Move Google Keep Notes to an Open Source App

This guide walks you through moving your Google Keep notes into an open source notes app like Joplin, Standard Notes, or Logseq. You’ll keep all your text, checklists, and images, and end up with a local, portable copy of your notes that you fully control. You’ll need a Google account, a computer with a web browser, and the target app installed before you start.

What You’ll Need

A Google account with the notes you want to move
A computer with a modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari)
The open source notes app you’re moving to (e.g., Joplin, Standard Notes, Logseq) installed and set up
Basic file management skills (unzipping, moving files)

Step-by-Step

Export your Google Keep data. Go to Google Takeout and sign in with the Google account that holds your notes.
Select only Keep. Click Deselect all, then scroll down and check the box next to Keep. This avoids downloading your entire Google data archive.
Choose export format and frequency. Click Next step, set the file type to .zip (default) and the frequency to Export once (default). The archive size limit is fine for notes.
Create the export. Click Create export. Google will prepare your file; this can take a few minutes to a few hours depending on the number of notes. You’ll get an email when it’s ready.
Download the archive. When the email arrives, go back to Takeout, click Downloads, and download the .zip file to your computer.
Extract the archive. Right-click the .zip file and choose Extract All (Windows) or double-click it (macOS). You’ll get a folder named Takeout.
Locate your Keep notes. Inside the Takeout folder, open Keep. You’ll see a folder called Notes containing individual .html files (one per note) and a folder called Images with any attached images.
Import into your target app. The import method depends on your app:
- Joplin: Use the built-in importer: File > Import > HTML (Markdown). Select all the .html files in the Notes folder. Joplin will convert them to Markdown notes and import images.
- Standard Notes: Use the HTML import option in the desktop app (File > Import). Select the .html files; Standard Notes will create notes from them.
- Logseq: This app uses Markdown files. You’ll need to convert the .html files to .md first (e.g., using a tool like Pandoc or an online converter), then place them in your Logseq pages folder.
Verify your notes. After importing, open a few notes in the new app to confirm the text, formatting, and images came through correctly.
Organize and clean up. Once everything is imported, you can delete the Takeout folder from your computer and optionally delete your Google Keep notes if you no longer need them.

Common Mistakes

Exporting the entire Google data archive instead of just Keep. This wastes time and storage; always deselect all and choose Keep only.
Importing the .html files individually into apps like Joplin that support batch import. Use the app’s import function to select multiple files at once.
Forgetting to extract the .zip before importing. The import function needs the actual .html files, not the compressed archive.
Assuming images are embedded in the .html files. They are stored separately in the Images folder. Some apps (like Joplin) handle this automatically, but others (like Standard Notes) may not link them correctly.
Not checking the import result. Always spot-check a few notes, especially those with checklists or images, to catch any conversion issues.

Tips

Use Joplin if you want the easiest import. Its HTML importer is specifically designed for Google Keep exports and handles most formatting well.
Clean up your notes before exporting. Delete notes you no longer need in Google Keep first to reduce the import size and clutter.
Keep the Takeout folder until you’re confident. Don’t delete it until you’ve verified that all notes are in the new app, so you can re-import if something goes wrong.
Consider converting to Markdown. If your target app uses Markdown (like Logseq or Obsidian), convert the .html files to .md using Pandoc for cleaner results.
Test with one note first. Import a single .html file to see how it looks before importing everything.

Troubleshooting

Import fails or shows an error. Make sure the .zip is fully extracted and you’re selecting the .html files, not the folder. Try importing a single file to isolate the issue.
Images are missing. Some apps don’t automatically link the Images folder. For Joplin, ensure the import is done via File > Import > HTML (Markdown) which should handle images. For Standard Notes, you may need to manually attach images to notes.
Checklists become plain text. Google Keep exports checkboxes as HTML input elements. Joplin converts them to Markdown checkboxes; other apps may not. If your app doesn’t support Markdown checkboxes, you may need to manually reformat them.
Formatting looks broken. Some apps don’t support all HTML tags. Try converting to Markdown first with Pandoc, then import the .md files.
No export email arrives. Check your spam folder. If it’s been more than 24 hours, go back to Takeout and click Create export again.
The archive is too large. Google Takeout splits large exports into multiple .zip files. Download all of them and extract each into the same folder.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my Google Keep labels be preserved?

No. Google Takeout exports notes as individual .html files without label metadata. You’ll need to recreate labels or folders manually in your new app.

Can I move notes from my phone?

Yes, but the process is easier on a computer. On a phone, you can still use Takeout in a mobile browser, but extracting and importing files is more cumbersome. It’s recommended to use a desktop.

Do I need to pay for any of this?

No. Google Takeout is free, and the open source apps mentioned (Joplin, Standard Notes, Logseq) are free to use locally. Some apps offer paid sync services, but local import is free.

Will my note creation dates be kept?

No. The .html export does not include creation or modification dates. Your imported notes will get the current date/time in the new app.

Can I move notes to Obsidian?

Yes. Obsidian uses Markdown files. You’ll need to convert the .html files to .md (using Pandoc or a similar tool) and then place them in your Obsidian vault folder. Obsidian will pick them up automatically.

What if I have hundreds of notes?

The process is the same, but it may take longer. Joplin’s batch import handles large numbers well. For other apps, consider importing in smaller batches to avoid timeouts.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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