Shortcuts · Obsidian
Obsidian keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys for Windows, Linux and Mac
In Obsidian, Ctrl+P opens the command palette, Ctrl+O the quick switcher, Ctrl+N makes a note and Ctrl+Shift+F searches the vault. On a Mac, Cmd replaces Ctrl. Commands can get your own hotkeys in Settings > Hotkeys; basic editing keys come from your system.
Obsidian has no single page that lists every shortcut, so this sheet gathers the Obsidian keyboard shortcuts from its official help pages, checked on October 2, 2026. Obsidian's pages write the same Ctrl keys for Windows and Linux, and Cmd for macOS. Keys are shown as they appear on a US keyboard layout.
Two kinds of keys are worth telling apart. Hotkeys run Obsidian commands, and you can change them in Settings > Hotkeys, even giving one command several hotkeys. Editing shortcuts, such as moving the cursor or selecting text, come from your system or the framework Obsidian is built on, and Obsidian's help says they cannot be customized.
After the tables, you will find the same jobs in Barside, a free local-first notes app for Windows and Linux.
Obsidian keyboard shortcuts for notes and navigation
As of October 2026, these are the defaults on Obsidian's help pages.
| Action | Windows and Linux | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Open the command palette | Ctrl+P | Cmd+P |
| Open the quick switcher | Ctrl+O | Cmd+O |
| Open the chosen note in a new tab (quick switcher) | Ctrl+Enter | Cmd+Enter |
| Make a note with exactly the typed name (quick switcher) | Shift+Enter | Shift+Enter |
| Create a new note | Ctrl+N | Cmd+N |
| Search the whole vault | Ctrl+Shift+F | Cmd+Shift+F |
| Switch Reading and Editing view | Ctrl+E | Cmd+E |
| Change the font size quickly | Ctrl+ scroll | Cmd+ scroll, or pinch the trackpad |
Tabs
| Action | Windows and Linux | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| New tab | Ctrl+T | Cmd+T |
| Open a link in a new tab | Ctrl+click (add Shift in Source mode) | Cmd+click (add Shift in Source mode) |
| Open a link in a new tab group | Ctrl+Alt+click | Cmd+Option+click |
| Open a link in a new window | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+click | Cmd+Option+Shift+click |
| Next tab | Ctrl+Tab | Ctrl+Tab |
| Previous tab | Ctrl+Shift+Tab | Ctrl+Shift+Tab |
| Go to the first to eighth tab | Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+8 | Cmd+1 to Cmd+8 |
| Go to the last tab | Ctrl+9 | Cmd+9 |
| Reopen the tab you just closed | Ctrl+Shift+T | Cmd+Shift+T |
Links
| Action | Windows and Linux | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Start an internal link | Type [[ | Type [[ |
| Insert the highlighted note as a link | Enter | Enter |
| Follow a link to the linked note | Ctrl+click | Cmd+click |
Editing shortcuts
These come from your system or Obsidian's framework, so they cannot be changed in Obsidian.
| Action | Windows and Linux | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Bold | Ctrl+B | Cmd+B |
| Paste without formatting | Ctrl+Shift+V | Cmd+Shift+V |
| Undo | Ctrl+Z | Cmd+Z |
| Redo | Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y | Cmd+Shift+Z |
| Copy or cut the whole paragraph, with nothing selected | Ctrl+C / Ctrl+X | Cmd+C / Cmd+X |
| Delete the current line, with nothing selected | Ctrl+Shift+K | Cmd+Shift+K |
| Delete the previous / next word | Ctrl+Backspace / Ctrl+Delete | Option+Backspace / Option+Delete |
| Move by word | Ctrl+Left / Ctrl+Right | Option+Left / Option+Right |
| Go to the start / end of the line | Home / End | Cmd+Left / Cmd+Right |
| Go to the start / end of the note | Ctrl+Home / Ctrl+End | Cmd+Up / Cmd+Down |
| Select all | Ctrl+A | Cmd+A |
| Extend the selection to the start / end of the note | Ctrl+Shift+Home / Ctrl+Shift+End | Cmd+Shift+Up / Cmd+Shift+Down |
| Line break inside a paragraph or list | Shift+Enter | Shift+Enter |
| Indent / unindent a list item | Tab / Shift+Tab | Tab / Shift+Tab |
The editing shortcuts page lists text formatting (bold Cmd+B, italic Cmd+I) only in its macOS section. Ctrl+B for Windows and Linux comes from Obsidian's page on creating a note; we did not find italic for Windows and Linux on an official page, so it is not in the table.
