Sync Modes

N2O gives you full control over how and when content flows between Notion and Obsidian. The automatic settings live in Settings > Sync > Automation.

Note

Two-way sync and all automation work during the free 14-day trial and on any paid plan. After the trial, syncing is locked until you start Pro or Lifetime; your already-synced files stay in the vault, but no new sync runs until you upgrade.

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Sync direction

The Sync direction setting (Settings > Sync > Sync rules) controls which way changes flow:

Setting	What it does
Both ways	Brings Notion changes into your vault and sends your Obsidian edits back
Notion to Obsidian only	A safe one-way mirror - your Obsidian edits are never sent back
Obsidian to Notion only	Sends Obsidian changes up - useful for writing-first workflows

All three directions work with an active license (trial or paid). After the trial, syncing pauses entirely until you upgrade.

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Sync (the safe, two-way action)

All plans (trial, Pro, Lifetime)

Sync is the one button most people need. It reconciles both sides with a smart merge: it brings in what changed in Notion, sends up what you changed in Obsidian, and combines non-overlapping edits so nothing is lost. It never blindly overwrites - if the same note changed on both sides, N2O either merges the changes or asks you (see Conflict Resolution).

Under the hood:

• Reads pages, databases, and media from the Notion API, and writes .md files with YAML frontmatter to your sync folder
• Downloads images and file attachments to _files/ subfolders
• Parses your Markdown edits back into N2O’s intermediate format and sends only the blocks you changed, not the whole page
• Is incremental - only pages with a newer last_edited_time in Notion since the last sync are re-fetched

How to run it:

• Dashboard - open the N2O sidebar panel and click Sync.
• Command Palette - N2O: Sync with Notion (whole vault) or N2O: Sync this note with Notion (active note only).
• Status bar - click the N2O status item.

Tip

N2O: Preview sync shows what a sync would change without writing anything - a dry run you can read before committing.

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Get changes from Notion (automatic inbound)

Settings > Sync > Automation (trial and paid plans)

Turn on Get changes from Notion and N2O brings Notion edits into your vault on its own. It checks Notion about once a minute while you are working, and backs off when things are quiet, so it stays light on the Notion rate limit. This is near-real-time, not instant - there is a short delay between an edit in Notion and it landing in your vault.

• Your unsaved local edits are never overwritten. If a note changed on both sides, your version is kept in a backup note next to it (see Conflict Resolution).
• A periodic full re-sync also picks up new pages and deletions. Set its interval under Full re-sync every (5-60 minutes).
• The check frequency is configurable (minimum 60 seconds) and pauses automatically during a full sync.

When to use: you read or edit in Notion and want those changes to show up in Obsidian without pressing Sync.

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Send my edits to Notion (automatic outbound)

Settings > Sync > Automation (trial and paid plans)

Turn on Send my edits to Notion and N2O sends a synced note back to Notion a few seconds after you stop typing.

• The wait after your last edit is configurable (3-30 seconds, default 5).
• Works only on notes that are already synced (they carry a notion_id in frontmatter).
• Skips notes just written by an inbound sync, so there is no push-pull loop.
• Pauses during a full sync.

When to use: you write in Obsidian and want Notion to update on its own, without running Sync each time.

Caution

Sending edits writes to your Notion workspace. Keep Notion’s version history on so you can always roll back. For a read-only mirror, set Sync direction to Notion to Obsidian only.

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Recovery actions (overwrite)

Sometimes you want to force one side to win, with no merge. These live in the command palette and the note’s right-click menu, not on the dashboard, and they replace content rather than merging it.

Action	What it does
N2O: Overwrite from Notion	Replaces your local notes with Notion’s version. No merge - local edits that were not yet sent are discarded. Use it to recover a vault that drifted out of sync.
N2O: Overwrite this note from Notion	The same, for the active note only.
N2O: Send changes to Notion	Sends all your changed notes up, on demand.
N2O: Send this note to Notion	Sends the active note up only.

Caution

Overwrite from Notion discards un-sent local edits - it is a one-way replace, not a merge. Reach for Sync for everyday use; it can never lose your work.

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Recommended setups

Casual reading

Run Sync when you want updates. No automation needed.

Active writing

• Sync direction: Both ways
• Get changes from Notion: On
• Send my edits to Notion: On, 5-second delay

This keeps both sides in step with near-real-time inbound and a short outbound delay, with minimal API usage.

Notion-first, Obsidian read-only

• Sync direction: Notion to Obsidian only
• Get changes from Notion: On

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Feature comparison

Feature	Free 14-day trial	Pro	Lifetime
Sync (manual, two-way)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Get changes from Notion (automatic)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Send my edits to Notion (automatic)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Incremental sync	Yes	Yes	Yes
Page limit	300	Unlimited	Unlimited
Database limit	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited