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Basic Operations

Let's start with the basics. This section assumes you already have Obsidian installed on your device.

First-time Users

If you have already played around with Obsidian after installing, you can go to the "Creating a vault" section. Otherwise, New users should click the purple "Quick start" button once you have it installed and skip the step below.

Creating a Vault

Video Tutorial: Creating a Vault

A vault is a folder that contains all your notes and attachments in Obsidian.

  1. Click on "Obsidian Vault" in the bottom left corner of the application
  2. Select "Manage Vaults"
  3. Click the purple "Create" button
  4. Name your vault (e.g., "MyKnowledgeBase" or "123" from the video)
  5. Click "Browse" to select a location (e.g., your desktop)
  6. Click the purple "Create" button

Understanding Vaults

A vault is simply a folder on your computer that stores all your notes locally. Everything you write will be kept inside this folder as plain text markdown files, making them portable and future-proof.

Customizing Appearance

Recommended Theme

I recommend installing the "Minimal" theme for a clean, distraction-free writing experience, but this is entirely optional. Feel free to explore other themes as well!

Video Tutorial: Customizing Appearance

You can customize the look and feel of Obsidian to suit your preferences:

  1. Click the settings icon (gear) in the bottom left corner
  2. Go to "Appearance"
  3. Under "Themes," click on "Minimal"
  4. Click "Install and Use"

Changing Fonts

Take some time to experiment with different fonts to find what works best for your reading and writing style. The right font can significantly improve your writing experience.

Video Tutorial: Changing Fonts

To change the fonts in Obsidian:

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Select "Appearance"
  3. Scroll to "Fonts"
  4. Choose your preferred font

Creating Your First Note

Video Tutorial: Creating Your First Note

Let's create your first note in Obsidian:

  1. Press Ctrl+O (or Cmd+O on Mac)
  2. Type a name for your note (e.g., "My First Note")
  3. Press Enter
  4. Start writing your content (e.g., "This is the beginning of my knowledge base")

Keyboard Shortcut

The Ctrl+O (or Cmd+O on Mac) shortcut is one of the most frequently used in Obsidian. It opens the quick switcher, allowing you to quickly create or navigate to notes.

Adding Images to Notes

Video Tutorial: Adding Images

Adding images to your notes is as simple as drag-and-drop:

  1. Find an image file on your computer (e.g., "Lake.jpg")
  2. Drag it directly into your note
  3. The image will be embedded and automatically saved in your vault

Image Management

In the next sections, we'll set up automatic organization for your images to keep your vault tidy.

Creating Folders

Video Tutorial: Creating Folders

Organizing your notes with folders helps keep your vault tidy:

  1. Right-click the empty space in the left sidebar
  2. Select "New Folder" from the context menu
  3. Name your new folder "Assets"
  4. Click and drag your image files into the "Assets" folder

Folder Organization

While folders are useful for basic organization, we'll explore more powerful linking methods in the Zettelkasten section that go beyond traditional folder hierarchies.

Setting Up Automatic File Organization

Video Tutorial: Automatic File Organization

Configure Obsidian to automatically place new attachments in your Assets folder:

  1. Click the settings icon (gear) in the bottom left corner
  2. Select "Files & Links" from the left sidebar
  3. Find "Default location for new attachments"
  4. Change the setting from "Vault folder" to "In the folder specified below"
  5. Type "Assets" in the "Attachment folder path" field

Automatic Organization

Now any new images or attachments you add to your notes will automatically be stored in the Assets folder, keeping your vault organized.

Linking Images in Notes

Video Tutorial: Linking Images

You can manually link to images stored in your Assets folder:

  1. In your note, type an exclamation mark !
  2. Follow it with two opening square brackets [[
  3. Start typing the name of your image (e.g., "Lake", "Blossom", or "Waterfall")
  4. Select the correct image from the autocomplete menu
  5. Press Enter to insert the image

Image Linking Syntax

The markdown syntax for linking an image looks like this: 

![[Lake.jpg]]

Conclusion

Ready for More

With these fundamentals you have just learned, you're ready to move on to more advanced techniques.

In the next section, we'll introduce you to the tips and tricks to utilizing obsidian's full potential.