Obsidian is a powerful note-taking app that rivals Google Keep, OneNote, and Notion, boasting customization, markdown support, and backlinks. However, free cross-device syncing isn’t built-in. While Obsidian offers its own sync service for a fee, you can achieve free syncing using third-party tools. The Remotely Save plugin, detailed below, makes this easy.
Step 1: Installing and enabling the Remotely Save plugin
Here’s how to set up the Remotely Save plugin:
- Open Obsidian and go to settings by clicking on the gear icon at the bottom.
- On the left sidebar, select ‘Community plugins’ and then click ‘Turn on community plugins’ if you haven’t already.
- Click the ‘Browse’ button.
- Search for
remotely save.
- Select the Remotely Save plugin and click ‘Install’.
- After installation, click ‘Enable’.
- A popup will appear with information about the plugin. Agree to the terms by checking the two checkboxes and then clicking ‘Agree’.
- Close the popup. You should see Remotely Save in the ‘Installed plugins’ section.
- Click on the Remotely Save plugin, then select ‘Options’.
- In the options, find ‘Choose A Remote Service’ and select ‘Webdav’ from the dropdown menu.
Note: If you’re already paying for OneDrive or Dropbox, you could use those instead. Just select the relevant service and authorize the connection.
Step 2: Syncing Obsidian with a free cloud storage solution
To sync your notes without paying, you’ll need a cloud storage provider. Koofr is a solid, GDPR-compliant option.
- Go to koofr.eu and create a free account.
- Once you’re logged in, click the ’ Add+’ button at the top.
- Select ‘Create folder’.
- Name the folder something memorable, like “ObSync,” and click ‘Create folder’.
- Open the folder you just created, and click your profile icon in the top right corner.
- Choose ‘Preferences’ from the dropdown menu.
- In the Preferences, click on ‘Password’ on the left sidebar.
- Scroll down to ‘App passwords’, enter your folder name in the ‘Generate new password’ field, and click ‘Generate’.
- Copy the generated password and store it securely. Back in Obsidian, go to Settings (gear icon).
- Navigate back to ‘Community plugins’ and click the gear icon next to the Remotely Save plugin.
- Enter
https://app.koofr.net/dav/Koofrin the ‘Server Address’ field, your Koofr email in the ‘Username’ field, and the generated app password in the ‘Password’ field.
- Customize other settings as desired. Consider setting ‘Schedule For Auto Run’ to every minute, enabling ‘Sync on Save’, and setting ‘Abort Sync If Modification Above Percentage’ to 100.
Step 3: Set up Obsidian on your other device
Next, set up Obsidian on your phone:
- Download the Obsidian app from the app store and tap ‘Create a vault’, followed by ‘Setup Sync’.
- Tap on ‘Other sync methods’.
- Then tap on ‘Create a vault’.
- Tap the ‘Choose’ button and select the folder where you want to create the vault before tapping ‘Create a vault’.
- Once the vault is created, tap the button on the top left.
- Tap on the gear icon to open the Settings page.
- Then tap on ‘Community plugins’.
- Scroll down and tap on the ‘Turn on community plugins’ button.
- Then tap on the ‘Browse’ button.
- Search for the ‘Remotely Save’ plugin and tap on the ‘Install’ button.
- After the plugin is installed, tap the ‘Enable’ button. Be sure to check the two checkboxes like you did on the desktop version.
- Return to the Settings page and scroll to the bottom. Tap on ‘Remotely Save’ under Community plugins.
- Adjust the settings to match those that you set earlier in the desktop version of Obsidian.
- Tap the ‘Check’ button under ‘Check connectivity’ to verify the server connection. A success message indicates proper setup. Your notes should now sync between devices.
Things to know
- Repeat these steps for each device you want to sync.
- Sync delays of up to a minute might occur, as this method doesn’t use Obsidian’s servers.
- Koofr provides 10 GB of free cloud storage, with paid plans for more space.
- Remember that this method involves third parties. Avoid storing highly sensitive information in Obsidian. For enhanced security and privacy, consider alternatives like Joplin that offer self-hosting.