Faeri's Obsidian

Obsidian Commands

13 min read

Obsidian Commands

← Go back to Hotkeys

Add cursor above

Places an additional cursor on the line above your current position, letting you type or edit on multiple lines simultaneously. Useful for making the same change across several consecutive lines without selecting and replacing.

Add cursor below

Same as above but adds the extra cursor on the line below instead. You can keep triggering it to stack multiple cursors downward, then type once to affect all of them at the same time.

Audio recorder: Start recording

Begins recording audio through your device’s microphone and saves it as an attachment in your vault. The Audio recorder core plugin must be enabled in Settings > Core plugins for this command to appear. An audio recorder icon will also appear in the left side ribbon.

Audio recorder: Stop recording

Stops the current audio recording and saves the file to your vault. The Audio recorder core plugin must be enabled in Settings > Core plugins for this command to appear. An audio recorder icon will also appear in the left side ribbon.

Opens or closes the inline backlinks panel at the bottom of your current note, showing you every other note that links to this one. A quick way to see what’s connected without switching to the sidebar.

Bookmarks: Remove bookmark for the current file

Unbookmarks the note you’re currently viewing, removing it from your Bookmarks panel. The note itself is untouched — only the bookmark entry is deleted.

Warning

For the “Bookmarks: Remove bookmark for the current file” command, there is no confirmation dialog before the bookmark is removed.

Canvas: Convert to file…

Takes a selected card on a Canvas board and converts its content into a proper standalone note in your vault, replacing the card with a file card that links to it. Good for when a quick idea you jotted on a canvas has grown into something worth its own page.

Canvas: Export as image

When using this command, you will receive this popup:

Export as image

Export “canvas-name” as a PNG file with the settings below.

Viewport Choose to render the entire canvas or just the current visible viewport

  • Full canvas (Default)
  • Viewport only

Zoom Estimated image dimensions: (estimate dimensions listed here) Default: 1.0 (slider ranges from 0.5 to 2.0)

Show logo This will add an Obsidian logo to the bottom left. Default: true

Privacy mode This will obscure any text on your canvas. Default: false

Clear file properties

Deletes all properties (frontmatter) from the current note in one go, removing fields like tags, aliases, or any custom key-value pairs you’ve set. The rest of your note content is left intact.

Warning

For the “Clear file properties” command, there is no confirmation dialog before the your properties are deleted.

Close all other tabs

Closes every open tab in the current window except the one you’re on. Handy for decluttering when you’ve accumulated a bunch of tabs during a research or editing session.

Warning

For the “Close all other tabs” command, there is no confirmation dialog before all of the other tabs are closed.

Close current tab

Closes the tab you’re currently viewing. If it’s the only tab open, the tab will close and leave the pane empty.

Warning

For the “Close current” command, there is no confirmation dialog before the current tab is closed.

Close others in tab group

Closes all other open tabs within the same pane as your current tab, leaving any other panes untouched. If you’re only working in one pane, this behaves the same as Close all other tabs.

Daily note: Open next daily note

Opens the daily note for the day after your currently viewed daily note. Requires the next day’s note to already exist — if it hasn’t been created yet, the command won’t do anything.

Daily note: Open previous daily note

Opens the daily note for the day before your currently viewed daily note. Requires the previous day’s note to already exist — if it hasn’t been created yet, the command won’t do anything.

Daily note: Open’s today’s daily note

Opens the daily note for today. If today’s note doesn’t exist yet, it will be created automatically.

Delete paragraph

Deletes the entire paragraph your cursor is currently in, including the trailing newline. The rest of your note shifts up to fill the gap.

Warning

For the “Delete paragraph” command, there is no confirmation dialog before the paragraph is deleted.

Export to PDF…

When using this command, you will receive this popup:

Export as PDF

Export “note-name” to PDF with the settings below.

Include file name as title Default: false

Page size

  • A3
  • A4
  • A5
  • Legal
  • Letter (Default)
  • Tabloid

Landscape Default: false

Margin

  • Default (Default)
  • Minimal
  • None

Downscale percent Default: 100 (slider ranges from 10 to 100)

Focus on last note

Returns keyboard focus to the last note you were editing. Useful if you’ve clicked into a sidebar panel (such as search or the file explorer) and want to get back to typing in your note without reaching for the mouse.

