How to Migrate from Notion to ClickUp: Steps & Best Practices

When Notion 2.0 launched in 2018, it changed how people organized work. Pages, databases, and blocks made it easy to build custom systems without locking into a traditional project tool. For a long time, that flexibility worked.

But documentation alone can’t keep work moving.

As work becomes more execution-heavy, relying on pages and tables starts to slow things down. That’s usually when teams begin looking for something more structured and efficient.

If you’re in that phase, this article is for you. This guide breaks down how to move from Notion to ClickUp, step by step.

And why ClickUp? Because it approaches work differently. It’s a project management tool where tasks, timelines, docs, automation, and reporting converge into one space.

So, let’s get started! 🎯

How to Migrate from Notion to ClickUp: Steps, Tools & Best Practices

Why Migrate from Notion to ClickUp?

If your team has outgrown Notion project management as a ‘do‑everything’ workspace and now needs reliable project tracking, automations, and a clearer structure, ClickUp is a strong next step. This ClickUp vs. Notion comparison helps you understand where Notion shines, where it struggles at scale, and how ClickUp helps.

Notion’s strengths and where it falls short

Notion is excellent for flexible documentation, connected wikis, and lightweight databases, especially for solo creators and small teams.

The gaps appear when work becomes task-heavy. Dependencies, automation, permissions, and workload tracking are limited. Managing deadlines, owners, and progress across teams often requires manual upkeep or external tools, which slows execution.

Benefits of switching to ClickUp’s project management tool

Here are the main benefits of using ClickUp as your go-to task management software:

Faster execution: Native tasks, statuses, priorities, and due dates keep work moving without manual updates
Scales with your team: Hierarchies, permissions, and views hold up as projects and people increase
Built-in automation: Task assignments, status updation, and action triggers without third-party tools
Clear structure: Spaces, Folders, and Lists replace nested pages with predictable workflows
Real-time visibility: Dashboards and reporting show progress, blockers, and workloads instantly
Less context switching: Docs, comments, goals, and tasks live in one system, eliminating Tool Sprawl

Who should consider migrating?

Client service agencies that need structured pipelines, SLAs, and repeatable delivery templates
Operations teams building SOPs that must tie directly to tasks, SLAs, and automations
Product and project managers who need timelines, dependencies, and portfolio‑level reporting
Content and creator teams whose ‘wiki + tasks in Notion’ have become slow, fragmented, and hard to report on

🧠 Fun Fact: Turns out 72% of PMOs expect their scope and responsibilities to grow in the coming years. And when the workload keeps widening, a platform like ClickUp makes it easier to keep everything structured, aligned, and manageable as you scale.

What You Can Safely Migrate from Notion

Before moving from Notion to ClickUp, it’s important to understand what types of content transfer cleanly and what may need a quick review. The good news is that most core Notion elements used for planning, tracking, and documentation migrate reliably when structured well.

Databases/tables

Structured databases, such as task trackers, content calendars, CRM-style tables, or simple project lists, can be migrated safely. Rows, properties, and basic relationships transfer well, especially when databases are clearly defined.

Pages, docs, and content

Notion pages containing written content like headings, paragraphs, bullet lists, and links migrate smoothly. Long-form documentation, meeting notes, knowledge bases, and SOP-style content are especially safe to move, as long as page hierarchies are intentional and not overly fragmented.

Tasks, checklists, and boards

Task-style databases, checklists inside pages, and kanban-style boards transfer well when they follow a consistent structure. Status-based workflows and basic priority setups carry over cleanly, making them easy to rebuild into an actionable system after migration.

Files, embeds, and attachments

Uploaded files, images, and common embeds generally migrate to ClickUp without issue. External links and references are preserved, though some embedded third-party widgets may need to be reconnected depending on the source.

🔍 Did You Know? Teams that grow with ClickUp get time back. By year three, the average team saves around 12 hours per employee every month, which adds up to more headspace for planning, decision-making, and the work that actually drives impact.

