What is Obsidian and How Does It Work
Obsidian is a note-taking application that stores your notes as plain text files on your computer. Unlike cloud-based note-taking services, Obsidian keeps all your information stored locally, meaning your notes stay on your device rather than on someone else's servers. The application was created by Erica Xu and Shida Li and launched in 2020, quickly gaining popularity among knowledge workers, students, and researchers who need to organize large amounts of information.
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The core concept behind Obsidian centers on connecting your notes together through links. When you write a note about a particular topic, you can create links to other related notes, building what Obsidian calls a "vault." Think of it like creating your own personal Wikipedia where every note can reference and connect to other notes you've written. This interconnected approach differs from traditional note-taking, where notes might sit in separate folders with little connection to one another.
Obsidian runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux computers, and there are also mobile versions available for iOS and Android devices. The basic version is free to use, with optional paid features available for users who need additional functionality. The free tier includes all the core features most people need for personal note-taking and knowledge management.
The application uses a markdown format for writing, which is a simple plain-text system that allows you to format text without complicated menus. You can make text bold or italic, create headings, make lists, and organize information using basic symbols. Markdown has become standard across many applications because it's readable even in plain text and converts easily into other formats like PDF or HTML.
Practical takeaway: Start by downloading Obsidian from the official website and creating your first vault. A vault is simply a folder on your computer where all your notes will be stored. Open Obsidian, create a new vault, and write a simple note about something you're currently learning about. Notice how the application saves it as a plain text file you can see in your computer's file system.
Understanding Vaults and Vault Structure
A vault in Obsidian is a folder on your computer that contains all your notes and related files. When you open Obsidian for the first time, the application asks you to create a vault or open an existing folder as a vault. This folder becomes your workspace where all your notes, attachments, and configuration settings live. You can have multiple vaults if you want to separate different areas of your life—one for work, one for personal projects, and one for learning, for example.
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The structure you create within your vault affects how well you can organize and retrieve your notes later. Many experienced Obsidian users organize their vaults into folders, though the application's linking system means you don't rely solely on folder structure like you might with a traditional file system. Some people create folders like "Projects," "Reference," "Personal," and "Archive" to group related notes. Others use a simpler structure with just a few broad categories.
Within your vault, you'll create individual notes as markdown files. Each note focuses on a specific topic or idea. The file name becomes the note's title and also serves as the link reference when you want to connect notes together. For instance, a note named "Obsidian Linking" would be referenced in other notes using double brackets like this: [[Obsidian Linking]].
Many users adopt the "Zettelkasten" method, a German term meaning "slip box," originally developed by scholar Niklas Luhmann. This approach involves creating many small, atomic notes—each containing one main idea—and then linking them together. Research notes might be stored separately from permanent notes, which are then linked into a larger knowledge structure. This method works well in Obsidian because the application excels at showing connections between ideas.
Your vault settings can be customized through Obsidian's preferences. You can decide whether attachments should be stored in a specific folder, set up templates for common note types, and configure which folders are excluded from searches. Some users create a "Templates" folder containing template notes they can duplicate when creating new notes of a specific type.
Practical takeaway: Create three to five main folders within your vault based on your primary areas of focus. Name them clearly so you'll understand their purpose months from now. Inside one folder, create at least three related notes and practice linking them together using the [[note name]] syntax. Notice how Obsidian shows you the connections in its graph view.
Creating and Linking Notes
Creating a note in Obsidian is straightforward: you click "Create new note" or press a keyboard shortcut, type your title, and begin writing. Most people create one note per topic or idea, keeping notes focused and concise. Notes can range from a few sentences to several pages, depending on your needs. The key is that each note should be retrievable later when you need the information it contains.
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The most powerful feature in Obsidian is its linking system. When writing a note, if you mention another topic you've written about or want to write about, you can create a link using double square brackets. For example, if you're writing about "Project Management" and want to reference your note on "Time Blocking," you would type [[Time Blocking]]. Obsidian recognizes this as a link to that note. If the note doesn't exist yet, Obsidian offers to create it when you click the link.
Links work in both directions in Obsidian. This means if you link from "Project Management" to "Time Blocking," Obsidian knows about this connection. When you open "Time Blocking," the application shows you that "Project Management" links to it, creating a bidirectional relationship. This feature helps you discover connections between your notes that you might not remember explicitly creating.
Obsidian provides several ways to view these connections. The "Graph view" displays your notes as dots connected by lines, showing the network of relationships between your notes. A dense, interconnected graph suggests you have a well-connected knowledge base, while isolated notes indicate ideas not yet connected to others. The "Backlinks" panel shows all the notes that link to the current note, helping you understand how a particular idea relates to other things you've recorded.
You can also create links to specific headings within notes. If a note titled "Productivity Techniques" has a heading called "Pomodoro Method," you can link directly to that section using [[Productivity Techniques#Pomodoro Method]]. This precision helps when notes become longer or contain multiple distinct concepts.
Practical takeaway: Write a note about a topic you're currently studying. Identify three related concepts and create links to them using the [[]] syntax. Create those linked notes if they don't exist. Then open one of the linked notes and examine the backlinks panel to see how Obsidian tracks the connections you've created.
Using Markdown Formatting and Syntax
Markdown is the formatting language Obsidian uses for writing. It uses simple symbols to format text in a way that's readable both as plain text and when rendered as formatted content. Learning markdown takes only an hour or two, and the same skills transfer to many other applications and websites that support markdown formatting.
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The most basic markdown elements include: headings created with hash symbols (# for the largest heading, ## for smaller, etc.), bold text created with double asterisks (**bold text**), italic text created with single asterisks (*italic text*), and lists created with dashes or numbers. Code snippets can be displayed using single backticks for inline code or triple backticks for code blocks. Blockquotes are created using the greater-than symbol (> quoted text).
Checkboxes are particularly useful in Obsidian for task management. You create a checkbox using square brackets with a space or x: - [ ] Task to complete or - [x] Completed task. Many users create daily notes with checkbox lists of tasks they want to accomplish. Strikethrough text, created with tildes (~~strikethrough~~), is useful for showing what you've completed or ideas you've rejected.
Obsidian also supports tables using pipe characters to separate columns. You can paste table content from spreadsheets directly into your notes, and Obsidian will format it as a markdown table. LaTeX mathematical notation is supported for users who need to write equations, using dollar signs to delimit the mathematical content ($equation$).
One powerful markdown feature in Obsidian is the callout or admonition syntax. This creates highlighted boxes for important information, warnings,