Notion CSV Import and Export: Databases Without the Mess

Notion Databases Are Rich; CSV Is Flat

Notion powers product wikis and lightweight CRMs for teams across the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Europe. CSV is how you seed databases from spreadsheets, hand work to Excel stakeholders, and migrate between workspaces. Relations, rollups, and files do not fully survive CSV — plan for that before promising a “complete backup.”

Export vs Import Jobs

Clarify the goal first.

Step-by-Step: Export a Notion Database to CSV

What most collaborators need.

• Open the database (full page view is clearest).
• Adjust the view: visible properties ≈ exported columns.
• Use Export / Download CSV for that database.
• Preview in Online CSV Editor; confirm row counts.
• Convert to Excel if needed for leadership decks.
• Name files with workspace + database + date.

Name,Status,Owner,Tags,Due
Homepage redesign,In progress,Alex,"Design,Web",2026-05-30
API rate limits,Done,Sam,Engineering,2026-05-12

Step-by-Step: Import CSV into Notion

Create a clean database from a sheet.

• Prepare rectangular CSV with a header row.
• Use ISO dates where possible.
• Import via Notion’s Import CSV flow (or merge into a new database page).
• Convert property types: Number, Date, Select, Multi-select, Checkbox.
• Rename properties to match your workspace taxonomy.
• Rebuild relations manually or with a second import pass keyed on titles.

Property Types That Flatten Badly

Set expectations with stakeholders.

Dates and Locales

US/UK date ambiguity shows up in task DBs constantly.

• Prefer YYYY-MM-DD in interchange CSVs.
• If Excel rewrites dates after export, clean before re-import.
• European semicolon CSV: convert to comma before Notion if needed.
• Phone and ID-like fields: force text.

Notion vs Airtable CSV

Similar flat-file story; different product details.

• Both export views to CSV for Excel people.
• Both struggle with relations/attachments in CSV alone.
• Airtable often has more formal field typing on import; Notion wants post-import type fixes.
• See the Airtable CSV guide if you are migrating between the two.

Common Mistakes

Workspace foot-guns.

• Exporting a filtered view and thinking it was the whole database.
• Re-importing without a stable key → duplicate pages.
• Expecting rollups and relations to round-trip.
• Using CSV as the only disaster recovery plan.
• Letting Excel destroy issue keys that look like numbers.

Best Practices

Design an Export view.

• Keep a dedicated view with stable column order for agencies.
• Version CSVs with database name + date.
• Normalize selects and dates before import.
• Import relations in passes: parent DB first.
• Clean files in-browser when contractors handle client workspaces.

Why Use Convert CSV Online?

Convert CSV Online is free, browser-based, and requires no account for everyday conversions. Preview Notion exports in the Online CSV Editor, fix delimiters and dates, convert to Excel for stakeholders, or to Markdown for docs. Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux browsers.

Conclusion

Notion CSV is excellent for flat database values and spreadsheet handoffs. Treat relations, files, and formulas as second-class in CSV, prefer ISO dates, and keep a stable export view for US, UK, AU, and EU collaborators.