diff --git a/IPython/html/nbconvert/handlers.py b/IPython/html/nbconvert/handlers.py
index 40c820e55..472e60e1f 100644
--- a/IPython/html/nbconvert/handlers.py
+++ b/IPython/html/nbconvert/handlers.py
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ from ..base.handlers import (
     IPythonHandler, FilesRedirectHandler,
     notebook_path_regex, path_regex,
 )
-from IPython.nbformat.current import to_notebook_json
+from IPython.nbformat.current import from_dict
 
 from IPython.utils.py3compat import cast_bytes
 
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ class NbconvertPostHandler(IPythonHandler):
         
         model = self.get_json_body()
         name = model.get('name', 'notebook.ipynb')
-        nbnode = to_notebook_json(model['content'])
+        nbnode = from_dict(model['content'])
         
         try:
             output, resources = exporter.from_notebook_node(nbnode)
diff --git a/IPython/html/services/contents/filemanager.py b/IPython/html/services/contents/filemanager.py
index 14ed305b7..7131b5b07 100644
--- a/IPython/html/services/contents/filemanager.py
+++ b/IPython/html/services/contents/filemanager.py
@@ -295,7 +295,7 @@ class FileContentsManager(ContentsManager):
     def _save_notebook(self, os_path, model, name='', path=''):
         """save a notebook file"""
         # Save the notebook file
-        nb = current.to_notebook_json(model['content'])
+        nb = current.from_dict(model['content'])
 
         self.check_and_sign(nb, name, path)
 
diff --git a/IPython/html/services/contents/tests/test_contents_api.py b/IPython/html/services/contents/tests/test_contents_api.py
index 0b704dece..287029561 100644
--- a/IPython/html/services/contents/tests/test_contents_api.py
+++ b/IPython/html/services/contents/tests/test_contents_api.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ from IPython.html.utils import url_path_join, url_escape
 from IPython.html.tests.launchnotebook import NotebookTestBase, assert_http_error
 from IPython.nbformat import current
 from IPython.nbformat.current import (new_notebook, write, read,
-                                      new_markdown_cell, to_notebook_json)
+                                      new_markdown_cell, from_dict)
 from IPython.nbformat import v2
 from IPython.utils import py3compat
 from IPython.utils.data import uniq_stable
@@ -414,7 +414,7 @@ class APITest(NotebookTestBase):
     def test_save(self):
         resp = self.api.read('a.ipynb', 'foo')
         nbcontent = json.loads(resp.text)['content']
-        nb = to_notebook_json(nbcontent)
+        nb = from_dict(nbcontent)
         nb.cells.append(new_markdown_cell(u'Created by test ³'))
 
         nbmodel= {'name': 'a.ipynb', 'path':'foo', 'content': nb, 'type': 'notebook'}
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ class APITest(NotebookTestBase):
         self.assertEqual(newnb.cells[0].source,
                          u'Created by test ³')
         nbcontent = self.api.read('a.ipynb', 'foo').json()['content']
-        newnb = to_notebook_json(nbcontent)
+        newnb = from_dict(nbcontent)
         self.assertEqual(newnb.cells[0].source,
                          u'Created by test ³')
 
@@ -451,7 +451,7 @@ class APITest(NotebookTestBase):
 
         # Modify it
         nbcontent = json.loads(resp.text)['content']
-        nb = to_notebook_json(nbcontent)
+        nb = from_dict(nbcontent)
         hcell = new_markdown_cell('Created by test')
         nb.cells.append(hcell)
         # Save
@@ -463,14 +463,14 @@ class APITest(NotebookTestBase):
         self.assertEqual(cps, [cp1])
 
         nbcontent = self.api.read('a.ipynb', 'foo').json()['content']
-        nb = to_notebook_json(nbcontent)
+        nb = from_dict(nbcontent)
         self.assertEqual(nb.cells[0].source, 'Created by test')
 
         # Restore cp1
         r = self.api.restore_checkpoint('a.ipynb', 'foo', cp1['id'])
         self.assertEqual(r.status_code, 204)
         nbcontent = self.api.read('a.ipynb', 'foo').json()['content']
-        nb = to_notebook_json(nbcontent)
+        nb = from_dict(nbcontent)
         self.assertEqual(nb.cells, [])
 
         # Delete cp1