How to Export Obsidian Excalidraw Diagrams to Other Formats

The Excalidraw plugin for Obsidian stores diagrams in a special .excalidraw.md format. This guide shows how to convert those files to formats you can use in other tools.

Understanding the .excalidraw.md Format

When you create a diagram with the Excalidraw plugin for Obsidian, it saves the file as a Markdown file with embedded Excalidraw JSON data. This .excalidraw.md format is designed to work within Obsidian's ecosystem — it renders as a diagram inside Obsidian but looks like raw code in other applications.

The file contains a standard Markdown wrapper with the Excalidraw scene data encoded inside. The converter extracts this data and transforms it into whichever format you need.

Available Export Formats

  • .excalidraw — Standard Excalidraw JSON. Use this to open your diagram at excalidraw.com or share it with people who don't use Obsidian.
  • .drawio — Draw.io / diagrams.net format. Ideal for team collaboration, Confluence integration, or when you need advanced diagramming features.
  • .svg — Scalable Vector Graphics. Perfect for embedding diagrams in websites, presentations, or documentation where you need a static image that scales cleanly.
  • .mmd — Mermaid syntax. Useful for embedding diagrams in Markdown files, GitHub READMEs, or any platform that renders Mermaid code blocks.

How to Convert

1
Find your file

Locate the .excalidraw.md file in your Obsidian vault folder. On macOS, this is typically under ~/Documents or wherever your vault is stored. On Windows, check your Documents folder.

2
Open the converter

Go to the Orriguii Diagram Converter. It works in any modern browser — no installation or account required.

3
Choose your target format

Select the output format you need. The converter auto-detects .excalidraw.md as the source format.

4
Drop the file and download

Drag your .excalidraw.md file into the drop zone. The converted file is ready to download immediately. For multiple files, drop them all at once — batch conversion is supported.

Common Use Cases

  • Sharing with non-Obsidian users — Convert to .excalidraw or .svg so others can view your diagrams without Obsidian.
  • Team documentation — Export to .drawio for teams using Draw.io in Confluence or Google Drive.
  • GitHub documentation — Convert to .mmd (Mermaid) for diagrams that render directly in GitHub Markdown files.
  • Presentations — Export to .svg for high-quality diagram images in slides.

Privacy

Your Obsidian files stay on your device. The converter processes everything in your browser — nothing is uploaded to any server.

Convert Your Diagrams