Obsidian Hotkeys Cheat Sheet (2024)
🔍 What is Obsidian?
Obsidian is a privacy-focused, Markdown-based note-taking and knowledge management app that stores your notes as plain text files in a local folder (your “vault”). Unlike cloud-based tools like Notion or Evernote, Obsidian gives you full control over your data with no vendor lock-in.
🌟 Key Features
✔ Local-first – Notes stored on your device (optional sync via paid service)
✔ Markdown-native – Future-proof formatting with .md files
✔ Graph View – Visualize connections between notes
✔ Plugins & Themes – Highly customizable via community plugins
✔ Offline Access – No internet required
📜 Brief History
2019: Obsidian was created by Shida Li and Erica Xu, former developers of Dynalist (a productivity app).
2020: Public beta launched, gaining rapid popularity among power users.
2021: Officially released with plugin support and mobile apps.
2023: Surpassed 1M+ downloads, with a thriving plugin ecosystem (1,000+ plugins).
📊 Obsidian by the Numbers (2024)
- 1.5M+ active users
- 90%+ user retention rate (vs. ~50% for Notion)
- 10,000+ free community plugins & themes
100% offline-capable (unlike Notion, which requires cloud sync)
🚀 Why Use Obsidian?
- For Researchers & Writers
- Zettelkasten & Linking: Build a networked knowledge base with
[[wikilinks]]. - Long-Term Usability: Plain-text notes remain readable for decades.
- For Developers & Techies
- Git Integration: Version control your notes like code.
- Custom Scripts: Automate workflows with DataviewJS & Templater.
- For Productivity Nerds
- Task Management: Plugins like Tasks and Kanban turn notes into a productivity hub.
- Daily Notes & Journals: Built-in templates for rapid logging.
- For Privacy-Conscious Users
- No forced cloud sync (unlike Notion, Evernote).
- End-to-end encrypted sync (paid feature).
Obsidian Hotkeys Cheat Sheet (2024)
🔍 Navigation
| Hotkey | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl/Cmd + O | Open quick switcher (search files) |
Ctrl/Cmd + P | Open command palette |
Ctrl/Cmd + F | Search in current file |
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + F | Search entire vault |
Alt + ←/→ | Navigate back/forward in history |
Ctrl/Cmd + G | Go to line number |
📝 Editing
Basic Text Manipulation
| Hotkey | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl/Cmd + B | Bold (**text**) |
Ctrl/Cmd + I | Italic (*text*) |
Ctrl/Cmd + K | Insert link ([text](url)) |
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + ]/[ | Increase/decrease heading level |
Ctrl/Cmd + Enter | New line below (without breaking list) |
Advanced Editing
| Hotkey | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl/Cmd + D | Duplicate line |
Alt + ↑/↓ | Move line up/down |
Ctrl/Cmd + / | Toggle comment (HTML or %%) |
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + V | Paste as plain text |
📑 Panes & Tabs
| Hotkey | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl/Cmd + W | Close current tab |
Ctrl/Cmd + N | New note |
Ctrl/Cmd + , | Open settings |
Ctrl/Cmd + \ | Toggle sidebar |
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + E | Toggle file explorer |
🔗 Linking & Embeds
| Hotkey | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl/Cmd + L | Turn selected text into link |
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + L | Open link under cursor |
![[]] + Tab | Quick embed (image/file) |
🧩 Plugins & Advanced
Dataview
| Hotkey | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + D | Run Dataview query (if bound) |
Templates
| Hotkey | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + T | Insert template (Templater) |
Canvas
| Hotkey | Action |
|---|---|
N | New node |
Ctrl/Cmd + Drag | Pan canvas |
🎨 Formatting
| Hotkey | Action |
|---|---|
> + Space | Convert to blockquote |
-/* + Space | Bullet list |
1. + Space | Numbered list |
```` +Enter` | Code block |
⚡ Productivity Boosters
| Hotkey | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl/Cmd + E | Toggle edit/preview |
Ctrl/Cmd + S | Save current file |
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + S | Save all files |
🔧 Customization Tips
Remap Shortcuts:
Go toSettings → Hotkeysto override defaults.Plugin Hotkeys:
Some plugins (like Calendar or Excalidraw) add their own shortcuts.
💡 Pro Tip: Type Ctrl/Cmd + P → “Hotkeys” to see all available shortcuts in your current context!
Tags: #Obsidian #Productivity #CheatSheet
How to Use This in Obsidian
- Create a new note titled “Obsidian Hotkeys Cheat Sheet”
- Paste this Markdown content
- Use
Ctrl/Cmd + P→ “Toggle Live Preview” to see the formatted version
📥 Get Started
- Download: obsidian.md (Free for personal use)
- Join the community: r/ObsidianMD (400K+ members)
Tags: #PKM #NoteTaking #Markdown #Productivity
To get in touch with me or for general discussion please visit ZeroDayMindset Discussion