Fold less

Expands the current fold level, revealing the next layer of hidden content. Each time you run it, it unfolds one level at a time.

Fold more

Collapses the next level of headings or list items, hiding more of your document. Each time you run it, it folds one level deeper than the current fold state.

Opens the note or URL that your cursor is currently positioned on, without needing to use the mouse. Equivalent to Ctrl+clicking a link.

Bug

As of version 1.12.4, this command may not work even with the hotkey correctly assigned and no conflicts. Alt+Left click works as a partial workaround, but behavior is inconsistent — for example, following a link works from some notes but not others, with no clear pattern.

Footnotes view: Show footnotes

Opens a dedicated panel displaying all footnotes in the current note, letting you view and navigate them without scrolling to the bottom of the page. The Footnotes view core plugin must be enabled in Settings > Core plugins for this command to appear.

Format converter: Open format converter

Opens a tool that batch converts legacy Markdown syntax from other apps (such as Roam Research or Bear) into Obsidian-compatible formatting across your entire vault. The Format converter core plugin must be enabled in Settings > Core plugins for this command to appear.

When using this command, you will receive this popup:

Format converter

Roam Research tag fixer (default: false) Convert “#tag” and “#tag” to “tag”.

Roam Research highlight fixer Converts “^^highlight^^ to "highlight".

Roam Research TODO converter Converts “{{TODO}}” to ”[ ]“.

Bear highlight fixer Converts “::highlight::” to "highlight".

Zettelkasten link beautifier Fixes “UID” links and also beautify then “File Name”.

Frontmattter migration Migrate frontmatter tags, aliases, and cssclasses to the strict format required by Obsidian v1.9+

Warning: the converter will convert all the files in your vault, not just the current file.

Your files will be overwritten. Back up all your files before attempting conversion.

Graph view: Start graph timelapse animation

Plays an animation in the graph view that shows your notes appearing chronologically in the order they were created, letting you watch your vault grow over time.

Local graph

The timelapse animation does not work with the local graph.

Note composer: Extract current selection

Takes the text you currently have selected and moves it into a new note, replacing the selection in the original note with a link to the newly created one. Useful for splitting out content that has grown large enough to deserve its own page.

Bug

This command is currently incorrectly linked to the “Merge current file with another file…” function.

Opens the note or URL your cursor is currently positioned on in a new tab, keeping your current note open.

Bug

As of version 1.12.4, The hotkey (Ctrl+Enter) does not work. The functionality itself works via Ctrl+Left click instead, suggesting the command was accidentally wired to a click event rather than the keyboard shortcut.

Opens the note or URL your cursor is currently positioned on in a new window, keeping your current note open in its original window.

Bug

As of version 1.12.4, the hotkey (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Enter) does not work. The functionality itself works correctly via Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Left click instead, suggesting the command was accidentally wired to a click event rather than the keyboard shortcut.

Opens the note or URL your cursor is currently positioned on in a new pane to the right, keeping your current note open on the left.

Bug

As of version 1.12.4, the hotkey (Ctrl+Alt+Enter) does not work. The functionality itself works correctly via Ctrl+Alt+Left click instead, suggesting the command was accidentally wired to a click event rather than the keyboard shortcut.

Publish: Open in live site

Opens the published version of the current note in your browser, letting you see how it appears on your live Obsidian Publish site. Requires the Publish core plugin to be enabled and an active Obsidian Publish subscription.

Publish: Publish changes

Opens the Publish dialog showing all notes with unpublished changes, allowing you to review and selectively push updates to your live site. Requires the Publish core plugin to be enabled and an active Obsidian Publish subscription.

Publish: Publish current file

Publishes the current note directly to your Obsidian Publish site without going through the full publish dialog. Requires the Publish core plugin to be enabled and an active Obsidian Publish subscription.

Quick switcher: Open quick switcher

Opens the quick switcher, a search bar that lets you rapidly navigate to any note in your vault by typing part of its name.

Bug

The hotkey for this command is documented as Ctrl+0, but the actual working hotkey is Ctrl+P. This appears to be a typo in Obsidian’s documentation, as P is directly below 0 on the keyboard.