Read the full report

What Does NOT Migrate Automatically

Not everything in a complex Notion build has a one‑click equivalent in ClickUp. Knowing those limits upfront prevents surprises:

Comments, attachments, and task-level details: Inline database task comments, descriptions, and attachments are not included
Wikis and knowledge structure: Notion wikis don’t transfer automatically. Imported pages arrive as ClickUp Docs and can be manually converted into wikis at the document level
Version history: Page history and activity logs from Notion docs are not preserved in ClickUp
Visual blocks and layout styling: Cover images, callouts, dividers, videos, and code blocks often convert into simplified text, while multi-column layouts flatten into a single column
Buttons and interactive elements: Button fields from Notion are not supported during import
Page icons and emojis: These may not transfer and usually need to be reapplied manually
Number formatting: Percent symbols are removed from number fields, and currency-formatted numbers import as Money fields instead

Pre-Migration Checklist

This checklist keeps the import lean so your new ClickUp workspace feels organized from day one.

Clean and organize your Notion workspace

Audit your workspace before exporting anything. Here’s what you can do:

Standardize database names, property names, and views so it is obvious what each table is for
Remove duplicate views and unused properties that slow databases and clutter exports
Ensure key pages and databases live in clear top‑level areas, not buried deep in random subpages

Merge or archive unused blocks/pages

Old experiments, personal pages, and abandoned systems create clutter during migration. Do these quick tune-ups:

Archive anything that no longer supports active work
Merge overlapping databases where possible

Decide on your ClickUp Hierarchy

ClickUp is built around a clear, structured framework that turns work into an organized system. Understanding this hierarchy upfront helps you import Notion content cleanly and avoid restructuring later.

Here’s how the ClickUp Hierarchy works:

ClickUp Hierarchy: How to migrate from Notion to ClickUp — *Structure everything with the ClickUp Hierarchy, so your teammates can find their work easily*

Workspace: Represents your entire company or account
Spaces: Separates major areas of work such as Client Services, Product, Marketing, or Operations
Folders: Groups related workflows, clients, products, or programs within each Space
Lists: Holds the actual tasks for projects or repeatable processes
Tasks: Captures individual pieces of work with due dates, assignees, priorities, and statuses
Subtasks and checklists: Breaks tasks into step-by-step actions for execution

Before importing from Notion, align both your pages and databases with this structure:

Map high-level domains to Spaces: Assign broad functions like Product, Marketing, or Operations at the Space level
Group related work into Folders: Organize by clients, products, or major initiatives
Map Notion databases to Lists: Decide whether each database becomes a single List, multiple Lists, or a doc reference in ClickUp
Plan for relationships in advance: Identify Notion relations and rollups so you can recreate them later using ClickUp Relationships, rollups, and formulas

Export permissions and team visibility decisions

Notion permissions don’t migrate. So, you will need to:

Review who currently has access to which areas in Notion and document any sensitive spaces or databases
Decide how those should translate into ClickUp Spaces, private Folders, and List‑level permissions before import
Plan watcher/assignee rules so important tasks automatically surface to the right people once your data is in ClickUp

How to Migrate from Notion to ClickUp (Step-by-Step)

Below is a practical roadmap to move your work safely from Notion with ClickUp Importer. 👇

Step #1: Export your Notion data

Here’s how to export from Notion and grab all pages and databases in one go:

Open Notion and click Settings & Members in the sidebar
Choose Export all workspace content with Include Content: Everything
Download the exported ZIP when it arrives via email

Export from Notion as a HTML or CSV file — *Set the format to* ***HTML*** *before exporting your data*

For database tables, you can also export individual tables as CSV from the ‘•••’ menu on each database
Specify that team-wide migrations should always use ‘Export all workspace content,’ while partial migrations or templates use the ‘Export’ option from the ellipsis menu on specific pages
Save the exported .zip or .html folder locally before proceeding. If the export format is wrong, ClickUp won’t recognize the file

❗ Note: Exporting HTML ensures readable content and structure, while CSV captures spreadsheet-style data you’ll bring into ClickUp Lists.

Step #2: Prepare files for import

Before importing your work into ClickUp, tidy and label everything clearly:

Rename files and folders so they match your planned ClickUp structure
Open CSVs and make sure the first row contains clean field names (e.g., Task Name, Due Date, Assignee, Status)
Standardize values like statuses (Done, In Progress), dates, and people names before import
Remove empty or obsolete columns that aren’t needed

💡 Pro Tip: When exporting individual Notion pages, enable Create folders for subpages. This keeps nested pages intact inside ClickUp Docs. If it’s turned off, all subpages collapse into a single document.

