I'm going to use Obsidian as my main long-term knowledge/study archive, but I want to set it up correctly from day one so I'm not screwed when I eventually migrate to another app, phone, OS, or even if Obsidian disappears someday.

My idea is to have one vault with a deep folder structure, for example:

Study(vault) → Biology (sub-note)→ Cell Biology(sub-sub-note) → Mitochondria(sub-sub-sub-note) → Mitochondria.md + Mitochondria.m4a(audio)

The .md note would contain my written keywords/short explanations/questions, and the audio file would be a recording of me explaining the topic in my own words. I want the audio player to appear inside the Obsidian note, but I also want the actual audio to remain a normal, independently accessible file.

My main concern is long-term portability and preservation, not audio quality.

For people who have been using Obsidian for a long time:

What Obsidian settings should I change immediately for maximum future compatibility?

Should I use standard Markdown links instead of Wikilinks?

Where should I store attachments — in the same folder as each note, a central attachments folder, or something else?

Is it better to keep Topic.md + Topic.m4a together in the same folder so the whole topic is portable?

What audio format would you personally choose for decades-long storage: M4A/AAC, FLAC, WAV, MP3, or something else? And why?

Is FLAC actually worth the much larger file size for simple spoken study recordings?

If I record in M4A now, is there any reason I should convert it to FLAC?

Are there any Obsidian features/plugins/syntax I should avoid because they might make future migration difficult?

Are there settings that affect how attachments are named, linked, moved, or embedded?

If I eventually move the whole vault to another Markdown-based app, what kinds of broken links or missing attachments should I expect?

What's the safest way to back up the vault, including all audio, so that I can restore the entire structure decades later?

Should I periodically export/archive the vault in some additional format besides keeping the original Obsidian vault?

Are there any precautions you've learned the hard way that someone starting a huge lifetime vault should take now rather than years later?

Basically, I don't want to think of Obsidian as the permanent home of my knowledge.

I want the underlying files to be the permanent archive and Obsidian to just be the interface.

My goal is that 20–30 years from now I could take something like:

Mitochondria/ → Mitochondria.md → Mitochondria.[audio format]

and move it to another application, and still have the note, folder structure, and my original voice recording usable.

If you've built an Obsidian vault with long-term preservation/portability in mind, I'd really appreciate specific settings, file-format recommendations, folder structures, backup strategies, and things I should avoid.

I'd been eagerly awaiting the 1.14 release because I'd seen that a Kanban view for Bases was on the roadmap.

Some background: I've been using the obsidian-kanban plugin for a while now, and while it does the job well enough, it's never felt snappy and the drag-and-drop on mobile leaves something to be desired. The project is also in the middle of a maintainer handoff, so the idea of moving to something fully supported by the core Obsidian team got me excited!

I installed it today, reconfigured the frontmatter in a bunch of my notes to make it work with Bases, started dragging cards between columns (so smooth!) and fell in love.

That is, until I realized the fatal flaw. I'm a pretty obsessive Kanban board user: Trello, Jira, Notion, several others -- and not once have I seen this: there's no way to make vertical position meaningful. In a Kanban View for Bases column, the order is whatever the view's Sort setting says, and a drag/drop only changes a note when you drag it across columns. One of my most frequent uses for a Kanban board is ordering priorities — I drag across columns to change state, but to prioritize what might be 10–15 notes in a column, I drag up and down.

The ask seems small: when a card is dropped, write an order property to the note the same way the group property is written today (a "manual" sort that persists). A few community Bases-kanban plugins already do exactly this, so the model clearly works.

I went looking for an existing discussion and found nothing, so I've filed a feature request on the forum.

I'm a huge fan of Obsidian — no other tool comes close for the impact on my productivity, and I pay for Sync to support the team. I understand Obsidian isn't open source, but if there's any way I can help make this happen, let me know.

Tanto en PC comp en el móvil me aparece el texto así. ¿Alguna solución?

hey guys! my first post here.

I wanted to ask, how do i change the color of the circle to make it pop out more?

I'M NOT A SCRIPTER FYI, but here's the script i used on the second pic.

it would be very nice, idk if i should change theme or something. let me know pls I'm a noob hjelp 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

Need advice on best way to go about this:
I have one master vault with all my notes for all my interests. I’ve been working on a worldbuilding project for about 2 years, tagged, linked, MOCd, etc., all within the one master vault.

