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This guide walks you through setting up Obsidian Sync for the first time, connecting additional devices to an existing remote vault, and managing your vaults.

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Local and remote vaults

Obsidian Sync uses two types of vaults:
  • A local vault is the copy of your notes stored on a specific device. Every device has its own local vault.
  • A remote vault is encrypted, centralized storage hosted on Obsidian’s servers. Your local vaults connect to it to exchange changes.
Unlike Dropbox or iCloud, Obsidian Sync doesn’t monitor a folder on your file system. It syncs directly through the app, which makes it reliable across all platforms — including mobile devices where background file syncing is restricted.
If your local vault is currently inside an iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive folder, move it out before setting up Obsidian Sync. Running two sync services on the same files causes conflicts. See Switch to Obsidian Sync below.

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Set up Obsidian Sync for the first time

Prerequisites
  • An Obsidian account. Sign up here if you don’t have one.
  • An active Obsidian Sync subscription.
  • A backup of your vault is strongly recommended — a sync service is not a substitute for backups.

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Log in to your Obsidian account

1

Open Settings

In Obsidian, open Settings.
2

Go to General

In the sidebar, select General.
3

Log in

Under Account → Your Account, select Log in. Enter your email and password, then select Login.

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Enable the Sync plugin

1

Open Settings

Open Settings.
2

Go to Core Plugins

In the sidebar under Options, select Core Plugins.
3

Enable Sync

Toggle Sync to enable it.

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Create a remote vault

1

Open Sync settings

Open Settings, then select Sync in the sidebar.
2

Choose a remote vault

Next to Remote vault, select Choose.
3

Create a new vault

Select Create new vault.
4

Name your vault

In Vault name, enter a name for the remote vault.
5

Choose a region

In Region, select the server location closest to you. See Sync regions for available options. This cannot be changed later without re-uploading your data.
6

Set an encryption password

In Encryption password, enter a password. This enables end-to-end encryption — your data is encrypted before it leaves your device. Store this password somewhere safe. If you lose it, your encrypted data cannot be recovered.
7

Create the vault

Select Create.

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Connect to your remote vault

1

Select Connect

Select Connect next to your newly created vault.
2

Enter your encryption password

If you set an encryption password, enter it in the Encryption password field, then select Unlock vault.
3

Configure sync settings before starting

Do not start syncing yet. Close or dismiss the pop-up window and go to Settings → Sync to configure selective sync and vault configuration sync first. This prevents you from uploading files you don’t need in the remote vault.
4

Restart Obsidian

After adjusting your settings, restart Obsidian completely. On mobile, force-quit the app.
5

Start syncing

Return to Settings → Sync and select Resume to begin syncing. When Sync completes, a green checkmark icon appears in the status bar. The sync log will show “Fully Synced”.
To connect additional devices, continue to Sync a remote vault on another device.

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Sync a remote vault on another device

Once you’ve created a remote vault on your first device, follow these steps to connect each additional device. Prerequisites
  • An Obsidian account with an active Sync subscription.
  • The Sync core plugin enabled.
  • An existing remote vault (created on your first device).

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Set up from the vault switcher (fresh install)

If you’ve just installed Obsidian on a new device:
1

Open Obsidian

Launch Obsidian. You’ll see the vault switcher.
2

Select Setup Obsidian Sync

  • Desktop: In the Open vault from Obsidian Sync section, select Setup.
  • Mobile/Tablet: Select Setup Obsidian Sync.
3

Log in

Log in with your Obsidian account. If you have two-factor authentication enabled, enter your 2FA code.
4

Choose your remote vault

Select the remote vault you want to sync to this device, then select Connect.
5

Name the local vault

Enter a name for the local vault that will be created on this device. If you use Obsidian URIs, use the same name as the local vault on your other devices.
6

Select Create

Select Create. Obsidian connects to the remote vault and shows a Setup Connection window.
7

Configure sync settings

Close the Setup Connection window and configure your sync settings before starting. Then restart or reload Obsidian.

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Set up from Obsidian Settings (existing local vault)

If the device already has a local vault:
1

Log in

Open Settings → General and log in with your Obsidian account.
2

Enable Sync

Open Settings → Core Plugins and toggle Sync on.
3

Open Sync settings

Open Settings → Sync.
4

Choose a remote vault

Next to Pick remote vault, select Choose, then select Connect next to the vault you want.
5

Enter your encryption password

Enter the encryption password if your vault uses end-to-end encryption.
6

Configure settings before syncing

Close the prompt and configure your sync settings. Then restart Obsidian.
7

Start syncing

Return to Settings → Sync and select Resume.
If the local vault already contains notes, Obsidian will warn you that notes will be merged before syncing. Conflicts are resolved automatically — see troubleshooting for details.

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Manage your remote vaults

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Disconnect from a remote vault

1

Open Settings

Open Settings → Sync.
2

Disconnect

Select Disconnect next to Remote vault.
This stops syncing on the current device. Your local data is not affected.

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Delete a remote vault

Deleting a remote vault does not delete any local data on your devices.
1

Open Settings

Open Settings → Sync.
2

Open vault manager

Select Manage next to Remote vault.
3

Delete the vault

Select the trash icon next to the vault you want to delete.
4

Confirm

Select the red Delete button to confirm.
If no trash icon is visible, you may need to disconnect from the vault first. After disconnecting, select Choose to open the vault list.

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Switch from another sync service

If your vault is currently inside a folder managed by iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, or another sync service, move it to a neutral location before connecting Obsidian Sync. Recommended vault locations:
PlatformRecommended location
WindowsD:\ or C:\Vaults
macOS/users/username/vaults
LinuxAny folder not managed by a sync service
iOS/iPadOSOn My iPhone / On the Device (not iCloud Drive)
AndroidDocuments/ folder

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Move your vault on desktop

Use Settings → Files and links → Move vault to relocate your vault in Obsidian. This keeps all internal links intact.

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Move an iCloud vault on iOS

1

Back up your vault

Make a backup before proceeding.
2

Create a new local vault

In Obsidian, create a new vault with Save in iCloud Drive disabled.
3

Force-quit Obsidian

Force-quit the app on all devices to pause sync.
4

Move in the Files app

Open the Files app. Long-press the vault folder under iCloud Drive → Obsidian, select Move, and move it to On My iPhone → Obsidian.
5

Remove the old folder

Return to iCloud Drive → Obsidian and delete the original folder.
6

Reopen Obsidian

When you reopen Obsidian, the vault should show a vault icon rather than a cloud icon, confirming it’s no longer in iCloud.

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