Markdown tables in Notion and Obsidian
A Markdown table is a header row, a row of dashes, then rows of cells separated by pipes. Obsidian draws it as a table, and Evernote’s help lists tables among the Markdown it converts on paste. Notion’s help pages do not say, so test one table before you import a batch.
The shape of a Markdown table
A table in Markdown is plain text laid out in columns. The first line holds the column names, the second line is a row of dashes, and each later line is a row. Pipes separate the cells, so the file looks like a table even before an app draws it.
This form is often called GFM, for GitHub Flavored Markdown. Most notes apps read it, but each draws it in its own way, and a few do not read it at all. That is why the same file can be a neat table in one app and a block of pipes in another.
A table from a PDF adds a second question: did the OCR read the cells correctly? So there are two checks, one for the Markdown and one for the content, and the steps below keep them apart.
Check a converted table in six steps
- Read the Markdown firstOpen the .md file in a plain text editor. Look for a header row, a row of dashes under it, and the same number of pipes on every line.
- Count the cellsEvery row should have the same number of cells as the header. A short row shifts everything after it, and an unescaped pipe inside a cell does the same.
- Bring in one test tableIn Notion import a small file with Settings, Import, Text & Markdown, as Import Markdown into Notion describes, and also try pasting. In Obsidian drop the file in. In Evernote paste it as plain Markdown.
- Compare cell by cellPut the original beside the result and read across each row. Numbers matter most: OCR can swap 1 and l, or 0 and O.
- Repair what is wrongIn Obsidian’s Live Preview you can right-click a table to add or delete rows and columns. Elsewhere, rebuild the odd row by hand or fix the Markdown and import again.
- Ask whether it should be a tableA table with long sentences in its cells, or a dozen columns, is hard to read on a phone. A list of short items under headings can serve you better.
A table with alignment
Colons in the dash row set the alignment: left, centre, right.
| Process | Energy needed | Example |
| :--- | :---: | ---: |
| Diffusion | No | Oxygen |
| Active transport | Yes | Sodium |Obsidian’s help page says the dash row under the header needs at least two hyphens, that the pipes at the ends are optional, and that a pipe inside a cell, in a link alias for example, needs a backslash before it.
What each app does with a Markdown table
These notes come from each app’s own help where it covers tables, and from the ocrtomarkdown format where it does not.
| App | What its help or our format says | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Notion | Import help lists headings, lists and code blocks and does not mention tables. A simple table has no filters or sorts. | Test one table by import and by paste. |
| Obsidian | Reads the pipe syntax and shows a table in reading view. | The dash row has at least two hyphens. |
| Evernote | Its Markdown help lists tables among what converts when you paste. | Paste as plain Markdown, not formatted text. |
| OneNote | No Markdown. Copy formatted pastes a table as a table. | Look at the header row after pasting. |
| Apple Notes | Imports Markdown on macOS, iOS and iPadOS 26 and later. Apple does not list which elements convert. | Check every table after the first import. |
| Logseq | The table stays as Markdown text inside one bullet. | See how your Logseq version draws it. |
Help pages change, so treat the middle column as a starting point and trust your own test over it.
What goes wrong with converted tables
The table shows as pipes
The dash row is missing or the app does not read tables. Check the second line first, then the app’s help.
Cells have shifted
A short row or a stray pipe moves cells to the wrong column. The converter pads short rows and escapes pipes, but still check each row.
Merged cells
Markdown cannot merge cells. A cell that spans columns is written as one cell followed by empty ones, and a cell that spans rows may shift the rows below it.
Two lines in one cell
A Markdown cell holds a single line, so line breaks inside a cell are written as spaces. Read long cells for sense.
Numbers misread
Look-alike characters and decimal points are the usual slips in scanned tables. Proof every figure against the page, as Scanned book chapter to notes suggests.
Pictures in cells
Pictures are left out, so a cell that held only an icon or a chart comes through empty.
How ocrtomarkdown helps
ocrtomarkdown writes each table as a Markdown table with the same number of cells in every row, a dash row under the header, alignment kept and pipes escaped. It does not promise merged cells or pictures, and numbers from scans deserve a check. Convert on PDF to Notion or PDF to Obsidian. Free: 3 files a day, up to 10 pages each, no account. Files over 10 pages are converted up to page 10 on the free allowance; a page code converts the whole file, up to 150 pages. See pricing.
Markdown tables: your questions
What is a GFM table?
A table written with pipes and dashes in GitHub Flavored Markdown. A header row, a dash row and the rows of cells make up the whole thing.
Does Notion keep Markdown tables?
Notion’s help pages do not say for Markdown imports. Import one test table and compare it, and also try pasting it.
Does Obsidian show Markdown tables?
Yes. Its help page describes the pipe and hyphen syntax, and in Live Preview you can right-click a table to change rows and columns.
How do I align a column?
Put colons in its dash cell: a colon on the left for left, both ends for centre, and the right for right-aligned.
How do I put a pipe inside a cell?
Write a backslash before it. The converter does this for you when a cell contains a pipe.
Can a cell have two lines, or be merged?
Not in Markdown. Line breaks inside a cell become spaces, and a merged cell becomes a cell plus empty ones.
Why does my table show as text in Evernote?
Evernote’s help says Markdown copied with other formatting is treated as HTML, so paste it as plain text, or with Ctrl or Cmd plus Shift plus V.
Can I trust the numbers in a scanned table?
Check them. OCR is good, not perfect, and look-alike characters are the usual slips.