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Quick Start Guide

This guide will get you from zero to taking notes with Obsidian Portable in just 5 minutes.
This assumes you’ve already installed Obsidian Portable. If not, complete the installation first.

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5-Minute Setup

1

Launch the Application

Navigate to your Obsidian Portable installation folder and double-click:
ObsidianPortable.exe
Always launch via ObsidianPortable.exe, not the Obsidian.exe in subdirectories. The portable launcher ensures your data stays portable.
Obsidian will open and display the welcome screen.
2

Create Your Portable Vault

On the welcome screen:
  1. Click Create new vault
  2. Enter a vault name: My Portable Notes
  3. IMPORTANT: Click Browse next to the location field
  4. Navigate to your ObsidianPortable installation, then:
ObsidianPortable/Data/Vaults/
  1. Click Select Folder, then Create
Critical for Portability: Always create vaults inside the Data/Vaults/ directory. Vaults created elsewhere won’t move with your portable installation.
Your vault structure will be:
ObsidianPortable/
└── Data/
    └── Vaults/
        └── My Portable Notes/
            └── .obsidian/    # Settings for this vault
3

Create Your First Note

With your vault open:
  1. Click the New note button (or press Ctrl+N)
  2. Type a note title: Welcome to Obsidian Portable
  3. Start writing in markdown:
# My First Portable Note

This is my first note in Obsidian Portable!

## Why Obsidian Portable?

- No installation required
- Works from USB drives
- Complete privacy
- All my data travels with me

## Quick Markdown Tips

**Bold text** and *italic text*

- Bullet points
- Are easy

[[Link to other notes]] using double brackets
Notes auto-save as you type.
4

Configure Essential Settings

Open Settings (Ctrl+,) and configure these portable-friendly options:
  • Default location for new notes: Set to In the folder specified below
  • Folder to create new notes in: Leave as root (/) or create a Notes folder
  • Default location for new attachments: Set to In subfolder under current folder
  • Subfolder name: attachments
This keeps all your attachments portable with your notes.

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Appearance (Optional)

  • Choose your preferred theme (Light/Dark)
  • Adjust base font size for readability
All settings are automatically stored in Data/ObsidianAppData/ and will move with your portable installation.
5

Test Portability

Verify everything is portable:
  1. Close Obsidian completely (not just minimize)
  2. If on a USB drive: safely eject and reconnect (it may get a different drive letter)
  3. Launch ObsidianPortable.exe again
  4. Your vault should open automatically with all your notes intact
The launcher’s path replacement feature (configured in App/AppInfo/Launcher/ObsidianPortable.ini) automatically updates vault locations when your drive letter changes.

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Understanding the Portable Setup

Here’s what the launcher does behind the scenes: 
# From ObsidianPortable.ini
CommandLineArguments=--user-data-dir="%PAL:DataDir%\ObsidianAppData"
This ensures Obsidian stores all application data in: 
ObsidianPortable/Data/ObsidianAppData/
Instead of the default Windows location: 
C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\obsidian\

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Quick Markdown Reference

Get productive immediately with these essential Obsidian markdown shortcuts: 
**bold text**
*italic text*
==highlighted text==
~~strikethrough~~
`inline code`

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
#### Heading 4

- Bullet point
- Another point
  - Nested point

1. Numbered list
2. Second item
   1. Nested number

- [ ] Unchecked task
- [x] Checked task

```javascript
function hello() {
  console.log("Hello from Obsidian!");
}
```

| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|----------|----------|----------|
| Data 1   | Data 2   | Data 3   |
| Data 4   | Data 5   | Data 6   |

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Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

ActionShortcutDescription
New noteCtrl+NCreate a new note in current vault
Quick switcherCtrl+OQuickly open any note
Search in vaultCtrl+Shift+FSearch all notes
Command paletteCtrl+PAccess all commands
SettingsCtrl+,Open settings
Toggle edit/previewCtrl+ESwitch between edit and reading mode
Open graph viewCtrl+GVisualize note connections

