DeGPT
·6 min read

How to Copy from ChatGPT to Notion Without Breaking Formatting

Stop fighting with nested lists, weird spacing, and markdown that doesn't convert. Here's how to get ChatGPT content into Notion cleanly.

You use ChatGPT to brainstorm, research, or draft content. You want to save it in Notion—your second brain, your knowledge base, your life organiser.

But when you paste, you get:

  • Nested lists that flatten into a single level
  • Code blocks that look strange or lose syntax highlighting
  • Headers that don't become Notion headings
  • Random formatting artifacts from markdown

This guide shows you:

  • Why ChatGPT and Notion don't always play nicely
  • Manual tricks to improve your pastes
  • How DeGPT gives you predictable, clean results every time

Perfect pastes, every time

Install the DeGPT Chrome extension and clean ChatGPT text before it hits your Notion workspace.

Add to Chrome

Why ChatGPT to Notion formatting breaks

ChatGPT and Notion both understand markdown, but they speak slightly different dialects.

The markdown mismatch

When you copy from ChatGPT, you're often copying rendered HTML plus some raw markdown characters. Notion tries to interpret this, but:

  • Headers: ChatGPT's # Heading might paste as literal text instead of a Notion heading block
  • Lists: Nested bullets often collapse to a single level
  • Code: Code blocks may lose their language tag or appear as regular text
  • Bold/Italic: Sometimes the asterisks show up instead of formatting the text

Notion's unique block system

Notion treats everything as blocks—paragraphs, bullets, headers, toggles. When you paste:

  • Multiple paragraphs might merge into one block
  • List items might split into separate paragraphs
  • The structure ChatGPT created doesn't map 1:1 to Notion blocks

Method 1 – Paste and manually fix

The default approach: paste and deal with the mess.

Step 1 – Copy from ChatGPT

Select the text and copy with Ctrl + C or Cmd + C.

Step 2 – Paste into Notion

Just paste normally. Then spend time:

  • Re-indenting nested lists manually
  • Converting text to proper headings (select text, type /h1, /h2, etc.)
  • Fixing code blocks that didn't paste correctly
  • Removing stray markdown characters

This works for short pastes, but it's tedious for longer ChatGPT responses. You end up spending more time fixing than you saved by using ChatGPT.

Method 2 – Use Notion's paste as plain text

Notion has a hidden feature that can help:

  1. Copy from ChatGPT
  2. In Notion, use Ctrl + Shift + V (or Cmd + Shift + V on Mac)

This pastes as plain text, stripping all the problematic formatting. But:

  • You lose bullets, bold, headers—everything
  • You have to rebuild all structure manually
  • It's only marginally better than re-typing

Method 3 – Use Notion's markdown import (for full pages)

If you're importing a full document, you can try:

  1. Ask ChatGPT to format the response as pure markdown
  2. Copy the markdown
  3. In Notion, create a new page
  4. Use Import → Markdown to bring it in

Limitation: This only works for creating new pages, not for pasting into existing content. It's also more steps than most people want for quick pastes.

Method 4 – Use DeGPT for clean, Notion-ready text

If you regularly save ChatGPT content to Notion, DeGPT gives you a reliable, fast workflow.

DeGPT cleans up the text before it reaches Notion, so you get predictable results.

Option A: Use the Chrome Extension (Fastest)

  1. Install the DeGPT Chrome extension
  2. In ChatGPT, click the DeGPT button on any response
  3. Choose your options:
    • Fix bullets and nested lists
    • Clean up markdown syntax
    • Normalise heading levels
  4. Copy the cleaned version and paste into Notion

Option B: Use degpt.app

  1. Copy text from ChatGPT
  2. Go to degpt.app
  3. Paste and select your cleaning options
  4. Copy the result into Notion

What DeGPT fixes for Notion users:

  • ✅ Preserves nested list structure so indentation works
  • ✅ Cleans up markdown so Notion interprets it correctly
  • ✅ Removes invisible formatting that causes paste issues
  • ✅ Normalises spacing so you don't get random gaps
  • ✅ Optionally strips AI tells for content you'll share

Tips for a ChatGPT → Notion workflow

Create a template page

Have a Notion template ready for ChatGPT content. Include standard sections like "Summary", "Details", "Source Prompt". This gives your AI content a consistent home.

Tag your AI-sourced content

Add a property like "Source: ChatGPT" to database items. This helps you track what came from AI and might need fact-checking later.

Clean before you paste, not after

Running ChatGPT output through DeGPT before pasting takes 5 seconds. Fixing formatting issues in Notion after pasting can take minutes.

Which method should you use?

Use paste + manual fix if:

  • The ChatGPT response is short (a paragraph or two)
  • You don't need to preserve structure
  • You're okay spending a few minutes on cleanup

Use plain text paste if:

  • You want to completely re-format in Notion style
  • The content is simple text without lists

Use DeGPT if:

  • You use Notion as a knowledge base for ChatGPT outputs
  • You save research, brainstorms, or drafts regularly
  • You want consistent, clean formatting every time
  • You value your time more than manual cleanup

Next steps

Install Chrome ExtensionTry DeGPT Online →