this repo has no description
1---
2.title = "Obsidians Markdown Overview",
3.author = "Jakob Speer",
4.date = @date("2025-07-22"),
5.layout = "note.shtml",
6.draft = true,
7.description = "An overview over the supported Markdown features",
8.custom = {
9 .latex = true,
10},
11.tags = ["markdown"],
12---
13
14Source: [Obsidian](https://help.obsidian.md/syntax)
15
16Learn how to apply basic formatting to your notes, using [Markdown](https://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/). For more advanced formatting syntax, refer to [Advanced formatting syntax](https://help.obsidian.md/advanced-syntax).
17
18## Paragraphs
19
20To create paragraphs in Markdown, use a **blank line** to separate blocks of text. Each block of text separated by a blank line is treated as a distinct paragraph.
21
22```md
23This is a paragraph.
24
25This is another paragraph.
26```
27
28This is a paragraph.
29
30This is another paragraph.
31
32A blank line between lines of text creates separate paragraphs. This is the default behavior in Markdown.
33
34Multiple blank spaces
35
36Multiple adjacent blank spaces within and between paragraphs collapse into a single space when displayed in [Reading view](https://help.obsidian.md/edit-and-read#Reading%20view) or on [Obsidian Publish](https://help.obsidian.md/publish) sites.
37
38```md
39Multiple adjacent spaces
40
41and multiple newlines between paragraphs.
42```
43
44> Multiple adjacent spaces
45>
46> and multiple newlines between paragraphs.
47
48If you want to prevent spaces from collapsing or add multiple blank spaces, you can use the ` ` (non-breaking space) or `<br>` (line break) HTML tags.
49
50### Line breaks
51
52By default in Obsidian, pressing `Enter` once will create a new line in your note, but this is treated as a *continuation* of the same paragraph in the rendered output, following typical Markdown behavior. To insert a line break *within* a paragraph without starting a new paragraph, you can either:
53
54- Add **two spaces** at the end of a line before pressing `Enter`, or
55- Use the shortcut `Shift + Enter` to directly insert a line break.
56
57Why don't multiple `Enter` presses create more line breaks in reading view?
58
59Obsidian includes a **Strict Line Breaks** setting, which makes Obsidian follow the standard Markdown specification for line breaks.
60
61To enable this feature:
62
631. Open **Settings**.
642. Go to the **Editor** tab.
653. Enable **Strict Line Breaks**.
66
67When **Strict Line Breaks** is enabled in Obsidian, line breaks have three distinct behaviors depending on how the lines are separated:
68
69**Single return with no spaces**: A single `Enter` with no trailing spaces will combine the two separate lines into a single line when rendered.
70
71```md
72line one
73line two
74```
75
76Renders as:
77
78line one line two
79
80**Single return with two or more trailing spaces**: If you add two or more spaces at the end of the first line before pressing `Enter`, the two lines remain part of the same paragraph, but are broken by a line break (HTML `<br>` element). We'll use two underscores to stand in for spaces in this example.
81
82```md
83line three__
84line four
85```
86
87Renders as:
88
89line three
90
91line four
92
93**Double return (with or without trailing spaces)**: Pressing `Enter` twice (or more) separates the lines into two distinct paragraphs (HTML `<p>` elements), regardless of whether you add spaces at the end of the first line.
94
95```md
96line five
97
98line six
99```
100
101Renders as:
102
103line five
104
105line six
106
107## Headings
108
109To create a heading, add up to six `#` symbols before your heading text. The number of `#` symbols determines the size of the heading.
110
111```md
112# This is a heading 1
113## This is a heading 2
114### This is a heading 3
115#### This is a heading 4
116##### This is a heading 5
117###### This is a heading 6
118```
119
120## This is a heading 1
121
122## This is a heading 2
123
124### This is a heading 3
125
126#### This is a heading 4
127
128##### This is a heading 5
129
130###### This is a heading 6
131
132## Bold, italics, highlights
133
134Text formatting can also be applied using [Editing shortcuts](https://help.obsidian.md/editing-shortcuts).
135
136| Style | Syntax | Example | Output |
137| --- | --- | --- | --- |
138| Bold | `** **` or `__ __` | `**Bold text**` | **Bold text** |
139| Italic | `* *` or `_ _` | `*Italic text*` | *Italic text* |
140| Strikethrough | `~~ ~~` | `~~Striked out text~~` | ~~Striked out text~~ |
141| Highlight | `== ==` | `==Highlighted text==` | ==Highlighted text== |
142| Bold and nested italic | `** **` and `_ _` | `**Bold text and _nested italic_ text**` | **Bold text and *nested italic* text** |
143| Bold and italic | `*** ***` or `___ ___` | `***Bold and italic text***` | ***Bold and italic text*** |
144
145Formatting can be forced to display in plain text by adding a backslash `\` in front of it.
146
147\*\*This line will not be bold\*\*
148
149```markdown
150\*\*This line will not be bold\*\*
151```
152
153\* *This line will be italic and show the asterisks* \*
154
155```markdown
156This line will be italic and show the asterisks
157```
158
159## Internal links
160
161Obsidian supports two formats for [internal links](https://help.obsidian.md/links) between notes:
162
163- Wikilink: `[[Three laws of motion]]`
164- Markdown: `[Three laws of motion](Three%20laws%20of%20motion.md)`
165
166## External links
167
168If you want to link to an external URL, you can create an inline link by surrounding the link text in brackets (`[ ]`), and then the URL in parentheses (`( )`).
169
170```md
171[Obsidian Help](https://help.obsidian.md)
172```
173
174[Obsidian Help](https://help.obsidian.md/)
175
176You can also create external links to files in other vaults, by linking to an [Obsidian URI](https://help.obsidian.md/Extending+Obsidian/Obsidian+URI).
177
178```md
179[Note](obsidian://open?vault=MainVault&file=Note.md)
180```
181
182### Escape blank spaces in links
183
184If your URL contains blank spaces, you must escape them by replacing them with `%20`.
185
186```md
187[My Note](obsidian://open?vault=MainVault&file=My%20Note.md)
188```
189
190You can also escape the URL by wrapping it with angled brackets (`< >`).
191
192```md
193[My Note](<obsidian://open?vault=MainVault&file=My Note.md>)
194```
195
196## External images
197
198You can add images with external URLs, by adding a `!` symbol before an [external link](https://help.obsidian.md/syntax#External%20links).
199
200```md
201
202```
203
204
205
206You can change the image dimensions, by adding `|640x480` to the link destination, where 640 is the width and 480 is the height.
207
208```md
209
210```
211
212If you only specify the width, the image scales according to its original aspect ratio. For example:
213
214```md
215
216```
217
218> # [Tip]($block.collapsible(false))
219> If you want to add an image from inside your vault, you can also [embed an image in a note](https://help.obsidian.md/embeds#Embed%20an%20image%20in%20a%20note).
220
221> # [Warning]($block.attrs('warning'))
222> This is now a block note.
223> Lorem ipsum.
224> ```md
225> > Human beings face ever more complex and urgent problems, and their effectiveness in dealing with these problems is a matter that is critical to the stability and continued progress of society.
226>
227> \- Doug Engelbart, 1961
228> ```
229> With a code block and a list
230> - item 1
231> - item 2
232
233## Quotes
234
235You can quote text by adding a `>` symbols before the text.
236
237```md
238> Human beings face ever more complex and urgent problems, and their effectiveness in dealing with these problems is a matter that is critical to the stability and continued progress of society.
239
240\- Doug Engelbart, 1961
241```
242
243> Human beings face ever more complex and urgent problems, and their effectiveness in dealing with these problems is a matter that is critical to the stability and continued progress of society.
244
245\- Doug Engelbart, 1961
246
247Tip
248
249You can turn your quote into a [callout](https://help.obsidian.md/callouts) by adding `[!info]` as the first line in a quote.
250
251## Lists
252
253You can create an unordered list by adding a `-`, `*`, or `+` before the text.
254
255```md
256- First list item
257- Second list item
258- Third list item
259```
260
261- First list item
262- Second list item
263- Third list item
264
265To create an ordered list, start each line with a number followed by a `.` or `)` symbol.
266
267```md
2681. First list item
2692. Second list item
2703. Third list item
271```
272
2731. First list item
2742. Second list item
2753. Third list item
276
277```md
2781) First list item
2792) Second list item
2803) Third list item
281```
282
2831. First list item
2842. Second list item
2853. Third list item
286
287You can use `shift + enter` to insert a [line break](https://help.obsidian.md/syntax#Line%20breaks) within an ordered list without altering the numbering.
288
289```md
2901. First list item
291
2922. Second list item
2933. Third list item
294
2954. Fourth list item
2965. Fifth list item
2976. Sixth list item
298```
299
300### Task lists
301
302To create a task list, start each list item with a hyphen and space followed by `[ ]`.
303
304```md
305- [x] This is a completed task.
306- [ ] This is an incomplete task.
307```
308
309- This is a completed task.
310- This is an incomplete task.
311
312You can toggle a task in Reading view by selecting the checkbox.
313
314Tip
315
316You can use any character inside the brackets to mark it as complete.
317
318```md
319- [x] Milk
320- [?] Eggs
321- [-] Eggs
322```
323- Milk
324- Eggs
325- Eggs
326
327### Nesting lists
328
329You can nest any type of list—ordered, unordered, or task lists—under any other type of list.
330
331To create a nested list, indent one or more list items. You can mix list types within a nested structure:
332
333```md
3341. First list item
335 1. Ordered nested list item
3362. Second list item
337 - Unordered nested list item
338```
339
3401. First list item
341 1. Ordered nested list item
3422. Second list item
343 - Unordered nested list item
344
345Similarly, you can create a nested task list by indenting one or more list items:
346
347```md
348- [ ] Task item 1
349 - [ ] Subtask 1
350- [ ] Task item 2
351 - [ ] Subtask 1
352```
353
354- Task item 1
355 - Subtask 1
356- Task item 2
357 - Subtask 1
358
359Use `Tab` or `Shift+Tab` to indent or unindent selected list items to easily organize them.
360
361## Horizontal rule
362
363You can use three or more stars `***`, hyphens `---`, or underscore `___` on its own line to add a horizontal bar. You can also separate symbols using spaces.
364
365---
366
367## Code
368
369You can format code both inline within a sentence, or in its own block.
370
371### Inline code
372
373You can format code within a sentence using single backticks.
374
375```md
376\`backticks\`
377```
378
379Text inside `backticks` on a line will be formatted like code.
380
381If you want to put backticks in an inline code block, surround it with double backticks like so: inline ``code with a backtick ` inside``.
382
383### Code blocks
384
385To format code as a block, enclose it with three backticks or three tildes.
386
387```md
388\`\`\`
389cd ~/Desktop
390\`\`\`
391```
392
393```md
394~~~
395cd ~/Desktop
396~~~
397```
398
399```md
400cd ~/Desktop
401```
402
403You can also create a code block by indenting the text using `Tab` or 4 blank spaces.
404
405```md
406cd ~/Desktop
407```
408
409You can add syntax highlighting to a code block, by adding a language code after the first set of backticks.
410
411```md
412\`\`\`js
413function fancyAlert(arg) {
414 if(arg) {
415 $.facebox({div:'#foo'})
416 }
417}
418\`\`\`
419```
420
421```js
422function fancyAlert(arg) {
423 if(arg) {
424 $.facebox({div:'#foo'})
425 }
426}
427```
428
429[Included via `[...]($code.asset('foo.zig').language('zig'))`]($code.asset('foo.zig').language('zig'))
430
431Obsidian uses Prism for syntax highlighting. For more information, refer to [Supported languages](https://prismjs.com/#supported-languages).
432
433Note
434
435[Source mode](https://help.obsidian.md/edit-and-read#Source%20mode) and [Live Preview](https://help.obsidian.md/edit-and-read#Live%20Preview) do not support PrismJS, and may render syntax highlighting differently.
436
437## Footnotes
438
439You can add footnotes[^1] to your notes using the following syntax:
440
441```md
442This is a simple footnote[^1].
443
444[^1]: This is the referenced text.
445[^2]: Add 2 spaces at the start of each new line.
446 This lets you write footnotes that span multiple lines.
447[^note]: Named footnotes still appear as numbers, but can make it easier to identify and link references.
448```
449
450You can also inline footnotes in a sentence. Note that the caret goes outside the brackets. [^This is an inline footnote.][^2]
451
452```md
453You can also use inline footnotes. [^This is an inline footnote.]
454```
455
456Note
457
458Inline footnotes only work in reading view, not in Live Preview.
459
460## Comments
461
462```md
463This is an %%inline%% comment.
464
465%%
466This is a block comment.
467
468Block comments can span multiple lines.
469%%
470```
471
472## Escaping Markdown Syntax
473
474In some cases, you may need to display special characters in Markdown, such as `*`, `_`, or `#`, without triggering their formatting. To display these characters literally, place a backslash (`\`) before them.
475
476Common characters to escape
477
478- Asterisk: `\*`
479- Underscore: `\_`
480- Hashtag: `\#`
481- Backtick: `` \` ``
482- Pipe (used in tables): `\|`
483- Tilde: `\~`
484
485```md
486\*This text will not be italicized\*.
487```
488
489\*This text will not be italicized\*.
490
491When working with numbered lists, you may need to escape the period after the number to prevent automatic list formatting. Place the backslash (`\`) before the period, **not** before the number.
492
493```md
4941\. This won't be a list item.
495```
496
4971\. This won't be a list item.
498
499## Learn more
500
501To learn more advanced formatting syntax, such as tables, diagrams, and math expressions, refer to [Advanced formatting syntax](https://help.obsidian.md/advanced-syntax).
502
503To learn more about how Obsidian parses Markdown, refer to [Obsidian Flavored Markdown](https://help.obsidian.md/obsidian-flavored-markdown).
504
505---
506
507[^1]: This is a footnote with math and code.
508
509 ```=mathtex
510 x+\sqrt{1-x^2}
511 ```
512
513 ```md
514 [^1]: This is a footnote.
515 ```
516
517[^2]: Not supported by supermd