Obsidian Cheat Sheet: Basic Text Formatting

If you’re looking to enhance your note-taking experience in Obsidian notes, knowing how to format your text is essential. This obsidian cheat sheet serves as an efficient obsidian cheat resource, covering the basics of text formatting, lists, links, and more, making it easier for you to organize and present your thoughts clearly.

Introduction to Obsidian

Obsidian is a powerful note-taking application designed to help you organize your thoughts and knowledge using markdown syntax. Whether you’re jotting down quick ideas or building a complex knowledge base, Obsidian’s flexible formatting options make it easy to create visually appealing and well-structured notes. With the command palette (accessed via Ctrl + P), you can quickly search for commands, create new notes, or manage your workspace without ever taking your hands off the keyboard.

One of Obsidian’s standout features is its ability to create external links (Ctrl + Shift + L), allowing you to connect your notes to websites or other resources outside your vault. Basic formatting like bold text, italic text, and strikethrough is simple to apply, while more advanced options such as code blocks and tables let you display complex information clearly. By mastering these formatting tools, you can create notes that are not only informative but also easy to navigate and reference—making Obsidian an essential tool for anyone looking to boost their productivity and organization.

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Key Takeaways

• Use double asterisks ** for bold text and single asterisks * for italics.

• Create lists with dashes - for bullet points and numbers for ordered lists.

• To create paragraphs in Markdown, use a blank line to separate blocks of text. This is the default behavior for starting new paragraphs.

• You can use three or more stars ***, hyphens ---, or underscores ___ on its own line to add a horizontal bar.

• Add links using brackets with text and parentheses for URLs.

• Block quotes can be made with a greater-than sign > before the text.

• For code blocks, use three backticks ``` before and after the code.

Basic Text Formatting in Obsidian

In Obsidian, you can easily change how your text looks using simple markdown commands. You can use different types of input to insert formatting elements like headings, bold, italics, code blocks, and more into your notes. Formatting can be applied to a whole sentence or just part of it, depending on your needs. Here’s a quick guide on how to format your text:

How to Make Text Bold

To make text bold, you need to surround it with **two asterisks**. For example:

This text is bold!

How to Make Text Italicized

To italicize text, use one *asterisk* on each side. For instance:

This text is italicized.

How to Add Strikethrough

If you want to show that something is crossed out, use ~~two tildes~~ on both sides:

This text has a strikethrough.

Remember: Using these formatting options can help make your notes clearer and more organized. This is a definitive obsidian markdown cheatsheet to help you with all your formatting needs!

Markdown Syntax

Understanding Markdown Basics

Creating Lists and Checklists

How to Add Ordered Lists

To create an ordered list in Obsidian, start each item with a number followed by a period and a space.

You can use the Tab key to indent list items and create nested lists for better organization.

1. First Item

2. Second Item

3. Third Item

   1. Indented Item

   2. Another Indented Item

How to Add Unordered Lists (Bullet Points)

For an unordered list, use a dash - or an asterisk * followed by a space.

• First Item

• Second Item

• Third Item

  • Indented Item

  • Another Indented Item

How to Add Checklists

Creating a checklist is simple. Start your list of items with a hyphen -, followed by a space and then a pair of empty brackets - [ ]

• First Task

• Second Task

• Third Task

  • Indented Task

  • Another Indented Task

Remember: there is a space after the dash and between the square brackets, otherwise, your checklist won't work.

Using Headings and Horizontal Rules

How to Add Headings

In Obsidian, you can create up to six levels of headings. Each level is made by using the hash symbol #

Heading 1 - This is the largest heading.

Heading 2 - A bit smaller.

Heading 3 - Even smaller.

Heading 4 - Smaller still.

Heading 5 - Almost the smallest.

Heading 6 - The smallest heading.

Using headings helps organize your notes and makes it easier to find information later.

How to Add Horizontal Rules

To create a horizontal rule in Obsidian, simply type three dashes --- on a new line. This creates a visual break in your text. However, when a page has a horizontal rule, it's a clear indication that this is a logical break between text, therefore fold should stop at this line.

Here is an example:

---

This line separates different sections of your notes. You can use horizontal rules to make your notes clearer and more organized.

Remember: using headings and horizontal rules can greatly improve the readability of your notes!

