How to Migrate from Notion to Outline

Outline is the most mature open source Notion alternative for team wikis. It has a Notion-like editor, real-time collaboration, collections, and a comprehensive API. Here's how to migrate your Notion workspace.

What Transfers

Content	Status
✅ Pages and sub-pages	Native Notion import
✅ Text formatting	Full support
✅ Images	Imported with content
✅ Tables	Supported
✅ Code blocks	Supported
✅ Lists and toggles	Supported
⚠️ Databases	Import as tables (static)
❌ Database views/filters	Not supported
❌ Formulas and relations	Not supported
❌ Comments	Not preserved
❌ Page analytics	Not preserved

Step 1: Export from Notion

1. Go to Settings & Members → Settings
2. Click Export all workspace content
3. Choose Markdown & CSV format
4. Include sub-pages → Export
5. Download the ZIP file

Step 2: Deploy Outline

# Docker Compose
git clone https://github.com/outline/outline.git
cd outline/docker
cp .env.sample .env

# Edit .env — configure:
# - DATABASE_URL (PostgreSQL)
# - REDIS_URL
# - SECRET_KEY (generate with openssl rand -hex 32)
# - URL (your domain)
# - Authentication provider (Google, Slack, OIDC, SAML)

docker compose up -d

Requirements: PostgreSQL, Redis, S3-compatible storage (MinIO works), authentication provider (OIDC, Google, Slack, or SAML).

Step 3: Import into Outline

Outline has a native Notion import:

1. Open Outline → Settings → Import
2. Select Notion as the source
3. Upload your exported ZIP file
4. Outline maps Notion pages → Documents and sub-pages → Nested documents
5. Import completes in minutes

Alternative: Markdown import

1. Settings → Import → Markdown
2. Upload individual .md files or folders

Step 4: Organize Collections

Notion's workspace structure → Outline:

Notion	Outline
Team spaces	Collections
Top-level pages	Documents in collections
Sub-pages	Nested documents
Favorites	Stars
Shared pages	Public document sharing

Create collections to mirror your Notion team spaces, then move imported documents into the appropriate collections.

Step 5: Set Up Authentication

Outline requires an external auth provider:

Google OAuth (easiest):

1. Create OAuth credentials at console.cloud.google.com
2. Set authorized redirect: https://your-outline.com/auth/google.callback
3. Add GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID and GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET to .env

OIDC (Keycloak, Authentik, etc.):

OIDC_CLIENT_ID=outline
OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET=your-secret
OIDC_AUTH_URI=https://auth.yourdomain.com/authorize
OIDC_TOKEN_URI=https://auth.yourdomain.com/token
OIDC_USERINFO_URI=https://auth.yourdomain.com/userinfo

Step 6: Set Up Integrations

Notion Feature	Outline Equivalent
Slack integration	✅ Slack plugin (search, share, notifications)
API	✅ Comprehensive REST API
Embed blocks	✅ Embeds (YouTube, Figma, etc.)
Webhooks	✅ Webhooks
Templates	✅ Document templates
Public sharing	✅ Public links with custom domains

What You'll Gain

• Self-hosted data — your docs on your server
• No per-user pricing — unlimited users
• Real-time collaboration — same as Notion
• API access — full REST API for automation
• Custom domains for public docs
• Faster editor — lightweight, focused on writing

Migration Timeline

Day	Task
Day 1	Deploy Outline, configure auth, import Notion export
Day 2	Organize collections, set up integrations
Day 3-5	Invite team, run both platforms
Week 2	Primary usage moves to Outline
Week 3	Sunset Notion, downgrade plan

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