in ClickUp.
-
Copy the selected Markdown files or folders into a temporary export location.
-
Confirm that internal links and attachments are stored and referenced correctly so you can rebuild critical connections inside ClickUp.
Import and Rebuild Content in ClickUp
Once your notes are exported, you can start recreating them in your new workspace. The process is straightforward and flexible.
Step 5: Set Up Spaces, Folders, and Lists in ClickUp
Before you paste or upload content, design the structure that will host your notes:
-
Create a Space for a major area, such as “Operations,” “Marketing,” or “Product.”
-
Within each Space, add Folders to group related projects or themes.
-
Inside each Folder, create Lists for specific projects, teams, or processes.
This hierarchy will replace your Bear tags or Obsidian vault folders while adding the task and workflow power that ClickUp provides.
Step 6: Create Docs in ClickUp From Exported Notes
For long-form notes, convert them into Docs so you can collaborate and connect them to work.
-
Open the relevant Space, Folder, or List in ClickUp.
-
Click Docs and create a new Doc.
-
Open your exported Markdown or HTML file.
-
Copy the content and paste it into the new Doc.
-
Clean up formatting using headings, bullets, and callouts.
-
Use the Doc sidebar to organize your notes in nested pages, similar to how you may have grouped content in Bear or Obsidian.
Step 7: Turn Notes Into Tasks in ClickUp
Many notes contain embedded to-dos that deserve to become real tasks. To turn notes into actionable items:
-
Scan your imported Docs for lists, decisions, and deadlines.
-
Highlight an item and create a related task in ClickUp (for example, for follow-ups after a meeting).
-
Assign tasks to the right team members with due dates and priorities.
-
Link the task back to the original Doc so there is full traceability from idea to execution.
Recreate Links, Tags, and Structure in ClickUp
Bear and Obsidian rely heavily on tags and links. You can approximate and often improve these structures with ClickUp features.
Step 8: Replace Bear Tags With ClickUp Hierarchies
Bear uses tags and nested tags to organize notes. In ClickUp, you can use:
- Spaces and Folders as top-level categories
- Lists to group related work or knowledge areas
- Custom Fields to label tasks and Docs with extra metadata
- Tags on tasks to mark themes like “#research” or “#meeting-notes”
Rebuild your most important Bear tags using this combination, which gives you more powerful filtering and reporting.
Step 9: Rebuild Obsidian Links in ClickUp Docs
Obsidian’s strength is its internal links and graph of knowledge. While ClickUp is not a graph editor, you can still connect information effectively:
-
Use Doc-to-Doc links to connect related pages.
-
Add task links inside Docs whenever a note corresponds to ongoing work.
-
Create an index Doc for big topics that lists and links to subpages, roughly imitating your Obsidian map of content.
Optimize Your New System in ClickUp
After migrating, refine how you capture and use information so your workspace remains easy to navigate.
Step 10: Standardize Note-Taking Templates in ClickUp
Replace scattered note formats from Bear and Obsidian with reusable templates:
- Create a meeting notes Doc template with agenda, decisions, and action items.
- Build a project brief template with goals, scope, and milestones.
- Set up a research note template for web clips, quotes, and insights.
Save these as templates in ClickUp so the whole team captures information consistently.
Step 11: Share and Collaborate on Notes in ClickUp
Unlike individual note apps, ClickUp is designed for collaboration:
- Mention teammates with @ mentions inside Docs and tasks.
- Use comments for feedback and questions directly in the content.
- Control permissions so sensitive notes are visible only to the right people.
This helps your migrated notes become living documents that support everyday teamwork.
Additional Resources for a Smooth ClickUp Migration
To better understand how ClickUp compares with niche note apps, review the original analysis of Bear and Obsidian in the ClickUp blog here: Bear vs Obsidian comparison.
If you need expert help structuring your workspace or planning a broader migration into ClickUp, you can also reach out to consultants such as Consultevo for implementation guidance.
Bring Your Notes and Work Together in ClickUp
By exporting your Bear or Obsidian notes, recreating them as Docs and tasks, and designing a clear structure, you can turn scattered information into an integrated knowledge and project hub in ClickUp. Follow the steps in this guide to move your most valuable content and start managing ideas, documentation, and execution from one unified workspace.
Need Help With ClickUp?
If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your ClickUp workspace, work with ConsultEvo — trusted ClickUp Solution Partners.
“`
