How to Export a Notion Database: CSV, Excel, PDF, or Google Sheets (2026)

Exporting a Notion database in short: Open the database, click the three dots, choose Export, and pick a format: Markdown and CSV (opens in Excel or Google Sheets), HTML, or PDF. Every one of those is a snapshot that goes stale as soon as the database changes. If you need the data in a spreadsheet and current, sync the database to Google Sheets with an add-on like Sync2Sheets instead of re-exporting.

Notion databases are great at storing and organizing pages. They're less great when you want to run pivot tables, build charts, or push the data through a spreadsheet formula. That's when exporting to Google Sheets becomes the obvious move.

Below is every export option Notion offers, then the two ways to get a database into Google Sheets: a manual CSV export (free, slow, one-shot) and real-time sync tools (automatic, kept current, and modern ones are 2-way). This guide walks through both, then gets into where each one makes sense. For the real-time method, Sync2Sheets keeps your Notion database and Google Sheet in sync in real time, in both directions. For a head-to-head of the main sync tools, see our comparison of Sync2Sheets, Notion Sheets, Dokin, Whalesync, Coefficient, and Zapier. Going the other way, from a spreadsheet into Notion? That is covered in Google Sheets to Notion: embed, import, or sync.

Every way to export a Notion database

Notion's own export lives in the three-dot menu of any full-page database (Export). Here is what each option gives you.

Format	What you get	Good for	Plan
Markdown and CSV	A CSV of the database plus a Markdown file for each page	Spreadsheets, scripts, migrations	All plans
HTML	Browsable HTML files	A readable offline copy	All plans
PDF	A printable file of the view	Sharing or printing	All plans; subpages as PDFs need Business or Enterprise
Excel (.xlsx)	No direct option. Open the CSV in Excel, or download a synced Google Sheet as .xlsx	Excel users	All plans
Google Sheets	No direct option. Import the CSV, or sync the database live	Analysis, dashboards, sharing	All plans
Whole workspace	HTML or Markdown and CSV for every page you can access, by email link	Archives and backups	Workspace setting

A few details that trip people up:

• One view at a time. The export covers the current view or the default view. Exporting all views at once is not supported, and a Form view cannot be exported (export the table view instead).
• Formulas and rollups arrive as values. The CSV holds the computed result at export time, not the logic.
• Workspace exports are slow. Settings, Workspace, General, Export all workspace content. Notion emails a link that expires after 7 days, and a large workspace can take up to 30 hours to package. The Notion backup guide covers this route in detail.
• Notion Agents can build an Excel file. Since July 2026, a Notion Agent can turn a database into an .xlsx on request. That is a generated file, not an export, so check it against the source before you rely on it.

For Excel specifically, including how to open the CSV without breaking dates and accents, see export a Notion database to Excel or CSV. The rest of this guide covers Google Sheets, where the export can stay live.

Why export in the first place

Three reasons people end up here:

1. Backup

Notion can lose data. It shouldn't, but accidents happen. A synced Google Sheet is a second copy, in a different format, owned by a different vendor.

2. Analysis

Pivot tables, 450+ formulas, charts, Apps Script. Anything data-heavy is faster in Sheets than in Notion.

3. Sharing with non-Notion users

Sheets can be shared with anyone with an email. Notion requires the other person to have or create a Notion account. For client reports, stakeholder dashboards, and cross-team access, Sheets wins.

1. Manual Method: Exporting Notion Databases to CSV

The most basic way to get your Notion databases into Sheets is by exporting your Notion data to a CSV file and then importing the CSV into Sheets. Here's how the process works:

Exporting from Notion

1. Open the Notion database you want to export.
2. Click on the three dots icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.
3. From the dropdown menu, select "Export."
4. Choose "Markdown & CSV" as your file format.
5. Download your CSV file.

Now, you have a CSV file that contains all the data from your Notion database.

Importing into Google Sheets

To import the CSV into Google Sheets, follow these steps:

1. Open Google Sheets.
2. Click on "File," then select "Import."
3. Choose "Upload" and locate your downloaded CSV file.
4. Select "Replace spreadsheet" and finally click on "Import data."

While this process may seem straightforward, it's not automatic. You'll need to perform these steps each time you want to update your data in Google Sheets from Notion, which can be time-consuming and prone to errors, especially if you're dealing with large databases.

The real problem: the CSV is a snapshot. The moment you finish downloading it, your Notion database has probably moved on. Anyone using the Sheet will be looking at stale data within minutes.

2. Automated method: Sync2Sheets

Sync2Sheets is a Google Workspace add-on that syncs your Notion database with a Google Sheet in real time, in both directions. It runs on Notion's official webhooks and Google Drive events (not polling), preserves every property type including rollups and relations, and lets you pick the sync direction for every column.

What you get on top of a CSV export:

1. No manual refresh. Every Notion edit propagates within seconds. Every Sheets edit propagates back within seconds.
2. Property types stay intact. Colored selects, date ranges, rollups, relations between linked databases with links to the connected pages, rich text. All of it.
3. Per-column direction picker. Each column can be Notion to Sheets, Sheets to Notion (great for =GOOGLEFINANCE or =IMPORTXML), or Both ways. Read-only types like formulas and rollups stay one-way automatically.

Setting Up Sync2Sheets for Notion Database Syncing

Follow these steps to sync your Notion databases using Sync2Sheets:

1. Find Sync2Sheets from the Google Workspace Marketplace: Search for "Sync2Sheets" within the marketplace or follow this link.
2. Install the Add-On: Click on the "Install" button and grant the necessary permissions for Sync2Sheets to access your Google Sheets and Notion accounts.
3. Open Google Sheets: Create a new spreadsheet where you wish to sync your Notion data or open an existing one.
4. Access Sync2Sheets: From within Google Sheets, click on the "s2s" icon on the right sidebar.
5. Connect to Notion: In the Sync2Sheets sidebar, click the "Connect Notion Workspace" button and authorize Sync2Sheets to access your Notion workspace.
6. Select Your Database: Once connected, click on "Sync Database" and choose the specific Notion database you want to sync.
7. Configure Sync Settings: Tailor the sync settings according to your preferences.
8. Start Your First Sync: With everything configured, click on "Start Sync". Your selected Notion database will now begin syncing with Google Sheets.
9. Verify Data Integrity: After the initial sync, check your Google Sheet to ensure all data has been transferred accurately and reflects your Notion database's structure.

From that moment on, every change in Notion shows up in Sheets in seconds. You can layer pivots, charts, and formulas on top, and they all stay current.

Want Excel instead of Google Sheets?

The CSV route works the same way: Notion's export produces a .csv file that Excel opens directly, with the same snapshot caveat. For an Excel copy that stays fresh, sync the database to Google Sheets first, then download the synced sheet as .xlsx whenever you need one (File, Download, Microsoft Excel). The full walkthrough, including how to import the CSV into Excel without breaking dates and accents, is in export a Notion database to Excel or CSV.

Which method should you use?

• Manual CSV export: fine for a one-off, a point-in-time backup, or data you never plan to touch again.
• Sync2Sheets: anytime you're going to work with the data more than once. Dashboards, reports, recurring analysis, team sharing, live pages.

For most people, the second option pays for itself in one afternoon of saved CSV shuffling. Install Sync2Sheets and try it for seven days free. If you're comparing sync tools, the six-tool head-to-head covers Sync2Sheets against Notion Sheets, Dokin, Whalesync, Coefficient, and Zapier.