Step #3: Import data into ClickUp

How to migrate from Notion to ClickUp — *Select the pre-built Notion importer*

ClickUp has a dedicated Notion importer that pulls pages, databases, and users into a single ClickUp Space and Folder. Here’s how you can import from Notion:

In ClickUp, click your Workspace avatar > Settings > Import/Export > Start Import > Notion > Import items
Upload your Notion export file (HTML zip) and choose the Space where the content should live, or create a new Space just for migrated items
Map Notion users to existing ClickUp members, invite them, or import them as inactive users, then click Import and wait for the import to complete

How to migrate your to-dos from Notion to ClickUp without complexity — *Drag and drop the downloaded file to upload in the dialog box*

Step #4: Recreate database views inside ClickUp

Once your data is in ClickUp, the next step is to rebuild how you see it:

For each imported List, add List, Board, Calendar, or Table views to mirror Notion’s boards, timelines, and filters. Use ClickUp filters for status, assignee, and due dates to approximate Notion filters
Retain frequently used combinations as Saved Views and pin them so your team sees the right layout right away

Saved views in ClickUp — *Enable Autosave to lock in filters, sorting, and column changes*

ℹ️ FYI: We’ll dive deeper into this in the next section, where you’ll learn which Notion views translate best into ClickUp Views like List, Board, Gantt, or Calendar.

Step #5: Rebuild relations and formulas

Like we discussed before, Notion relations and rollups do not carry over as-is. They must be rebuilt using Custom Fields, dependencies, and formulas.

Customize statuses in ClickUp — *Update multiple tasks at once from any View by selecting them and using the Bulk Action Toolbar*

Create Custom Fields (dropdowns, numbers, URLs, people) that match your old Notion properties, then use ClickUp’s Bulk Action toolbar to populate missing values
Replace Notion relations with ClickUp Relationships (dependencies, links between tasks) and use Formula Custom Fields to replicate calculations like effort and cost

Step #6: Re-invite your team and set permissions

ClickUp Permissions let you control access at Space, Folder, List, and Doc levels, so it is important to re-establish guardrails you previously had in Notion. Doing this immediately prevents confusion and accidental edits in the newly imported workspace.

Team members in ClickUp — *Manage who can do what in your Workspace by assigning custom roles to members and guests in one place*

📌 How to set up permissions in ClickUp:

Assign roles when inviting users

Add members (full access), guests (limited access), or admins (workspace-wide control) to your imported Space
Create custom roles (on Business Plus/Enterprise plans) for even more tailored access

Set permissions at every level

Permissions can be set on Spaces (Enterprise), Folders, Lists, and Docs. For each location, you can choose what invited users can do:

Full edit
Edit
Comment
View only

Lock down sensitive Lists and Docs

Make Lists or Docs private and share them only with specific people or teams. Use ‘View only’ or ‘Comment’ permissions for external collaborators to prevent unwanted edits.

🧠 Fun Fact: Work Sprawl is more expensive than most teams realize. It adds up to an estimated $2.5 trillion in lost productivity, and the hidden costs pile up fast: manual processes, constant tool-switching, and endless status updates quietly drain budgets quarter after quarter.

This is exactly the kind of fragmentation ClickUp helps teams move away from, so work feels faster, clearer, and far less expensive in the long run.

ClickUp work sprawl survey — *Work sprawl and its impact on productivity*

Mapping Notion Elements to ClickUp (What Goes Where)

Now, the next step is understanding how Notion’s building blocks translate into ClickUp’s structure.

Notion pages > ClickUp Docs

All Notion docs import into one ClickUp Doc. Each Notion page becomes a subpage inside that Doc. You can organize them into nested pages and subpages so your team can easily find:

Processes and playbooks
Onboarding materials
Product specs
Meeting notes

*Create structured knowledge with ClickUp Docs and use rich text formatting and nested pages*

Unlike in Notion, ClickUp Docs don’t live in isolation.

