How does the Readwise to Notion export integration work?
To get started with the Notion sync, select the Notion option on your Readwise Export page.
Readwise will ask for authorization to connect with your Notion account. (If you're not already logged into Notion, you'll be prompted to do so.)
On the first authorization screen, click Next. On the second, select the first option ("Use a template provided by the developer"), then click Allow access.
Once you configure the Readwise to Notion integration, Readwise will automatically synchronize all your highlighted documents to a database in Notion.
The first time Readwise syncs with Notion, a new table called "Readwise" will be created in a private page of your selected Notion workspace. The process may take several minutes depending on how many books, articles, tweets, and highlights you have in your library. Feel free to close the export browser and move on to something else—the export will continue in the background. Also, once you're initially caught up, new highlights will automatically be synced to Notion periodically throughout the day.
By default, the Readwise table in Notion is separated into filtered views of Book, Article, Tweet, and Podcast pages, each of which contains all your highlights for that category of document. You can filter, sort, and search this table using all the power of Notion databases.
How can I configure the Readwise to Notion integration?
There are a few options you can change on the Notion integration settings page. Here's a breakdown of what each setting does.
- Start Export: Use this button to manually trigger an immediate export to Notion.
- Export Automatically: Keep this on if you would like Notion to sync daily. You can turn it off if you would prefer to only update Notion when you manually trigger an export from this page.
- Include Highlight Locations: Keep this on to include the location or page information of each highlight in the export.
- Use Compact Layout: This will display the location information inline with the highlight text and won’t add any dividers between highlights. Toggling it off will separate the location information to a different line and will add dividers to the page between each highlight.
- Select Items to be Exported: Turning this option on will allow you to manually select which documents will be exported to Notion. When this option is turned off, all documents in your account will sync when an export is triggered.
- Documents to be exported: If the Select Items to be Exported option (4) is toggled on, you'll see a list of all your documents. To select which ones are included in the export, use the checkboxes on the left side of the title.
What happens when I take new highlights? Will those automatically sync with Notion?
Yes! Whenever you import a new highlight into Readwise, it will be automatically exported to Notion without you needing to do anything. If the highlight is from a new document, a new page in the Notion table will be made. If the highlight is from an existing document, the highlight will be appended to the bottom of the existing page.
Certain services such as Amazon Kindle, Instapaper, and Pocket only synchronize with Readwise a few times a day. For this reason, new highlights may not immediately appear in either Readwise or Notion. If you need to sync sooner, you can force a manual resync from the Import Highlights page.
Can I add new properties to the Readwise table in Notion?
Yes! You can add as many additional properties to the Notion table as you wish and those will not be overwritten by Readwise in subsequent syncs. You can even change the names of the default properties if you'd like.
However, be careful not to delete or change the property type for any of the default properties, or the sync will break.
Can I move either the Readwise table or individual pages to another location in my Notion workspace?
Yes! You can move either the whole Readwise table or individual document pages within your Notion workspace and the Readwise integration will still find and properly update those.
If you'd like to move an individual page to another location and maintain the sync, you'll want to first make sure that the Readwise integration has access to the new location you're moving it to. You can do this by clicking into the "..." menu in the top right while viewing the intended destination page, going down to the Connections section and opening the "Connect to" menu, then searching for Readwise:
Can I rename the title of a document page in Notion?
Yes! You can rename either the whole table or individual document pages and the Readwise integration will still find and properly update those.
Can I edit the text of a document page in Notion?
Yes! You can edit the text of a page as you wish and the Readwise integration will not overwrite any changes you make. New highlights will be appended to the bottom of the page.
Can I make adjustments to the filters and views of the database?
Yes! By default, the Readwise table in Notion is separated into filtered views based on document type (e.g. Book, Article, Tweet), each of which contains all your highlights for that entry. You can filter, sort, and search this table using all the powerful features Notion offers.
Where does the Location link above each Kindle highlight take me?
If you have the Kindle app installed on your computer, clicking the Location link will launch the Kindle app and jump you to the highlight in the book. More on those links here: Can I jump to a highlight directly in the Kindle app?
If I edit or format an existing highlight in Readwise, or make a new note or tag to an existing highlight, will that change be updated in Notion?
No. All of our export integrations with note-taking apps are append-only. This means that Readwise won't overwrite anything that's already in your Notion account so that we don't accidentally erase anything you may have edited or added directly in Notion. That said, you can re-export your highlights to Notion for any documents you'd like to update.
How do I delete my Readwise table and start over?
- Delete the Readwise page in Notion
- Click the Trash section in Notion and permanently delete the Readwise page
- Initiate the sync from the Notion preferences page in Readwise
How do I change the Notion workspace to export to?
To change which Notion workspace or account your Readwise highlights export to, go to the Readwise Export page and find the Notion card in the Connected section. Click the ... icon in the top right, then select Change account. This will display a popup warning that you will be disconnecting from your current workspace, which you'll need to confirm in order to continue.
Once you've done that, you can follow the instructions at the top of this page to reconnect to a new Notion workspace or account.
How do I disconnect my Notion account from Readwise?
You can disconnect your account from the Export page by clicking the ... in the top right of the Notion card and selecting Remove connection.
