Obsidian is a knowledge base that works on local Markdown files. Unlike Notion or Evernote, your data lives on your machine in plain text — you own it completely. Here’s how to start building your second brain.

Installation

brew install --cask obsidian

Or download from obsidian.md. Create a folder for your “vault” — this is where all your notes will live.

Obsidian’s superpower is linking. Type [[ and start typing a note name to create a link. Every linked note shows backlinks — a list of every other note that references it.

This creates a web of connected ideas that grows organically. You don’t need to organize files into folders; the links do the work.

Daily Notes

Enable the Daily Notes core plugin. Every day, Obsidian creates a new note (like 2026-07-13.md). Use it as a journal, task list, or catch-all for the day’s thoughts.

Set a template for daily notes in Settings → Daily Notes → Template file location.

Essential Plugins

Start with these built-in plugins:

  • Templates — Create reusable note templates
  • Graph View — Visualize the connections between your notes
  • Canvas — A visual workspace for arranging notes, images, and cards
  • Quick Switcher — Cmd+O to jump to any note instantly

Community Plugins Worth Installing

Once you’re comfortable, explore the community plugin store:

  • Calendar — A visual calendar that shows which days have daily notes
  • Dataview — Query your notes like a database
  • Excalidraw — Draw diagrams directly in your notes
  • Paste URL into selection — Paste a link as a formatted link with the selected text

Syncing Between Devices

Obsidian stores everything as plain Markdown files. Any file sync service works:

  • iCloud Drive (free for Mac/iOS)
  • Syncthing (free, self-hosted, peer-to-peer)
  • Obsidian Sync (paid, official, end-to-end encrypted)

The mobile apps are full-featured and work offline. Your notes are just files in a folder — sync them however you want.