This Notion alternative allows you to link Docs to Folders and Lists, create Tasks directly from highlighted text, and relate Docs to tasks for added context. Teams can enjoy real-time collaboration, comment inline, assign feedback, and track page history to see what changed and when.

🚀 ClickUp Advantage: Make your Docs come alive with ClickUp Brain—the world’s first context-aware AI built directly into your workspace.

Here are some practical ways to use ClickUp Brain:

ClickUp Brain search Docs — *Ask ClickUp Brain to search across Docs as a source and get precise answers even when information is buried deep inside pages*

Summarize long Docs instantly: Generate clear summaries of entire Docs or selected sections, helping teammates get context without reading everything line by line
Convert documentation into tasks: Highlight text and let Brain extract action items, then turn them into ClickUp Tasks
Ask questions directly inside Docs: Query ClickUp Brain in natural language to surface key decisions, owners, or next steps without manually searching through pages
Draft new Docs and improve content: Create structured Docs, outlines, or follow-up pages from prompts and get AI-powered suggestions to rewrite, clarify, or adjust tone directly inside Docs

Databases > Lists

Notion databases translate best into ClickUp Lists. Each row becomes a task, making it easier to assign ownership, due dates, priorities, and dependencies.

Each task is a flexible, actionable item with rich properties such as:

ClickUp Priorities: Mark tasks as urgent, high, normal, or low
ClickUp Custom Statuses: Move tasks through custom workflows (e.g., To Do, In Progress, Done)
ClickUp Dependencies: Set tasks as blocking or waiting on others

Simply add ClickUp Custom Task Statuses — *Rebuild your Notion databases with ClickUp Custom Statuses so your workflows scale without extra maintenance*

Properties > Custom Fields

Database properties such as select options, text fields, numbers, and dates convert into ClickUp Custom Fields.

You can choose from specialized field types such as Dropdowns, Labels, Money, Email, URL, Location, or Formula Fields, so each property behaves exactly as intended.

ClickUp Custom Fields to migrate from Notion to ClickUp — *Use ClickUp Custom Fields to capture the details that actually drive execution*

Once imported, Custom Fields help you:

Filter, sort, and group tasks in any view using Custom Field data
Recreate rollups and calculations like effort scores and budgets with Formula Fields
Trigger automations when Custom Field values change (for routing, assignments, or status updates)

💡 Pro Tip: Use ClickUp AI Fields to automatically generate, interpret, or standardize information inside Tasks using ClickUp Brain.

For instance, you can add a Summary Field to your List or Folder view so teammates can scan multiple tasks without opening a single one. Choose Short or Bulleted formats for backlog reviews and planning meetings.

🔍 Did You Know? Even though companies keep adding new AI tools, 91% of workers use only 1-4 tools per week, so most of that investment never gets real adoption. And because so many tools feel disconnected from day-to-day work, 44.8% of people said they stopped using at least one AI tool in the last year.

ClickUp cuts through that AI Sprawl by bringing your AI into the same place where teams plan, track, and communicate, so the tools you use don’t multiply, the work does.

Notion views > ClickUp Views

Notion views like tables, boards, and timelines map perfectly to ClickUp Views.

Here’s a comparison of ClickUp and Notion views, along with what you gain when you make the switch:

Notion view	ClickUp view	Why ClickUp is better
Table	ClickUp Table View	Supports calculations, grouping, sorting, and custom fields for advanced analytics
Board	ClickUp Board View (Kanban)	Offers drag-and-drop stages plus built-in automations, statuses, swimlanes, and workflow rules
Timeline	ClickUp Timeline View	Provides horizontal project timelines similar to Notion, but integrates with task dependencies and scheduling adjustments
Calendar	ClickUp Calendar View	Shows tasks and dates alongside scheduling, and syncs with external calendars like Google/Outlook for real-world planning

ClickUp Views: Solution with advanced features for visualization — *Use ClickUp Views to shift from documentation to action, whether you’re planning in a List, tracking timelines, or managing work on a Board*

Templates and workflows > ClickUp templates

Notion templates don’t migrate as reusable templates by default. Instead, you import the underlying pages or databases using ClickUp’s native import tool, just like any other Notion content.

Once imported, you can then convert into reusable ClickUp Templates.

