Move from Obsidian to Glyph Without Breaking Links

If you want to move from Obsidian to Glyph, start with the good news: your notes probably already live as Markdown files. That is the whole advantage of choosing a file-based notes app in the first place. You do not need to beg an export wizard for your writing.

The risky parts sit around the files: wikilinks, attachments, plugins, daily note paths, frontmatter, embeds, and habits. Those details decide whether the move feels clean or turns into a week of link repair.

Glyph is built for Mac users who want local Markdown notes, native speed, optional AI, Git sync, tasks, boards, backlinks, and graph view without turning the notebook into a plugin project. This guide gives you a migration path that respects the work already in your vault.

What does it mean to move from Obsidian to Glyph?

To move from Obsidian to Glyph means opening your existing Markdown vault in Glyph, checking links and attachments, mapping Obsidian-specific habits to Glyph features, and keeping the files readable on disk. The goal is a working notebook, not a perfect copy of every plugin behavior.

That last sentence matters. A migration succeeds when your real work continues. You do not need to recreate every panel, command, CSS snippet, and plugin. You need your notes, links, attachments, and daily rhythm to survive.

For a broader product comparison, read Obsidian vs Glyph.

Make a copy of your vault first

Do not test a migration on your only copy. Duplicate the Obsidian vault folder and work against the copy.

Your first checklist:

1. Find the vault folder in Finder.
2. Quit Obsidian.
3. Duplicate the folder.
4. Rename the copy, such as Notes Glyph Test.
5. Open the copy in Glyph.
6. Keep the original untouched until the test passes.

This keeps the migration boring. If something looks wrong, you can inspect the issue without panic.

If you use Git already, commit before the test. If you do not, consider using Git for the copied vault while you test. The post on Git sync for Markdown notes explains how history helps during a move.

Check your Markdown files

Most Obsidian notes are standard .md files. That is the core reason the move can work. Still, you should inspect the folder before you assume everything is portable.

Look for:

1. Notes with unusual file names.
2. Very long notes with many embeds.
3. Notes that depend on plugin syntax.
4. Canvas files.
5. Dataview queries.
6. Attachments in hidden or unusual folders.
7. Templates that use plugin-specific variables.

Open a few representative files in a plain text editor. If the note reads well there, Glyph has a better chance of handling it cleanly. If a note looks like a pile of plugin code, decide whether to preserve, rewrite, or archive that pattern.

Markdown portability works best when the plain file still tells the story.

Test wikilinks and backlinks

Obsidian popularized [[wikilinks]], and many vaults rely on them. Glyph supports wikilinks, backlinks, linked-note previews, and graph view, so core linked-note workflows should feel familiar.

Test these link types:

[[Project Atlas]]
[[Project Atlas|launch plan]]
[[Project Atlas#Meeting notes]]
![[diagram.png]]

Then ask practical questions:

1. Does the linked note open?
2. Does the backlink appear where you expect?
3. Does the alias read well?
4. Do heading links still help you navigate?
5. Do image embeds resolve?

Do not judge the migration by one perfect note. Pick twenty notes with messy, real links. Include older notes. Include notes with spaces in file names. Include notes with aliases and attachments.

If you built a dense graph, open graph view after the link test. The graph should support navigation, but the link behavior in the editor matters more.

Audit attachments before you move everything

Attachments cause more migration pain than prose. Obsidian lets each vault choose attachment folder behavior. Some users keep attachments beside notes. Others use one global folder. Some plugins create their own structure.

Check your current attachment settings in Obsidian, then inspect the folder in Finder. You want to know where images, PDFs, and other files live before you open the vault elsewhere.

Use this small test:

1. Open a note with one image.
2. Open a note with several images.
3. Open a note with a PDF link.
4. Open a note with an attachment whose file name contains spaces.
5. Open a note that embeds an attachment from a subfolder.

Glyph supports image embeds and previews for attachments like PDFs and images. Since the files stay local, your main job is path sanity. If attachments render from the copied vault, you can trust more of the migration.

Translate plugin workflows into simpler patterns

Plugins make Obsidian powerful. They also make some vaults harder to leave.

Before moving, list the plugins your work depends on. Separate them from plugins you installed, liked for a week, and forgot.

Use a table like this:

The goal is not feature matching. It is workflow matching. If a plugin helped you review open tasks, build that review in Glyph with Markdown tasks, properties, and board views. If a plugin generated elaborate dashboards you never used, leave it behind.

The guide to Markdown task management shows how tasks and boards can stay close to notes.

Review frontmatter and properties

Many Obsidian vaults use YAML frontmatter:

---
project: Atlas
status: active
tags:
  - launch
  - research
---

Glyph supports properties and property links, which makes frontmatter useful beyond static metadata. Review how your vault uses fields before moving. You may find five versions of the same idea: project, projects, client, area, and related.

Migration gives you a chance to simplify. Pick the fields you use for real workflows and leave the rest alone until they bother you. Do not spend a weekend normalizing metadata nobody reads.

If a field should connect notes, consider a link value:

project: [[Project Atlas]]

That lets structured metadata join the link graph.

Decide what to do with AI

Obsidian users often add AI through plugins, scripts, or external tools. That can work, but it can also make privacy hard to reason about. You need to know which notes get sent to which provider.

Glyph makes AI optional and provider-controlled. You can connect OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, OpenRouter, Ollama, llama.cpp, or use no AI. Your notes stay local unless you choose a workflow that sends content elsewhere.

When migrating, check AI prompts and generated notes with care:

1. Keep source notes separate from AI summaries.
2. Commit before large AI rewrites if you use Git.
3. Avoid sending private vault sections to cloud models by habit.
4. Use local models for sensitive drafts when quality is good enough.

The post on private AI notes covers this boundary in more detail.

Run a two-day migration test

A real test beats a feature comparison. Use Glyph with the copied vault for two normal workdays.

During the test, do your usual work:

1. Create a daily note.
2. Search for an old note.
3. Open a note from a wikilink.
4. Follow backlinks from a project note.
5. Add an image to a note.
6. Create a task.
7. Move a task onto a board.
8. Rename a note.
9. Preview a PDF attachment.
10. Commit changes if you use Git.

Write down friction as it happens. Do not rely on memory. Migration problems hide in small repeated actions.

At the end, open the same folder in Finder and a plain text editor. The files should still look like your notes. That is the test that matters.

Keep Obsidian around until your habits settle

You do not need a dramatic switch. Keep Obsidian installed while you test Glyph. The files are Markdown, so you have room to compare.

Avoid editing the same live vault in two apps at once during the transition. Choose one active app for the test folder. If you go back, go back with intention and use the original vault or a clean copy.

When Glyph becomes the daily app, keep the original Obsidian vault archived for a while. Storage is cheap. Regret costs more.

Should you move from Obsidian to Glyph?

Move from Obsidian to Glyph if you want the Markdown vault idea without managing a plugin-heavy workspace. Glyph keeps local files, supports linked notes, backs your daily writing with native Mac speed, and adds practical tools like tasks, boards, Git sync, and optional AI.

Stay with Obsidian if your workflow depends on a specific plugin ecosystem, custom dashboards, community themes, or cross-platform behavior that Glyph does not need to replace.

The best migration keeps your notes boring: readable files, working links, visible attachments, and habits you can repeat tomorrow. Start with a copy, test real notes, and move only when the notebook feels steady in your hands.