Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with Obsidian Portable in 5 minutes - from launch to your first portable note

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.

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/
   

   5. 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:

   Files & Links

   • 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.

   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.

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\

Quick Markdown Reference

Get productive immediately with these essential Obsidian markdown shortcuts:

Text Formatting

**bold text**
*italic text*
==highlighted text==
~~strikethrough~~
`inline code`

Headings

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

Links

[[Link to another note]]
[[Note|Custom link text]]
[[Note#Heading|Link to heading]]
[External link](https://example.com)

Lists

- Bullet point
- Another point
  - Nested point

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

- [ ] Unchecked task
- [x] Checked task

Code Blocks

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

Tables

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

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut	Description
New note	Ctrl+N	Create a new note in current vault
Quick switcher	Ctrl+O	Quickly open any note
Search in vault	Ctrl+Shift+F	Search all notes
Command palette	Ctrl+P	Access all commands
Settings	Ctrl+,	Open settings
Toggle edit/preview	Ctrl+E	Switch between edit and reading mode
Open graph view	Ctrl+G	Visualize note connections

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

Common Quick Start Questions

Can I create multiple vaults?

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).

Where are my attachments stored?

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/

Can I use Obsidian Sync with the portable version?

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/.

How do I backup my portable vault?

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.

What if I accidentally launch the wrong Obsidian.exe?

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.

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

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.

Get Help

If you encounter issues:

• Check the Troubleshooting Guide
• Review PortableApps.com Support
• Visit Obsidian Help Docs
• Report issues on GitHub

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!