You don’t need to turn your Obsidian library into a pile of exported documents before trying Acres. An Obsidian vault is already a local folder of Markdown notes, with canvases and attachments beside them. Acres can read that folder through its built-in importer.
The useful test is whether one of your real projects becomes easier to work with on a board. Keep the original vault, import into a separate destination and check the result before changing where you write each day. If you’re still choosing between the apps, the Acres vs Obsidian Canvas comparison explains the price, platform and plugin tradeoffs.
Start with the whole vault folder
Make a backup of the vault before starting. Include the notes, .canvas files, attachments and hidden .obsidian configuration folder. That configuration helps preserve your original Obsidian setup and can help the importer recognize daily-note settings; it does not transfer Obsidian’s interface or plugins into Acres.
If you use a folder service which leaves files online until opened, make the source available locally first. Open several older notes and attachments to check that they are real files on disk. A folder listing alone does not establish that every PDF or image can be read.
For a first import, keep a small review list: a note with several links, a note with properties, a daily note, a canvas with groups and connections, and a note with a PDF or image. These reveal more than checking five plain paragraphs.
You can import the whole library and inspect only that sample at first. If you choose a smaller copied project instead, include its referenced notes and media: a partial folder can create broken references that do not exist in the original vault.
Use the launcher import and a separate destination
The Acres 0.3.0 release added imports directly to the launcher, with warning review and a way to open the imported whiteboard.
- Open the Acres launcher and choose the import option.
- Select the Obsidian vault folder, rather than one Markdown note or one Canvas file.
- Give the new Acres vault its own name and location. Keep it outside the original Obsidian vault.
- Start the import, then review the result and warnings before editing imported material.
This launcher flow copies material into the new destination. Opening an existing folder as an Acres vault is a separate action which may add Acres files to it. For a migration trial, the separate copy is easier to understand and recover from.
Acres also has an import area in Settings for an open vault. Use a new destination for your first evaluation rather than mixing an unfamiliar library into work you already have.
Understand what becomes a board or a card
| Obsidian material | Result to inspect in Acres |
|---|---|
| Markdown note | A note card with converted references and imported metadata |
| Folder of notes | A generated board within a folder-based board hierarchy |
Supported .canvas file |
A board using source node positions and dimensions |
| Canvas text node | Board text, which is different from a standalone Markdown note card |
| Canvas group | A section around the relevant material |
| Recognized daily note | Content in the Acres journal for that date |
| Referenced image or PDF | Copied media and rewritten supported references |
| Obsidian plugin or theme | No equivalent executable plugin or theme transfer |
The layout created from a folder is new. A folder tells the importer which notes belong together; it does not contain a visual arrangement to preserve. Existing Canvas geometry has a different source: the coordinates in the JSON Canvas file.
Daily-note recognition uses the available configuration and supported date naming. Check an ordinary dated meeting note as well as a journal entry, especially if you use a custom daily-note format.
Check links beyond the note title
Obsidian links can point to whole notes, headings or individual blocks. Those targets are not interchangeable.
The Acres importer resolves supported wikilinks and aliases into card references. A link to a heading or block can still lead to the note while losing the precise location inside it. A self-heading reference may become plain text. An embedded note such as ![[Project summary]] becomes a reference rather than an inline rendering of the other note.
Check these cases by following the links. If two folders both contain a note called Plan, a short wikilink can be ambiguous. The importer warns when it chooses among candidates; verify that it chose the note you intended. Also test ordinary relative Markdown links, which should not be assumed to receive the same rewrite as wikilinks.
When a reference cannot be resolved, the displayed text can survive without a working link. That is why a familiar-looking paragraph is not enough to verify the import.
Check attachments and Canvas connections
Obsidian allows attachments in several locations. Acres copies referenced assets rather than treating every unrelated file in the vault as required material. Keep unreferenced source files in your backup if you still want them.
Open images and PDFs from imported notes. On a Canvas, inspect their size and placement, then follow several labeled connections. Supported objects retain source geometry, but unsupported endpoints can cause edges to be dropped. A PDF or web-link object on a board may not support the same connection behavior as a note card.
Compare one visually demanding canvas with the original. Check groups, nested canvas references and attachments outside the current note’s folder. Read the warning list alongside that visual review; it can explain an absent object or connection.
Re-importing is a new write, not continuous sync
Once you start editing imported cards, treat a later import as a migration decision. The source importer can replace previously imported content and board arrangements. Moving or renaming a source note can also change how it is identified. Do not rely on re-import as a merge of two independently edited libraries.
Keep a backup of the Acres destination before repeating the process. If you want to compare a newer Obsidian snapshot, a second fresh destination can be clearer than overwriting the trial you have been working in.
You may find that Obsidian remains useful for a plugin-dependent workflow while Acres suits a visual project. That is a reasonable outcome. The local-first note app guide covers the broader storage choices, and local AI in Acres explains the built-in assistant after your notes arrive.