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Installation Guide

Get Obsidian Portable up and running in minutes. This guide covers downloading, extracting, and performing first-run setup.

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Download Obsidian Portable

1

Visit the Releases Page

Navigate to the Obsidian Portable GitHub Releases page.
2

Download Latest Version

Download the latest release package (currently version 1.11.5). The file will be named something like ObsidianPortable_1.11.5.paf.exe.
The .paf.exe extension stands for “PortableApps.com Format” - it’s a self-extracting installer that doesn’t require admin rights.
3

Verify the Download

Ensure the download completed successfully. The file size should be approximately 150-200 MB.

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Choose Your Installation Location

Before installing, decide where you want to run Obsidian Portable from:

USB Drive

Best for: Moving between computersExtract to: E:\PortableApps\ObsidianPortable\(Replace E: with your USB drive letter)

Cloud Storage

Best for: Syncing across your own computersExtract to:
  • Dropbox: C:\Users\YourName\Dropbox\PortableApps\ObsidianPortable\
  • OneDrive: C:\Users\YourName\OneDrive\PortableApps\ObsidianPortable\
  • Google Drive: G:\My Drive\PortableApps\ObsidianPortable\

Local Directory

Best for: Single computer, no admin rightsExtract to: C:\PortableApps\ObsidianPortable\or anywhere on your PC
Important: Make sure you have write permissions to your chosen location. Obsidian Portable needs to create and modify files in its directory.

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Installation Steps

1

Run the Installer

Double-click the downloaded ObsidianPortable_1.11.5.paf.exe file.
No admin rights are required. If Windows SmartScreen appears, click “More info” then “Run anyway”.
2

Select Installation Location

In the PortableApps.com installer:
  1. Click Browse to choose your destination folder
  2. Select your desired location (USB, cloud, or local)
  3. The installer will create an ObsidianPortable folder
Example paths:
E:\PortableApps\ObsidianPortable\          (USB drive)
C:\PortableApps\ObsidianPortable\          (Local)
D:\Dropbox\Apps\ObsidianPortable\          (Cloud)
3

Complete Installation

Click Install and wait for extraction to complete (typically 30-60 seconds).The installer will create this directory structure:
ObsidianPortable/
├── App/
│   └── AppInfo/
│       ├── appinfo.ini
│       ├── Launcher/
│       │   └── ObsidianPortable.ini
│       └── EULA.txt
├── Data/
│   ├── ObsidianAppData/
│   └── PortableApps.comInstaller/
├── ObsidianPortable.exe
└── help.html
4

Launch Obsidian Portable

Double-click ObsidianPortable.exe in the installation folder.

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First-Run Setup

When you launch Obsidian Portable for the first time:
1

Welcome Screen

Obsidian will display the welcome screen with options to:
  • Create new vault
  • Open folder as vault
  • Open help vault
2

Create Your First Vault

For a portable setup, it’s recommended to create your vault inside the Obsidian Portable directory:
  1. Click Create new vault
  2. Set vault name (e.g., “My Notes”)
  3. Important: Click Browse and navigate to:
ObsidianPortable/Data/Vaults/
Creating vaults inside the Data folder ensures they move with your portable installation. Vaults outside this directory won’t be portable.
3

Configure Settings (Optional)

The launcher automatically configures the user data directory:
CommandLineArguments=--user-data-dir="%PAL:DataDir%\ObsidianAppData"
All your settings, plugins, and themes will be stored in:
ObsidianPortable/Data/ObsidianAppData/

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Verify Installation

Confirm everything is working correctly:
1

Check Application Launch

Close and reopen ObsidianPortable.exe. The application should start without errors.
2

Verify Data Directory

Open Settings (Ctrl+,) and check that Obsidian is using the portable data directory.Your configuration file should be located at:
Data/ObsidianAppData/obsidian.json
3

Test Portability (Optional)

If using a USB drive:
  1. Close Obsidian Portable
  2. Safely eject your USB drive
  3. Reconnect it (it may get a different drive letter)
  4. Launch ObsidianPortable.exe again
  5. Verify your vaults are still accessible
The launcher automatically updates vault paths when the drive letter changes using the FileWrite directives in ObsidianPortable.ini.

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Installation Locations Explained

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Directory Structure

After installation, your directory structure will look like this: 
ObsidianPortable/
├── App/
│   └── AppInfo/
│       ├── appinfo.ini          # Package metadata
│       ├── appicon.ico          # Application icon
│       ├── EULA.txt             # Obsidian license
│       └── Launcher/
│           └── ObsidianPortable.ini  # Launcher configuration
├── Data/
│   ├── ObsidianAppData/         # User data directory
│   │   ├── obsidian.json        # Obsidian configuration
│   │   ├── Cache/
│   │   ├── Local Storage/
│   │   └── Session Storage/
│   ├── Vaults/                  # Recommended vault location
│   │   └── My Notes/            # Your vaults here
│   └── PortableApps.comInstaller/
├── ObsidianPortable.exe         # Launcher executable
└── help.html                     # Quick help reference

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What Each Directory Does

  • App/: Contains application metadata and launcher configuration
  • Data/ObsidianAppData/: Stores all Obsidian settings, plugins, themes, and cache
  • Data/Vaults/: Recommended location for your portable vaults
  • ObsidianPortable.exe: Main launcher that starts Obsidian with portable parameters

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Upgrading Obsidian Portable

To upgrade to a newer version:
1

Backup Your Data

Copy the entire Data folder to a safe location as a backup.
2

Download New Version

Download the latest release from GitHub.
3

Install Over Existing

Run the new installer and select your existing ObsidianPortable folder.
The installer will update the App folder but preserve your Data folder.
4

Verify Upgrade

Launch ObsidianPortable.exe and verify your vaults and settings are intact.

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Troubleshooting

  • Verify you have write permissions to the installation directory
  • Check that Windows Defender or antivirus isn’t blocking the executable
  • Try running from a local directory first to rule out USB/network issues
  • Confirm vaults are created inside Data/Vaults/
  • Check that Data/ObsidianAppData/obsidian.json exists
  • Verify the launcher is using the correct --user-data-dir parameter
The launcher should handle this automatically via the FileWrite directives in ObsidianPortable.ini. If vaults still disappear:
  • Check that you’re launching via ObsidianPortable.exe (not Obsidian.exe directly)
  • Verify vault paths in Data/ObsidianAppData/obsidian.json are being updated
When running from cloud storage:
  • Only run one instance at a time
  • Wait for cloud sync to complete before launching on another PC
  • Consider using Obsidian’s built-in Sync instead of cloud storage for active multi-device use

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Next Steps

Now that Obsidian Portable is installed:

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