Where Does Obsidian Store Vault Settings?
Obsidian vault config (.obsidian folder) versus global app settings on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Last updated
Obsidian splits settings in two. Per vault settings (hotkeys, themes, plugins) live in a hidden .obsidian folder inside the vault itself. Global login and installer settings live in a separate system folder.
Notes are plain Markdown in the vault, so any file manager sees them. The .obsidian folder is hidden because it starts with a dot.
Where Obsidian stores this, by platform
%APPDATA%\Obsidian
Global settings only. Per vault settings live in .obsidian inside your vault folder. Show hidden files to see it, and never create a vault inside this system folder.
~/Library/Application Support/obsidian
Global settings only. Per vault settings live in .obsidian inside your vault folder. Press Cmd+Shift+period in Finder to reveal it.
~/.config/obsidian
Global settings only (uses $XDG_CONFIG_HOME when set). Per vault settings live in .obsidian inside your vault folder. Press Ctrl+H to show hidden files.
Frequently asked questions
I cannot see the .obsidian folder. Where is it?
Inside your vault folder at the top level. Enable hidden files in your file manager, since dot folders are hidden by default.
What should I leave out of git for an Obsidian vault?
Ignore .obsidian/workspace.json at minimum. It rewrites on every file open and creates noise in commits.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.