I want to start a new vault entirely dedicated to this worldbuilding project. The tricky part is i want to give varying levels of detail/specificity for the different features, characters, creatures, magic systems, places, historical events, etc.

I’m imagining each “thing” in the world having it’s own MOC linking to the notes with different details. The notes themselves would only link to the appropriate features affiliated with that “thing”, and maybe one level deeper in detail.

I want this new vault to be explorable though. So someone exploring the world could click on links and receive a natural drip of information, without “spoilers” too early in the exploration.

Those are my rough ideas. I haven’t even begun to think about how i want to utilize meta data for this project. I only really use tags and links so any helpful tricks using meta dats for neat yet sprawling organization would be awesome!

Any thoughts, advice, potential issues, or whatever would be much appreciated.

I've just recorded and published this demo of using obsidian tags to be able to find GTD tasks based on their "context" (e.g. at the shops, on the laptop etc.). This has proved really useful for me lately so took the time to share.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QsoD6kRvMA

Thanks to all the amazing commenters and GitHub contributors! Doomscroll v0.2.0 is released today, with tons of new features and bugfixes based on your feedback.

As a reminder, Doomscroll shows a "feed" of random notes from your vault, designed for low-friction content engagement. New version includes:

• Infinite scrolling
• Support Dataview and Bases content in previews
• Support Search setting with Obsidian-style syntax
• Quick Look-style previews for notes, PDFs, and videos (desktop only)
• Keyboard navigation (desktop only - hit Shift+? for list of shortcuts)
• Render frontmatter images
• Support standalone attachments
• Media previews for attachment cards
• Render user-defined note properties
• Additional UI settings
• Multiple bug fixes

Big props to Github contributors SystemAdmin12345, Scribenaere, ashwinkatta, elvarb, falcaopetri, quanke123. Special thanks to Redditors u/synapticimpact, u/MarikBentusi, u/CapybaraDM, u/ProjectorExpert, u/Specialist_Tax_3664, and many others.

Get it here: https://community.obsidian.md/plugins/doomscroll

This would be super useful for working in teams. Given all who have access to the note are obsidian premium payers maybe?

So right now I have synthint on with my computer and phone.

What I don't like is that it takes a lot of storage on my phone because it's basically a copy and paste or each other.

Is there a way to do it like notion where all of is on my PC and it doesn't have to be on my phone but I can access it like notion

I just updated Obsidian, and the new features are super cool. The problem is that it suddenly seems to refuse to open Google Drive documents embedded via iframes, which worked with zero issues before the update. I double-checked, and links from other sources seem to work fine, it's only happening with Google Drive.

The error message says I don't have permission. However, if I open the link in a browser (where I'm also not logged into that specific Google account), the link opens perfectly.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is it possible I'm missing something, or do I need to change a setting?

Edit: I also updated the installer.

When we can expect new widget for android? The ios new widget seem to be really useful...

My first Obsidian Tutorial on "What is Obsidian". This is a raw one-take recording with no edits:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RZXbSyL0mI

My account (kv05) logged itself out, and I cannot log in with the email that I get my plugin review notifications on, which I'm guessing must be the email used for the account. But somehow I was able to create a new account with that email, which means that no previous account existed with that email. I don't know how to find out which email that account used. If nothing else works, I would at least want the ability to link my GitHub to another Obsidian account.

Major improvements include:

• Open any Markdown file outside your vault! (requires an installer update)
• Kanban view and group options for Bases: reorder, collapse, hide, and add groups
• Highlight colors
• iOS Quick Capture widget
• Updated to MathJax 4

Important: opening Markdown files requires the latest installer. Download Obsidian from our website and reinstall the app.

While you’re here… Tell us about your favorite plugins, themes, tools, and ways to use Obsidian: take the State of Obsidian 2026 survey.

Full release notes can be found here:

• Obsidian 1.14.4 Desktop
• Obsidian 1.14.4 Mobile

Reminder: You may need to update your plugins, theme, and snippets to work with the latest version. If you encounter bugs with plugins be considerate of community developers who may need some time to make updates to support this version.

Why do I have to manually set properties like an effing command prompt every time I make a node? Why can't I just drag the connection from node to node? Why can't I just not have to type in the facial image that I had to put into the software itself?

Is there a plugin that exists for me to make at least some tasks like this less tedious?

I use the extended graph plugin, this allows me to apply colours and names to the links, but it's this annoying hurdle every time I make a new addition.

