How do I improve Notion performance with lots of data?

Notion users typically experience noticeable performance slowdowns when their databases exceed 5,000 rows, with load times stretching from a few seconds to tens of seconds or more. This degradation stems from complex formula calculations, multiple linked databases, and the platform's architectural limitations around large-scale data processing. While Notion wasn't designed as a high-volume database solution, you can significantly improve performance through strategic optimization techniques that work within these constraints.

The most effective approach involves breaking large databases into smaller, thematic segments to stay within Notion's optimal performance thresholds. Instead of maintaining a single massive database, create separate databases organized by time periods, departments, or project types. This segmentation prevents you from hitting Notion's relation limits of approximately 1,000 items and reduces the processing overhead that causes slowdowns. You can then use linked database views to display filtered subsets of data across your workspace.

Simplifying your database structure delivers immediate performance gains. Replace complex formulas and rollups with simpler alternatives wherever possible, since these calculations significantly increase processing time. Focus your filters on basic property types like select, multi-select, numbers, and dates rather than formula-based filters. Additionally, adjust your database load limits from the default 10-25 pages to a lower number, which reduces the amount of data Notion attempts to load simultaneously.

Regular maintenance practices can prevent performance issues before they become problematic. Hide database properties you don't frequently use, as displaying fewer columns reduces rendering overhead. Archive or delete outdated entries to keep your active dataset manageable, and limit the number of widgets and embeds on high-traffic pages since these trigger additional data requests that compound loading delays.

While these optimization strategies can substantially improve your Notion experience, it's important to recognize the platform's limitations with very large datasets. Beyond 10,000 rows, you'll likely encounter persistent performance issues regardless of optimization efforts. The single-threaded nature of Notion's formula evaluation and lack of server-side query optimization means that extremely data-heavy use cases may require supplementing Notion with specialized database tools or considering alternative approaches for managing your largest datasets.