Creating Your First Vault
Set up your first vault and understand how Obsidian organizes your files.
What is a Vault?
A vault is simply a folder on your computer where Obsidian stores all your notes and settings. When you open Obsidian, you're opening a specific vault. You can have multiple vaults for different purposes (e.g., one for school, one for personal journaling, one for a research project).
Key point: A vault is just a normal folder. You can open it with your file explorer, and you'll see all your notes as normal .md files.
Inside each vault, Obsidian creates a hidden folder called .obsidian that stores your settings, plugins, and themes. You don't need to touch this folder—Obsidian manages it automatically.
How to Create Your First Vault
Step 1: Open Obsidian
Launch Obsidian if it's not already open. You should see the vault selection screen (or it might say "Create new vault" if this is your first time).
Step 2: Click "Create New Vault"
If you see the Welcome dialog, click the "Create new vault" button. If Obsidian is already open, you can also go to File → Switch vault → Create new vault.
Step 3: Name Your Vault
Give your vault a meaningful name. Some ideas:
- Research Notes - For academic research
- Learning Hub - For collecting knowledge
- Project: [Name] - For a specific project
- Personal Journal - For reflective writing
- My Second Brain - For general knowledge management
For this guide, let's call it "Learning Obsidian".
Step 4: Choose a Location
Obsidian will ask where to store your vault folder. You can:
- Use the default Documents folder (easiest)
- Create a dedicated "Obsidian" or "Notes" folder
- Choose any other location on your computer
Recommendation: Create a new folder called "Obsidian Vaults" in your Documents folder, and put your vault inside it. This keeps things organized.
Step 5: Click Create
Click the Create button, and Obsidian will create your vault and open it automatically.
Understanding Your Vault Structure
Once your vault is created, you'll see a folder structure in your file explorer. Here's what it looks like:
When you create notes, they'll appear as .md files in this folder. For example:
You can open this vault folder with your file explorer and see your notes as plain text files. This is part of what makes Obsidian special—your data is always accessible!
Working with Multiple Vaults
As you use Obsidian more, you might want multiple vaults for different purposes. Here's why:
- Separate contexts: Keep school notes separate from personal journaling
- Privacy: Some vaults might be more private than others
- Organization: Keep your vaults focused and manageable
- Performance: Very large vaults can be slower
For now, stick with one vault. You can always create more later!
How to Switch Between Vaults
If you have multiple vaults:
- Click the vault name at the bottom left of Obsidian
- Select "Switch vault" from the menu
- Choose which vault to open
The Welcome File
When you create a new vault, Obsidian might create a "Welcome.md" file with some introductory content. This is just a file—you can:
- Keep it: It has useful quick-start information
- Delete it: Right-click and choose "Delete file"
- Modify it: Edit it like any other note
Recommendation: Keep the Welcome file for now. It contains quick links to useful documentation. You can delete it later if you want.
Basic Vault Settings
To access vault-specific settings:
- Click the gear icon (⚙️) in the bottom left of Obsidian
- Explore the "Community plugins" or "Files & Links" sections
- Adjust settings as needed
Key Settings to Be Aware Of
Files & Links
- New link format: How links are created
- Confirm delete: Ask before deleting files
- Auto update links: Automatically fix links when files are renamed
Editor
- Line numbers: Show line numbers while editing
- Fold heading: Collapse sections
- Spell check: Check spelling as you type
Don't worry about tweaking these now—the defaults are fine for learning!
Protecting Your Vault: Backups
Your vault is important! Since your notes are stored as files on your computer, you should back them up.
Simple Backup Methods
- Copy the folder: Periodically copy your vault folder to an external drive
- Cloud storage: Store a copy in Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive
- Version control: Use Git/GitHub to track changes (advanced)
- Obsidian Sync: Use Obsidian's paid sync service for automatic backups
Best practice: Use cloud storage (OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive) OR Obsidian Sync. Don't use both at the same time—it can cause sync conflicts.
You Now Have Your First Vault!
Congratulations! You've created your first Obsidian vault. You're officially ready to start writing notes!
Next: In Module 4, we'll create your first note and explore the editor interface.