Complete step by step Obsidian installation guide 2026 — Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. Vault setup, Markdown basics, plugins and common error fixes.
Version 1.12.7 • Free • No account required • Works offline
Obsidian is a lightweight app that runs smoothly on almost any modern device.
Installation takes about 2 minutes. No administrator rights required.
Click the Download for Windows button above. The file Obsidian-1.12.7.exe (~90 MB) will save to your Downloads folder from the official Obsidian GitHub releases page.
Double-click the downloaded file. If Windows SmartScreen shows a warning, click More info → Run anyway. This is a standard prompt for newly released software — the file is safe.
The installer unpacks files and creates a Desktop shortcut and Start Menu entry automatically. The progress bar takes 20–30 seconds.
Launch Obsidian from the Desktop. On first run you will see three options: Create new vault, Open folder as vault, or use Obsidian Sync. Choose "Create new vault", pick a folder, and you are ready.
Obsidian after installation on Windows — dark theme editor with Markdown live preview and file sidebar
The graph view visualises your entire vault as an interactive knowledge network
One universal .dmg file works on both Intel Macs and Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) — no separate download needed.
Click the macOS download button. The file Obsidian-1.12.7.dmg (~120 MB) saves to your Downloads folder directly from the official Obsidian GitHub repository.
Double-click the .dmg file to mount it. A Finder window opens showing the Obsidian icon alongside an Applications folder shortcut.
Drag the Obsidian.app icon into the Applications shortcut. Wait for the copy to finish, then eject the disk image.
Launch Obsidian from Applications. If macOS says "developer cannot be verified", go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway.
Obsidian on macOS — note editor with backlinks panel and live Markdown preview
💡 Apple Silicon tip
The .dmg is a universal binary — the same file runs natively on M1/M2/M3 and Intel without Rosetta. No separate ARM download is needed.
Three options available: AppImage (recommended), Snap and Flatpak. The AppImage requires no installation and works on any distribution.
AppImage
✅ Recommended
Works on Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch and virtually any modern Linux distro. Just download, make executable, and run.
Download AppImage →Snap
⚙️ Snap distros
Best for Ubuntu and Snap-enabled systems. Automatic updates via snapd.
Download Snap →Flatpak
📦 Flathub
Install via Flathub on any Flatpak-compatible distro. Well-sandboxed environment.
Open Flathub →
Obsidian-1.12.7.AppImage to any folder.cd ~/Downloadschmod +x Obsidian-1.12.7.AppImage./Obsidian-1.12.7.AppImage — or double-click in your file manager.sudo apt install libfuse2 then re-run.The Obsidian mobile app is free and available in official stores. It offers nearly the same feature set as the desktop version.
iCloud Drive/Obsidian/.Visual walkthrough of the Obsidian download and install process — vault creation, Markdown editor, and first plugin setup.
How to Install Obsidian — Video Guide
Click to watch · Obsidian tutorial · YouTube
v1.12.7
Current version
~2 min
Install time
Free
Personal use
Three things define your Obsidian experience after installation: your vault, the Markdown format, and plugins. If you are wondering how to start using Obsidian after setup, this section covers all the essentials.
A vault is a regular folder on your computer that Obsidian uses as the root of your knowledge base. On first launch choose Create new vault, set a name and a location. Recommended path: Documents/MyVault. Every note inside is a plain file — readable in any text editor even without Obsidian.
💡 You can have multiple vaults — for example one for work and one for personal notes.
Obsidian stores every note as a Markdown (.md) file — an open, human-readable text format. Essential syntax to know:
💡 Enable Live Preview in Settings → Editor — Markdown renders as you type.
Plugins are Obsidian's superpower. First enable built-in core plugins in Settings → Core plugins: Daily notes, Graph, Templates. For community plugins go to Settings → Community plugins → Disable Safe mode → Browse.
Top plugins for beginners:
📊 Dataview — query your notes like a database 📅 Calendar — daily note navigation ⚡ Templater — advanced note templates ✅ Tasks — cross-vault task management
Obsidian after initial setup: vault file explorer, Markdown editor and plugins panel
The most frequent issues encountered during Obsidian installation and how to solve them quickly.
Cause
SmartScreen shows a warning for apps that have not yet built up enough reputation in Microsoft's database. This is common for newly released software.
✅ Fix
1. In the SmartScreen dialog click More info. 2. Click Run anyway. The file is safe — downloaded directly from the official Obsidian GitHub releases page.
Cause
Gatekeeper blocks apps downloaded from outside the Mac App Store that are not signed by a registered Apple Developer account.
✅ Fix
Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway next to the Obsidian warning. Or run in Terminal: xattr -cr /Applications/Obsidian.app
Cause
Ubuntu 22.04 and later versions no longer ship FUSE 2 by default. AppImage requires it to mount and run.
✅ Fix
Run in terminal: sudo apt install libfuse2 then relaunch the AppImage. On Fedora/RHEL: sudo dnf install fuse
Cause
After reinstalling or switching devices, Obsidian does not show the previous vault on the startup screen.
✅ Fix
Click Open another vault → Open folder as vault and manually select your vault folder. If it was in iCloud or Dropbox, make sure the files are fully downloaded locally first.
Cause
The Browse button in Community plugins is greyed out or unavailable.
✅ Fix
Go to Settings → Community plugins and make sure the Safe mode toggle is turned OFF. Only then does the Browse button become active.
Cause
Some Android versions revoke folder permissions after a restart, making the vault inaccessible.
✅ Fix
Store your vault in internal storage under /storage/emulated/0/Documents/ rather than on an SD card. Re-open the vault via Open folder as vault if needed after a reboot.
To install Obsidian on Windows 11 step by step — which is how to install Obsidian on Windows 11 step by step without issues — download the .exe and run it directly. Need to install Obsidian without admin rights Windows? The installer defaults to a user-writable path, so no UAC prompt appears — ideal for corporate or school PCs. For an Obsidian install portable version Windows, copy the installed folder to a USB drive after setup and launch Obsidian on any Windows machine without reinstalling. To install Obsidian on Mac without App Store, download the .dmg from this page, drag it to Applications, then allow it in System Settings → Privacy & Security. For Linux users wondering how to install Obsidian on Linux Ubuntu terminal, open a terminal, download the AppImage, run chmod +x Obsidian-1.12.7.AppImage, then execute ./Obsidian-1.12.7.AppImage — no sudo or package manager required.
Answers to the most common questions before and after installing Obsidian.