📌 How to recreate Notion templates in ClickUp:

Import the Notion database or page as discussed in the previous section
Once imported, locate the resulting List or Folder in ClickUp
Hover over it, click the ellipsis (…), and select Templates > Save as Template
Name the template and choose who can use it across your Workspace

📖 Also Read: Free Data Migration Plan Templates for Seamless IT Transitions

Post-Migration Setup for Smooth Adoption

Getting your data into ClickUp is important, but it’s what you do after the migration that determines adoption. This is where ClickUp’s workflow optimization, AI, and automation strengths start to pay off.

Create automations and recurring ClickUp tasks

ClickUp Automations let you automate repetitive tasks and turn your workflows into self-maintaining systems. With a few clicks, you can build automation rules using triggers, conditions, and actions.

ClickUp Automation: How to migrate from Notion to ClickUp app — *Replace rule-heavy workflows with ClickUp Custom Automations that move work forward automatically based on real triggers*

Here’s a workflow automation example:

When a task moves to ‘Done’, ClickUp can automatically move it to an ‘Archive List’, notify stakeholders, or apply completion tags
And when a due date is approaching, ClickUp can assign reminders, update priorities, or reassign ownership

On top of traditional automations, ClickUp Agents bring an extra layer of intelligence by going beyond simple ‘if this, then that’ rules.

Use natural language to define what you want and these agents will summarize activity, draft task lists, generate subtasks, and suggest field values for you.

ClickUp Agents: Automate one point to simplify workflows — *Add an extra layer of execution with ClickUp Agents that reduce busywork instead of adding more tools*

You can deploy prebuilt agents like Ambient Answers, which can be enabled in a ClickUp Chat Channel to answer team questions with detailed, context-aware responses using your workspace knowledge and external sources.

And for custom workflows, build your own Super Agents with a no-code builder. For example, you can create an HR Agent that only answers questions about employee benefits, referencing your internal docs, and so on.

📮 ClickUp Insight: 59% of our survey respondents say they do not have a weekly reset or review system in place.

When updates live across tasks, comments, docs, and messages, pulling everything together can feel like a project of its own. By the time you gather information on what changed, what slipped, and what needs attention, the energy to actually plan the week ahead is already gone.

What if an agent can take over this for you? ClickUp’s AI Super Agents can automatically compile activity across tasks and summarize what needs follow-up.

Instead of spending time reconstructing the past, you get to make clearer decisions about what comes next.

Simplify workflows with ClickUp

Build dashboards for reporting

ClickUp Dashboards are your command center for visibility. They let you combine multiple cards to show metrics that matter, including task counts by status, overdue items, sprint velocity, workload balance, time tracking, charts, and more.

ClickUp Dashboards: Data analysis and collaboration made easy — *Visualize execution after migration with ClickUp Dashboards built from task statuses and priorities*

Start with common views like:

Team performance (Completed Report)
Timeline and milestones (Calendar and Milestone Cards)
Workload balance (Workload by Status)

Dashboards pull live data from your workspace, updating in real time and supporting CSV or Excel exports for offline reports.

🚀 ClickUp Advantage: Eliminate the need for weekly standup docs and status emails with ClickUp AI Cards. With AI Cards, you can:

Ask smarter questions with ClickUp Brain: Run custom prompts like ‘Summarize overdue tasks and suggest next actions’ and get answers pulled directly from your workspace
Automate team standups: Use AI StandUp or AI Team StandUp cards to surface what’s done, what’s blocked, and what’s next, daily or weekly
Get executive-ready overviews: Add AI Executive Summary cards for a high-level snapshot of project health, risks, and progress

ClickUp AI Cards: Reasons to migrate from Notion to ClickUp — *Replace broad summaries with ClickUp AI Cards that stay grounded in the right tasks, teams, and timelines*

Create team onboarding docs

A migration is only successful if your team actually benefits from it.

To avoid confusion, broken workflows, or people defaulting back to old tools, build onboarding documentation that explains:

The new ClickUp hierarchy (Spaces > Folders > Lists)
Where to find key information
How automation rules work
How to use templates and recurring tasks
Naming standards and tagging conventions

You can use project management templates inside ClickUp Docs to make onboarding consistent for future hires. Embedding tasks into your onboarding Docs, for example, ‘Complete your first task’, encourages hands-on learning.

