Obsidian Markdown Cheat Sheet

Use this page as a copy-paste reference for the Markdown you use most in Obsidian. It covers standard Markdown, Obsidian extensions such as wikilinks and callouts, and the shortcuts that help you edit notes quickly.

Obsidian starts with CommonMark and GitHub-Flavored Markdown, then adds features for connected notes: [[wikilinks]], ![[embeds]], callouts, highlights, comments, block references, and properties. Standard Markdown is usually the more portable choice; Obsidian syntax is the better choice when the note is meant to work inside your vault.

Quick reference

Need	Syntax	Example
Heading	# to ######	## Project notes
Bold	**text**	**important**
Italic	*text*	*optional*
Strikethrough	~~text~~	~~old plan~~
Highlight	==text==	==decision==
External link	[label](url)	[Obsidian Help](https://obsidian.md/help)
Internal link	[[Note]]	[[Project brief]]
Task	- [ ]	- [ ] Send the follow-up
Callout	> [!type]	> [!tip] Try this workflow
Note embed	![[Note]]	![[Meeting notes]]
Inline code	`code`	`status: draft`
Comment	%%text%%	%%Visible only while editing%%

Text formatting and structure

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3

**Bold text**
*Italic text* or _italic text_
***Bold and italic text***
~~Strikethrough~~
==Highlighted text==

> A blockquote can contain a useful excerpt or reminder.

---

Use a blank line to start a new paragraph. A single Enter inside a paragraph is normally treated as a soft line break in the rendered note. For a hard line break, use Shift+Enter or add two spaces before pressing Enter. If you need Markdown-compatible behavior across editors, check Settings → Editor → Strict line breaks.

To show Markdown characters literally, escape them with a backslash:

\*This is not italic\*
1\. This is not a list item
\# This is not a heading

Lists, checklists, and nesting

- First item
- Second item
  - Nested item

1. First step
2. Second step

- [ ] Open task
- [x] Completed task
  - [ ] Subtask

In Reading view, you can click a task checkbox to toggle it. For due dates, recurring tasks, and queries across notes, see the complete guide to task management in Obsidian.

Links and embeds

Internal links

[[Note name]]
[[Note name|Display text]]
[[Note name#Heading]]
[[Note name#Heading|Display text]]
[[Note name#^block-id]]

[[Note name]] links to another note in the vault. Add | for an alias, # for a heading, or #^ for a block reference. Use the ! prefix to embed instead of link:

![[Note name]]
![[Note name#Heading]]
![[Note name#^block-id]]
![[image.png]]
![[image.png|400]]

Embeds are useful when a reusable definition, meeting decision, or checklist should appear in more than one place while remaining editable in one source note.

External links and images

[Obsidian Help](https://obsidian.md/help)
![Description](https://example.com/image.png)

Use descriptive link text. For notes that may leave your vault, standard Markdown links are more portable than wikilinks.

Tables

A table needs a header row and a delimiter row. Each delimiter cell needs at least two hyphens:

| Status | Next action |
| --- | --- |
| Open | Review today |
| Done | Archive note |

Align columns with colons in the delimiter row:

| Left | Center | Right |
| :--- | :---: | ---: |
| A | B | C |

In Live Preview, use the table context menu or the Insert Table command to add rows and columns. If a table does not render, check these common causes:

• Add a blank line before the table.
• Keep the delimiter row directly below the header.
• Escape a literal pipe inside a cell as \|.
• Keep multi-line code blocks out of table cells; use a linked or embedded note when the example needs more than one line.

Callouts

Callouts are styled blockquotes. The type identifier controls the icon and color; the title is optional.

> [!tip] A short title
> Keep the advice close to the paragraph it explains.

> [!warning]- A collapsed warning
> This content starts collapsed.

Common built-in types include note, abstract, info, todo, tip, success, question, warning, failure, danger, bug, example, and quote. The + suffix starts a foldable callout expanded; the - suffix starts it collapsed. See the complete Obsidian callouts guide for custom CSS and troubleshooting.

Code, footnotes, comments, and math

Use one backtick for inline code and three backticks for a fenced code block. Add a language identifier for syntax highlighting:

Use `Ctrl+P` to open the command palette.

```js
const noteType = "project";
```

Footnotes use a reference and a definition:

Obsidian stores notes as Markdown files.[^1]

[^1]: Confirm the behavior in the current Obsidian Help documentation.

Comments are hidden in Reading view and Publish:

Visible text %%editor-only reminder%%

For math, use single dollar signs for inline expressions and double dollar signs for a block:

Inline: $a^2 + b^2 = c^2$

$$
\int_0^1 x^2 dx = \frac{1}{3}
$$

Shortcuts worth remembering

These are useful defaults, not a replacement for your own hotkey setup:

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
New note	Ctrl+N	Cmd+N
Command palette	Ctrl+P	Cmd+P
Paste without formatting	Ctrl+Shift+V	Cmd+Shift+V
Delete current line with no selection	Ctrl+Shift+K	Cmd+Shift+K
Bold selected text	Ctrl+B	Cmd+B
Italicize selected text	Ctrl+I	Cmd+I

Obsidian separates system editing shortcuts from customizable command hotkeys. Open Settings → Hotkeys to check or change commands such as inserting a template, opening a daily note, or running a plugin action. On a non-US keyboard layout, the displayed key may not match the physical key label.

A practical formatting decision table

If you need to…	Prefer	Why
Share the note with other Markdown editors	Standard Markdown links, headings, lists, and tables	These are the most portable structures.
Connect notes in one vault	Wikilinks and block references	Obsidian can resolve note names and link to exact sections.
Reuse a checklist or definition	An embed	One source can update in several notes.
Explain a decision without interrupting the flow	A callout	The content stays visible but visually secondary.
Track work across daily notes	Tasks plus a consistent template	The task syntax stays readable even without a plugin.

This distinction prevents a common failure mode: building a beautiful note that only works in one view or one application. Start with portable Markdown, then add Obsidian features where they remove real friction.

Troubleshooting checklist

When formatting looks wrong in Reading view, check the syntax in this order:

1. Confirm that every fenced code block has a closing set of backticks.
2. Add a blank line before a new paragraph, table, list, or callout.
3. Check whether a |, *, _, #, or backtick needs escaping.
4. For a table, verify the delimiter row and remove multi-line blocks from cells.
5. For line breaks, use Shift+Enter, two trailing spaces, or the Strict line breaks setting intentionally.
6. If a command does not run, search for it in the Command palette and inspect its assigned hotkey.

For a reusable system, formatting is only the first layer. A daily note template, quick capture flow, weekly review, and task view make notes easier to act on. Obsibrain adds those planning and task-management workflows inside Obsidian.

Official references

• Basic formatting syntax
• Advanced formatting syntax
• Obsidian Flavored Markdown
• Editing shortcuts
• Hotkeys
• Callouts

Continue with Obsidian linking, callouts, or task management.