Embedding Links and Media

How to Add Internal Links

In Obsidian, you can create internal links to other notes easily. Just use double square brackets around the note title. For example:

[[Note Title]]

This will link to the note named "Note Title". If this note does not exist, when you click on it, it will create it.

You can also link to specific headings or blocks within a note by using the following formats:

• For a heading: [[Note Title#Heading]]

• For a block: [[Note Title^Block]]

How to Add External Links

To link to a website, you can use the following format:

[Link Text](https://example.com)

This will create a clickable link that takes you to the specified website. Make sure to include the full URL.

How to Embed Media

You can embed various types of media in your notes. To embed a file, use the following syntax: ![[File Name]]

This works for images, audio, video, and other files. Here’s a quick list of supported file types you can embed (Note: plugins can extend this list):

• Markdown files: .md

• Image files: .png, .jpg, .gif

• Audio files: .mp3, .wav

• Video files: .mp4

• PDF files: .pdf

You can also link to YouTube videos directly in your notes for easy access by pasting the YouTube URL.

How to Embed Pages in Obsidian

Embedding pages is a powerful feature in Obsidian. You can show an entire page or just a part of it. To embed a page, use:

![[Page Name]]

To embed a specific block or heading, use:

![[Page Name^Block]]
![[Page Name#Heading]]

By embedding the original note into new notes, you only have to update the original, and everything will be updated.

Summary

Using links and media in Obsidian enhances your notes. You can connect ideas and keep your content organized. Remember to use the correct syntax for each type of link or media to make the most of Obsidian's features!

Working with Code and Tables

How to Add Code Blocks

To include code in your notes, you can use code blocks. Here’s how:

1. Use three backticks ``` before and after your code to create a code block.

2. You can also use three tildes ~~~ for the same effect.

To add explanatory notes within your code, use a block comment. Block comments allow you to write comments that span multiple lines, making your notes clear and visually separate from the code. For example, in JavaScript:

/*
This is a block comment.
It can cover multiple lines
to explain sections of your code.
*/
function example() { console.log('Hello, World!'); }

Tip: When you paste code into a code block, make sure to maintain proper indentation for better readability.

How to Add Inline Code

For short snippets of code, use inline code formatting. To create inline code, place your text inside backticks. For example, this is inline code will appear as inline code.

my inline code

How to Create Tables

Creating tables in Obsidian is simple. Use pipes (|) to separate columns and hyphens (-) to create headers. Here's a quick example:

First Header	Second Header
Row 1	Data 1
Row 2	Data 2

Remember: Tables can be adjusted for better appearance by using colons for alignment:

Left Aligned	Centered	Right Aligned
Data A	Data B	Data C

Tables can be a great way to organize information clearly.

Advanced Markdown Features

Using Blockquotes

Blockquotes are a great way to emphasize important information. You can create a blockquote by starting a line with a greater-than sign >. For example:

This is a blockquote. It can be used to highlight important notes or thoughts.

Adding Footnotes

Footnotes are useful for providing additional information without cluttering your main text. You can add a footnote by using a caret (^) followed by a number. For example:

This is a statement that needs a footnote ¹.

Utilizing Tags

Tags help you organize your notes. You can create a tag by using the hashtag symbol # followed by the tag name. Here are some examples:

• #important

• #todo

• #reference

Tags can make it easier to find related notes later.

Escaping Syntax in Obsidian

Math and Diagrams in Obsidian

Obsidian Shortcuts and Tips

General Shortcuts

Using shortcuts can make your note-taking faster and easier. Here are some important shortcuts:

• Ctrl + P: Open the command palette.

• Ctrl + N: Create a new note.

• Ctrl + S: Save your current file.

Editing Shortcuts

Editing your notes is simple with these shortcuts:

1. Ctrl + B: Make selected text bold.

2. Ctrl + I: Italicize selected text.

3. Ctrl + D: Delete the current line.

Quick Tips for Efficiency

Here are some quick tips to help you use Obsidian better:

• Use [[note name]] for internal links.

• Use ![[note name]] to embed notes.

• For bullet points, use -, *, or 1.

Keep practicing, and soon you'll be an Obsidian pro!

Best Practices for Formatting in Obsidian

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Obsidian used for?

Obsidian is a note-taking app that helps you organize and connect your thoughts using links.

Are there shortcuts for formatting text?

Yes! You can use shortcuts like Ctrl + B for bold and Ctrl + I for italics.

Footnotes

1. This is the footnote text that provides more details. ↩