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Views let you organize the information in a base in multiple ways. A single base can have several views, and each view can have its own layout, filters, sort order, and properties. For example, a “Books” base might have a “Reading list” view and a “Recently finished” view — both working from the same underlying notes, but showing different subsets.

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The toolbar

At the top of every base is a toolbar:
ButtonDescription
View menuCreate, edit, rename, and switch views.
ResultsLimit the number of results, copy, or export.
SortSort and group files.
FilterFilter files by conditions.
PropertiesChoose which properties to display and create formulas.
SearchSearch within the current view using displayed properties.
NewCreate a new file in the current view.

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Add and switch views

To add a new view:
  • Click the view name in the top left and select Add view.
  • Or, run Bases: Add view from the Command palette.
The first view in your list loads by default. Drag views by their icon to reorder them.

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View settings

To open a view’s settings:
  1. Click the view name in the top left.
  2. Click the right arrow next to the view you want to configure.
Alternatively, right-click the view name in the toolbar to access settings directly.

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Layouts

Each view uses one of the following layouts:

Table

Display files as rows in a table. Columns are populated from properties in your notes. Supports row height adjustment, column summaries, and keyboard navigation.

Cards

Display files as a gallery grid. Supports cover images sourced from a property (local attachment, URL, or hex color), with configurable card size and image fit.

List

Display files as a bulleted or numbered list. Configure markers, indented properties, and separators between property values.

Map

Display files as pins on an interactive map. Requires the Maps plugin. Supports custom marker icons, colors, and map tile styles.

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Table view

Table view displays each file as a row, with columns for each property.
  • Row height: Choose between short, medium, tall, and extra tall.
  • Summaries: Right-click a column header and select Summarize to add a summary (average, sum, count, min, max, and more) at the bottom of the column.
  • Keyboard navigation: Use Tab/Shift+Tab to move between cells, arrow keys to navigate, Enter to edit, and Ctrl+C/Cmd+C to copy.

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Cards view

Cards view displays files as a visual grid.
  • Card size: Control the width of each card.
  • Image property: Choose a property to use as a cover image. The property can be a link to a local attachment, a URL, or a hex color code.
  • Image fit: Choose Cover (fills and crops) or Contain (scales to fit without cropping).
  • Image aspect ratio: Control the height of the cover image relative to its width.

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List view

List view displays files as a formatted list.
  • Markers: Choose bullets, numbers, or none.
  • Indent properties: Show additional properties as indented sub-items under each list item.
  • Separators: When indent is off, define a character to separate property values (defaults to a comma).

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Map view

Map view displays files as pins on an interactive map.
Map view requires Obsidian 1.10 and the Maps plugin, which is an official community plugin. Install it from Settings → Community plugins.
To display pins, configure a marker coordinates property in view settings. Coordinates can be stored as: 
# As a text property
coordinates: "48.858, 2.294"

# As a list property
coordinates:
  - "48.858"
  - "2.294"
You can also add marker icons (Lucide icon names) and marker colors (hex, RGB, or CSS values) via properties.

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Filters

Open the Filter menu in the toolbar to add filters to a view. Filters narrow down which files appear in a view. You can apply filters to all views in a base, or only to the current view.
  • All views — applies to every view in the base.
  • This view — applies only to the active view.

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Filter components

Each filter condition has three parts:
  1. Property — a note property or file property (like file.mtime).
  2. Operator — how to compare (equals, contains, greater than, etc.). Available operators depend on the property type.
  3. Value — the value to compare against. Can include math and functions.

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Conjunctions

  • All the following are true (and) — show files only if every condition is met.
  • Any of the following are true (or) — show files if at least one condition is met.
  • None of the following are true (not) — exclude files where any condition is met.
Combine conjunctions in filter groups to build complex logic.

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Advanced filter editor

Click the code icon in the Filter menu to open the advanced filter editor. This shows the raw Bases syntax for the filter and supports functions that aren’t available in the visual interface.

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Sort and group results

Open the Sort menu in the toolbar to sort and group results. You can sort by one or more properties in ascending or descending order. Drag sort items up or down to change priority.
Property typeSort options
TextAlphabetically (A→Z) or reverse (Z→A)
NumberSmallest to largest (0→1) or reverse
Date and timeOld to new or new to old
You can also group results by a property. Grouping organizes rows into visually distinct sections. Currently, Obsidian supports grouping by one property at a time.

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Export and copy results

  • Limit results: Click the results count in the toolbar to set a maximum number of results.
  • Copy to clipboard: Copies the current view as formatted text, which you can paste into Markdown or spreadsheet apps (Google Sheets, Excel, Numbers).
  • Export CSV: Saves the current view as a CSV file.

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