Integrate tools

ClickUp Integrations allow you to connect with hundreds of external tools so you can keep using what your team already relies on.

Native connections include:

Google Calendar: Sync tasks with your schedule
Slack: Get updates or create tasks from Slack messages
Google Drive/OneDrive/Dropbox: Attach and preview files directly
Zoom/MS Teams: Coordinate meetings with tasks and links
GitHub, HubSpot, CRM tools, time trackers, and more

A practical look at the AI tools product managers will actually use:

Common Migration Mistakes to Avoid

Teams often rush the migration and end up recreating the same chaos in a new tool. The table below highlights the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.

Common mistake	How to avoid it
Importing cluttered Notion workspaces	Archive outdated pages, delete duplicates, and remove test databases before export
Treating Notion databases as documentation instead of work queues	Split knowledge bases into ClickUp Docs and execution databases into Lists before importing
Assuming comments and discussions will retain context	Convert key discussions into task comments or Docs before export, since inline database comments may not carry over cleanly
Skipping structure planning	Define Spaces, Folders, and Lists before importing any content
Importing all users at once	Assign roles and permissions deliberately after testing access levels
Migrating everything in one go	Run a pilot import with one team or workspace before scaling

Final Tips for a Successful Migration from Notion to ClickUp

Here are some additional tips to ensure long-term adoption and clean execution.

Create a migration map that defines how each Notion element translates into ClickUp
Schedule a 30-day cleanup checkpoint and review unused fields, redundant Lists, and abandoned Docs once real usage patterns emerge
Test imports in a controlled environment before rolling out to the entire team
Train teams to use views for filtering and planning, not as separate databases like in Notion

When You Should NOT Migrate from Notion

Migration only makes sense when ClickUp’s structure aligns with how your team works. Consider sticking with Notion if the following apply:

Rely heavily on nested wikis and long-form documentation that changes frequently
Depend on flexible page-level databases rather than task-based execution
Work primarily in content, design, or research workflows with minimal task ownership
Want visual flexibility more than structured workflows and execution control

Moving Beyond Pages and Tables With ClickUp

Notion is a great place to think, plan, and document ideas. But when work becomes deadline-driven and collaborative, documentation alone isn’t enough to keep things moving.

That’s where ClickUp stands apart. It brings tasks, timelines, docs, automation, and reporting into one workspace, so you’re not jumping between pages and trackers anymore.

And documentation doesn’t take a back seat. ClickUp Docs give you something that Notion doesn’t. Docs stay tied to the work itself and you can turn text into tasks, link Docs to projects, and use AI to summarize, write, and surface the right information when you need it.

With ClickUp Brain helping you move faster, Automations reducing manual work, and Dashboards giving you clear visibility into progress, the system starts working for you instead of the other way around.

If your Notion setup is starting to feel rigid, migrating to ClickUp is a practical next step. Sign up to ClickUp for free today.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can I migrate my Notion databases to ClickUp?

Yes. When you use ClickUp’s Notion import, databases from Notion are brought into ClickUp as Lists inside a single Folder. Each row becomes a task, and fields are converted to Custom Fields so your data structure stays usable in ClickUp.

Will relations, rollups, or formulas transfer?

No. Complex database features like relations, rollups, and formulas do not transfer automatically. You’ll need to manually recreate them in ClickUp using Relationships, Formula Fields, or Automations after import.

Does ClickUp offer a direct Notion migration tool?

Yes. ClickUp has a built-in Notion importer in Workspace Settings under Imports/Exports. You upload your Notion HTML export and choose where to bring content into your ClickUp Workspace.

How long does the migration take?

Migration time depends on the size of your Notion workspace. Small imports can finish in minutes; larger exports with many pages and databases can take longer, but ClickUp processes them asynchronously once started. Planning for a few hours overall, including prep and review, is typical.

Is ClickUp better than Notion for project management?

ClickUp has broader native project management features like task ownership, dependencies, timelines, Automations, and Dashboards. Notion is stronger for free-form documentation and flexible layouts. For structured execution and reporting at scale, ClickUp provides more built-in tools.

Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.

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