Markdown syntax you type
Much of Obsidian's formatting is typed, in Markdown.
| Type | Result |
|---|---|
# to ######, then a space | Heading 1 to 6 |
**text** or __text__ | Bold |
*text* or _text_ | Italic |
~~text~~ | Strikethrough |
==text== | Highlight |
[[Note name]] | Internal link |
> | Quote |
-, * or +, then a space | Bulleted list |
1. or 1) | Numbered list |
- [ ] / - [x] | Open / done task |
| One backtick / three backticks or tildes | Inline code / code block |
***, --- or ___ on their own line | Horizontal rule |
[^1] and [^1]: text | Footnote |
%%text%% | Comment |
The same jobs in Barside
Barside keeps notes on your computer like Obsidian does, and links them with [[ too. The biggest difference at the keyboard: one search bar, Ctrl+K, does the work of both the command palette and the quick switcher, and it opens from any app with Alt+Shift+Space. Every Barside key below is on the Barside keyboard shortcuts sheet.
| Action | Obsidian (Windows) | Barside (Windows and Linux) |
|---|---|---|
| Run a command | Ctrl+P | Ctrl+K |
| Open a note by name | Ctrl+O | Ctrl+K |
| Make a note with a typed name | Shift+Enter in the quick switcher | Type nn and the title in the search bar |
| New note | Ctrl+N | Ctrl+N |
| Search all notes | Ctrl+Shift+F | Ctrl+F, or Ctrl+K |
| Reading / Editing view | Ctrl+E | Not in Barside (Ctrl+E is inline code) |
| Tabs | Ctrl+T, Ctrl+Tab | Not in Barside |
| Link a note | [[ | [[ |
| Follow a note link | Ctrl+click | Click the link |
| Bold | Ctrl+B | Ctrl+B |
| Paste without formatting | Ctrl+Shift+V | Ctrl+Shift+V |
| Undo / redo | Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z | Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z |
| Line break | Shift+Enter | Shift+Enter |
| Indent a list item | Tab / Shift+Tab | Tab / Shift+Tab |
| Heading | # and a space | # and a space |
| Task | - [ ] | [ ] and a space |
| Highlight | ==text== | No shortcut: Highlight color in the toolbar |
| Change hotkeys | Settings > Hotkeys | Settings → Hotkeys and aliases |
One more difference: Barside's hotkeys work from any app on your computer, not only inside Barside. In Barside for Mac, Cmd replaces Ctrl inside the app.
Tips
- Learn two keys first.
Ctrl+Pruns any command andCtrl+Oopens any note, so together they reach most of Obsidian. - Give a command two hotkeys when you switch between keyboards; Obsidian allows more than one per command.
- Type the Markdown. Headings, lists and tasks are faster to type than to click, and the same characters work in Barside.
More guides
Weighing a move? The Obsidian alternative guide compares the two honestly, and move from Obsidian walks through bringing a vault into Barside. To see how linking works there, read linked notes and backlinks. For a similar sheet, see the Notion keyboard shortcuts.
FAQ
Questions and answers
How do I open the command palette in Obsidian?
Press Ctrl+P on Windows and Linux, or Cmd+P on a Mac. The command palette lists Obsidian's commands, and each can have a hotkey of its own.
Can I change Obsidian's hotkeys?
Yes. Obsidian's help says hotkeys are customizable keyboard shortcuts for its commands, and you can give a command more than one in Settings > Hotkeys. The basic editing keys, such as copy, cut, cursor movement and selection, come from your system or the framework Obsidian is built on and cannot be changed in Obsidian.
What is the difference between the quick switcher and the command palette?
The quick switcher (Ctrl+O, or Cmd+O on a Mac) finds and opens notes by name, and Shift+Enter there makes a note with exactly the name you typed. The command palette (Ctrl+P, or Cmd+P) runs commands.
How do I link notes in Obsidian with the keyboard?
Type [[ and start typing a note's name, then press Enter to insert the highlighted note as a link. Ctrl+click (Cmd+click on a Mac) follows a link to the linked note.
Does Barside use the same shortcuts as Obsidian?
Some. Ctrl+N makes a note, [[ links a note, Ctrl+B is bold, Ctrl+Shift+V pastes without formatting and Ctrl+Z undoes in both. Barside's Ctrl+K search bar does the work of Obsidian's command palette and quick switcher together. See Barside keyboard shortcuts.
Sources
Where the facts come from
Checked on October 2, 2026. Products change: if something here is out of date, tell us at support@barside.space.
- Hotkeys (Obsidian Help)
- Editing shortcuts (Obsidian Help)
- Command palette (Obsidian Help)
- Quick switcher (Obsidian Help)
- Search (Obsidian Help)
- Views and editing mode (Obsidian Help)
- Tabs (Obsidian Help)
- Create a note (Obsidian Help)
- Link notes (Obsidian Help)
- Basic formatting syntax (Obsidian Help)
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