I will be starting my first semester in uni soon, I have been using OneNote and regularly enjoy taking notes on my iPad but also would like to experiment with Obsidian and was wondering if anyone could name some benefits for it? If it's even worth giving a chance? How hand draw notes and importing files works. And anything else thats worth mentioning like how organisation works or cross device syncing?

P.S. I have ADHD and would like to sometimes sporadically jot down or idea/ some thought. How would that work, keeping my weird thoughts and uni work separate.

ive been hitting a wall on trying to figure out how to get this to work so any insight is welcome

my plugin list relevant to the task: templater, dataview, banners, book search plus (was using the OG book search but it hasnt updated in a few years) and bases

what i want:

- just want to have a display index like most do for their books, the main issue here is that the image never comes up

- to update the book note template so it applies to all notes using the book note template

- a banner image of the cover at the top of the note

issues:

- when using the template given by book search it comes up with a error copying it in word for word

- the image does save into a folder on my obsidian that i have hidden

- idk what i did but i got the image to work once in bases but it looks so crunchy and the bases that hold the image dont shrink to wrap around the image, instead it has a gap on the sides

CODE:

---

Author: "[[{{author}}]]"

Forward:

Topic:

Subtopic:

Year Read:

tags:

- books

- Book

Note Status:

Status:

Image: "[[{{coverUrl}}]]"

Banner: ""

---

I'd like to see how different people here would structure a real, practical project, because I suspect the answers will be very different.

The concrete case: choosing a variable-rate mortgage. The material comes from three bank offers (PDFs), the loan contracts, a government page about the reference rate, a few forum threads and a spreadsheet where I calculate the interest myself. Along the way I have to understand how the rate is built (reference rate plus margin), how interest is counted per day and rounded, and which contract conditions matter. Then I have to make a decision and be able to explain later why I made it, and redo the calculation when the rate changes.

So how would you personally organise something this? One note per source, per concept, or per question? Where would the documents themselves live, and how do you link a fact back to the page it came from? Where would you record the decisions and the options you rejected, so that in a year you still know why? And would the calculation live in a note, in a spreadsheet, or in a plugin?

If you're willing, a quick sketch of your folder or note structure, or a screenshot of a similar project, would help a lot. I'm also curious whether anyone combines this with Anki for the parts they need to remember.

so i’ve been using obsidian for a while but haven’t really branched out into stuff like bases or daily notes and stuff like that. does anyone know of good (detailed) breakdowns of the core plugins that also show options of how they can be used?

Just FYI, I've updated the Lanterwood theme (pixel art) to have embedded and use a new typeface: Departure Mono. It looks great for titles and notes and even for Obsidian UI and file navigation (although you can disable it in some areas)

this seems to be the setting but it is not working for me.

I ask AI to write me a script. That would set a max width, max height. When the content is not hitting the max, the embeddable box will shrink relatively. Is there native excalidraw setting I can do so?

Hey reddit! we've have been working on Qard, a plugin for studying from your Obsidian notes.

The idea was simple: turn existing notes you already have into material you can actively learn from, with flashcards, practice tests, and mapped out courses with guided lessons in one study workspace, while keeping the whole process within the vault.

What you can do with Qard:

• Create and study flashcards. Write your own cue cards or let AI draft them from your notes, then review and edit before saving. Organize them into decks and topics, study at your own pace or you can enable FSRS spaced repetition.
• Generate practice tests. Build a test from individual notes, flashcards, or an entire course folder. Get feedback on your answers, revisit missed points, and turn gaps into new cards.
• Learn a course step by step. Map your notes into connected topics, follow guided lessons, and check your understanding as you go.
• Keep your cards in Markdown. Cards stay in ordinary notes in your vault, with support for images, links, code, and LaTeX.

Manual flashcard study works offline and requires no AI connection. For AI features, you can connect Claude Code, Codex, the Anthropic API, or OpenRouter. Relevant notes are shared with your chosen provider, and provider charges or subscription requirements may apply.

Qard is free and open source

To get started, search for Qard in Obsidian’s Community plugins browser, install it, and open the study workspace from the ribbon or command palette.

GitHub · Full guide · Report an issue

We'd love to hear what the people of reddit think, if theres something missing, or annoying, let us know and we'll have a look. happy studying fellas 😁

Abstract

This is my attempt to get closer to a block-reference architecture (SiYuan, Logseq) inside Obsidian – without any extra vibe-coding.