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Next Steps: Making It Yours

Organize Your Vaults

Learn how to create multiple vaults for different purposes:
  • Personal notes
  • Work documentation
  • Research projects
See Using Obsidian Portable for more on managing vaults

Install Community Plugins

Extend Obsidian with community plugins:
  1. Settings → Community plugins
  2. Turn off Restricted Mode
  3. Browse and install plugins
All plugins install portably in Data/ObsidianAppData/

Customize Appearance

Make Obsidian beautiful:
  • Install community themes
  • Adjust fonts and colors
  • Configure CSS snippets
See Configuration for more on customization

Link Your Notes

Build a knowledge network:
  • Use [[double brackets]] to link notes
  • Create MOCs (Maps of Content)
  • Explore the Graph View
Learn more in the Obsidian documentation

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Common Quick Start Questions

Yes! Create as many vaults as you want inside Data/Vaults/:
Data/Vaults/
├── Personal/
├── Work/
├── Research/
└── Projects/
Switch between vaults using the vault switcher (click the vault name in the bottom-left).
By default, attachments go in the same folder as your note. To keep them organized:
  1. Settings → Files & Links
  2. Set Default location for new attachments to “In subfolder under current folder”
  3. Set Subfolder name to attachments
Now images and files will be stored in:
Data/Vaults/My Notes/attachments/
Yes, but it’s not necessary for most portable use cases:
  • USB/Cloud Storage: Your files are already portable
  • Obsidian Sync: Useful if you want encrypted cloud sync independent of file location
To enable:
  1. Create an Obsidian account
  2. Subscribe to Obsidian Sync
  3. Settings → Core plugins → Enable “Sync”
  4. Configure sync settings
Sync settings are stored portably in Data/ObsidianAppData/.
Your entire Obsidian Portable installation is already a backup! To create additional backups:Simple Backup:
Copy the entire ObsidianPortable folder to another location
Vault-Only Backup:
Copy Data/Vaults/My Portable Notes/ to backup location
Version Control (Advanced): Initialize a Git repository in your vault folder for version history.
If you launch the Obsidian.exe inside the App directory instead of ObsidianPortable.exe:
  • It will use your system’s default Obsidian data directory
  • Your portable vaults won’t be visible
  • No data is lost - just launch the correct ObsidianPortable.exe
Always use ObsidianPortable.exe in the root folder, not any other .exe files.

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Verify Your Portable Setup

Run this quick checklist to ensure everything is properly configured:
  • Launched via ObsidianPortable.exe (not Obsidian.exe)
  • Vault created inside Data/Vaults/ directory
  • Can create and edit notes
  • Settings persist after closing and reopening
  • Attachments save to portable location
  • (USB users) Vault accessible after reconnecting drive with different letter

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Tips for Portable Success

1

Keep Vaults Inside Data/

Always create vaults in Data/Vaults/ to ensure they move with your installation.
2

Use Relative Paths

When linking files, use relative paths or Obsidian’s [[link]] syntax instead of absolute paths.
3

Regular Backups

Even though it’s portable, maintain backups:
  • Copy to another USB drive
  • Upload to personal cloud storage
  • Commit to a Git repository
4

Safe USB Ejection

Always “Safely Remove Hardware” before unplugging USB drives to prevent data corruption.
5

One Instance at a Time

If using cloud storage, only run one instance of Obsidian Portable at a time to avoid sync conflicts.

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Get Help

If you encounter issues:

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What’s Next?

Now that you’re up and running:
  1. Explore Features: Try the Graph View, Canvas, and other core features
  2. Install Plugins: Discover community plugins to extend functionality
  3. Build Your System: Develop your personal knowledge management workflow
  4. Learn Advanced Features: Explore templates, daily notes, and dataview queries
Happy note-taking with Obsidian Portable!

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