Save current file

Manually saves the current note to disk. In practice, Obsidian saves your notes automatically as you type, so this command is rarely necessary — it exists mainly as a familiar fallback for those accustomed to manually saving in other applications.

Slides: Start presentation

Launches the current note as a slideshow presentation, treating each horizontal rule (---) as a slide break. Requires the Slides core plugin to be enabled in Settings > Core plugins for this command to appear.

Sync: Show activity log

Opens a log of all recent sync activity, showing which files have been synced, updated, or flagged for conflicts. Requires an active Obsidian Sync subscription.

Sync: Open version history for the current file

Opens a panel showing the full revision history of the current note, allowing you to browse and restore previous versions. Requires an active Obsidian Sync subscription.

Sync: Set up Sync

Opens the setup wizard for Obsidian Sync, guiding you through connecting your vault to a remote server for backup and cross-device synchronization. Requires an active Obsidian Sync subscription.

If you do not have an active Obsidian Sync subscription, this will be displayed on the core plugin’s page:

Warning

Obsidian Sync is Obsidian’s add-on sync service with end-to-end encryption and version history.

To start syncing, please log in or create a new Obsidian account.

Sync: Show Sync history

Opens a full log of all sync events across your vault, including file changes, deletions, and conflict resolutions. Requires an active Obsidian Sync subscription.

Toggle default mode for new tabs

Switches the default mode that new tabs open in, toggling between editing mode and reading mode. Whichever mode is set will be applied automatically whenever you open a new tab.

Toggle pin

Pins or unpins the current tab. A pinned tab will not be replaced when opening other notes, forcing them to open in a new tab instead. Useful for keeping a reference note permanently accessible while you navigate around your vault.

Toggle window always on top

Keeps the Obsidian window floating above all other windows, even when it’s not in focus. Press again to turn it off.

Bug

As of version 1.12.4, this command does not appear to work — Obsidian will still go behind other windows even when toggled on.

Web viewer: Focus address bar

Moves keyboard focus to the address bar in the web viewer panel, letting you type or edit a URL without reaching for the mouse. Requires the Web viewer core plugin to be enabled in Settings > Core plugins.

Web viewer: Open web viewer

Opens a new web viewer panel inside Obsidian, letting you browse the web without leaving the app. Requires the Web viewer core plugin to be enabled in Settings > Core plugins.

Web viewer: Reset zoom

Resets the zoom level of the current web viewer page back to the default. Requires the Web viewer core plugin to be enabled in Settings > Core plugins.

Web viewer: Save to vault

Opens a web search prompt directly from within Obsidian, loading the results in the web viewer panel. Requires the Web viewer core plugin to be enabled in Settings > Core plugins.

Web viewer: Search the web

Opens a web search prompt directly from within Obsidian, loading the results in the web viewer panel. Requires the Web viewer core plugin to be enabled in Settings > Core plugins.

Web viewer: Show history

Displays your browsing history within the web viewer, letting you navigate back to previously visited pages. Requires the Web viewer core plugin to be enabled in Settings > Core plugins.

Web viewer: Toggle reader mode

Switches the current web viewer page into a simplified, distraction-free reading view that strips away ads and clutter. Requires the Web viewer core plugin to be enabled in Settings > Core plugins.

Web viewer: Zoom in

Increases the zoom level of the current page in the web viewer. Requires the Web viewer core plugin to be enabled in Settings > Core plugins.

Web viewer: Zoom out

Decreases the zoom level of the current page in the web viewer. Requires the Web viewer core plugin to be enabled in Settings > Core plugins.

Workspaces: Load workspace layout

Opens a saved workspace layout, restoring the arrangement of tabs, panes, and panels you had when it was saved. Requires the Workspaces core plugin to be enabled in Settings > Core plugins.

Workspaces: Manage workspace layouts

Opens a panel where you can view, rename, and delete your saved workspace layouts. Requires the Workspaces core plugin to be enabled in Settings > Core plugins.

Workspaces: Save and load another layout

Saves your current workspace layout and immediately switches to a different one in a single step. Requires the Workspaces core plugin to be enabled in Settings > Core plugins.

Workspaces: Save layout

Saves your current arrangement of tabs, panes, and panels as a named workspace layout that you can return to later. Requires the Workspaces core plugin to be enabled in Settings > Core plugins.

Graph View

Backlinks