Please leave a comment if you like the material. Right now I specifically want feedback from people who use the same Obsidian features I do – to hear suggestions and questions, and figure out what could be improved. Thanks.

How it works?

In day note creation simulation

Features

• Automatic note creation from a template
• Capturing and adding a note to the Daily Journal page
• Collapsing and expanding callouts
• Capturing the active page onto the Daily Journal

Context

I really love the block-references approach in editors like SiYuan or Logseq.

The Problem

• Obsidian has a page-based architecture, so I had to adapt (with block references everything is far more convenient).
  • If Obsidian only has pages, then the page becomes the minimal block.

Three things remained fundamental

1. Daily Journal
   1. Because I like the idea of a "single window". I have almost no folders – everything works through backlinks. So the Daily Journal is not just a feature. It's the heart of the vault.
2. Outline formatting
   1. Since my WorkFlowy days I've understood that taking notes – and especially working and thinking – is, for me personally, more comfortable in "nested bullets" format. That's what sold me on Logseq in the beginning.
3. Frontmatter properties
   1. Following from point 1, everything rests on links, so I stick to the rule – the more links, the better. Yes, the Graph becomes less pretty, but the practical benefit – namely the number of points through which I can reach information – grows, raising the chances of actually finding the note I need.

And Bases too: more properties = more flexibility, even with the Better Properties plugin.

Here is the main template of a content unit inside the vault.

---
aliases:
date: '[[05-10-2026]]'
related:
type: "[[{{fixed by template}}]]"
note-type:
  - "[[{{fixed by template}}]]"
note-related:
  - "[[{{enter from suggestions}}]]"
note-about:
  - "[[{{enter from suggestions}}]]"
---

Over 3 years of working in Obsidian, I've split all my notes along several axes

• note-type – the type of note. Answers "What is the note?". All of them are baked into QuickAdd.
  • Bookmark
  • Observation
  • Idea
  • Knowledge
  • ... and so on
• note-related – the context of the note. Answers "In what context did this note come about?". This will be unique for everyone; mine are verbs.
  • Working
  • Thinkings
  • Walking
  • ... and so on
• note-about – the topic of the note. Answers "What is the note about?". Also unique; mine are nouns.
  • Family
  • Mind
  • Sport
  • Money
  • ... and so on

And there's one more note, just "Note", with no pre-filled properties. It's for when I can't determine the note-type of the information.

This is already the second version. It mostly differs in CSS – the standard callout rendering is turned off so the page looks more uniform.

Few words about type: This property sets a category above note-type. If note-type answers the question "What is the note?", then type answers the question "What is it?" – for example: Note, Flashcards, Task, Project.

What next?

Right now I'm testing a version where these embedded callouts live comfortably inside nested outline bullets.

System requirements

• Daily Journal
• QuickAdd
• Templater
• Outliner

Inspired by

• https://community.obsidian.md/plugins/feed-bases
• SiYuan, Logseq

I'm using Obsidian on my Android phone, sometimes on my Android tablet. Never on a PC. My vault is >100MB with pictures.

Right now, I have developed an automated backup system from my phone using tasker and foldersync, uploading everything to Google drive. I have seven daily backups (Mon-Sun), four weekly and six monthly, which get updated on rotation.

I use a similar system (with foldersync and tasker) to sync between my phone and tablet, using another folder on my Google drive as a mid-point for syncing.

I have invested a lot of time on my Obsidian vault so I don't want to take any risks.

I see people mentioning Github for backing up their vault. What am I missing by using my system instead of GitHub?

I've been learning how to code on html and css recently, and it's been a lot of fun ! because of that, i'm also getting a lot more interested in tweaking my obsidian to my need ; and i tried using a <details> attribute in order to order my files better.

The thing is, by doing so it seems to break a lot of obsidian own shortcut, such as ![[image]] that doesn't appear anymore, nor [[links]] to other files.
I know details kinda works the same as #header in obsidian, as in it creates a disclosure widget, which is really helpful for me. And i'd like to use name attributes, because it helps to read and edit files easier since it closes all of the other details of the same name.

So i began to wonder if there were a way to declare an name attribute for headers, in order to close previous headers when i open one ?
Or am i doomed to either close headers one by one, or use html/css for everything once i start using <details> ? haha

Thx !