How to Sync HelixNotes Across Devices or Import from Obsidian

HelixNotes treats sync as optional and keeps your notes as plain .md files, so you have two paths: sync the vault yourself (the app offers optional WebDAV sync to your own server), or skip sync entirely and just point each device at the same Markdown vault. For migration, HelixNotes includes an Obsidian import feature. There is no HelixNotes cloud and no account to create, so "sync" always means moving files through storage you control.

What "sync" means in HelixNotes

The app is built around a local Markdown vault — plain .md files on your disk. Its own description is "Sync them your way, or don't." That framing matters for planning:

• No hosted workspace. There is no HelixNotes cloud and no account to create, so there is nothing to log into on a second device.
• Optional WebDAV sync is listed as a feature, and it points at your own server.
• Cross-platform clients exist for Linux, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and iPadOS, and the Android page states you can "open the same Markdown vault without creating an account."

So the decision is not whether HelixNotes syncs, but which transport you put under the vault folder.

Option A: Sync with WebDAV to your own server

Use this when you want automatic propagation between devices and you already run (or are willing to run) a WebDAV endpoint.

1. Confirm your server. You need a WebDAV URL, a username, and a password from a server you control. HelixNotes documents WebDAV sync as optional; it does not supply the server.
2. Place the vault where the sync client expects it. Because notes are plain files, the vault is just a folder. Point your WebDAV client at that folder, or configure HelixNotes' WebDAV sync against it.
3. Repeat on each device with the same WebDAV credentials and the same remote path.
4. Verify by creating a note on one device and confirming the .md file appears on the other. Expected result: identical filenames and contents, since nothing is being reformatted.

Common snags: two devices editing the same file before a sync round completes can produce conflicting copies; and a WebDAV server that renames or rewrites files will break the assumption that the vault is untouched Markdown.

Option B: Sync the folder with any file-sync tool

Because the vault is a normal directory of .md files, any tool that syncs a folder works in principle — the app's own pitch is "your notes your files your rules." The tradeoff is the same as Option A: conflict handling is your sync tool's job, not HelixNotes'.

Option C: Don't sync at all

This is a legitimate configuration, not a degraded one. If you only use one machine, or you move files manually, you get the full editor without any server. The cost is that a second device won't see changes until you copy the vault over.

Importing from Obsidian

HelixNotes lists Obsidian import as a feature, which is the intended migration path from another Markdown tool.

1. Keep your Obsidian vault intact until the import is verified — it is your fallback.
2. Run the Obsidian import in HelixNotes and point it at the vault.
3. Check the things that differ between apps. Wiki links ([[...]]) are supported by HelixNotes and the graph view builds from them, so link structure is the first thing to confirm. Also check that checklists still appear in the Tasks view, since HelixNotes aggregates every - [ ] item across notes.
4. Confirm the files are still plain Markdown. You should be able to read them with cat, and an external .md viewer should open them.

If you'd rather not migrate at all, HelixNotes also supports an external .md viewer, so you can keep using your existing files and tools alongside it.

Choosing between the paths

What this approach rules out

HelixNotes is explicitly not a hosted workspace or a team collaboration suite. There is no HelixNotes cloud and no account to create. If you need shared editing, permissions, or a service that holds your notes for you, the sync options above won't substitute for that — you'd be building it yourself on top of WebDAV or a folder-sync tool.

Two smaller limits worth knowing before you commit: version history with diffs and automatic backups are listed features, but they are local to the app rather than a server-side safety net, so your WebDAV or folder-sync layer is still the thing standing between you and a bad edit. And AI features are optional and run either locally with Ollama or with your own key — nothing about sync depends on them.