How to Install and Optimize Obsidian on Linux

Looking for a feature-packed and a cleanable note-taking app connected Linux? Obsidian is simply a large app to effort out, but due setup is key. Let's spell done the installation process and cardinal optimizations to guarantee Obsidian runs smoothly connected your Linux system.

Why Use Obsidian?

When it comes to note-taking apps, determination are respective options to take from, specified arsenic Notion, Evernote, and OneNote. While I've recovered each of these apps has its strengths, I yet settled connected Obsidian for myself, and I've been utilizing for implicit a twelvemonth present to store each my penning and journals. There are wide reasons for this.

Whether you're a student, a researcher, oregon a writer, Obsidian tin assistance with organizing information, capturing insights, and coming up with caller ideas. The champion diagnostic for maine is the quality to interconnect notes truthful that immoderate enactment taken successful the past tin beryllium reused and linked with newer topics, helping with remembering and retaining information. For example, if you were taking notes connected Machine Learning, you could nexus antecedently learned mathematics topics to possibly numerical computing oregon linear algebra.

I perfectly emotion Obsidian for some its functionality and ocular interface. The app is built astir the thought that notes should germinate implicit time—you commencement by jotting down thoughts, past gradually grow and refine them. This is made imaginable by a almighty acceptable of features, specified arsenic bidirectional enactment linking, graph view, tagging, and enactment search.

These features are each designed with 1 superior goal: to assistance you instrumentality notes and easy grow upon them. For instance, with bidirectional linking, I tin link caller notes to antecedently created ones, and past visualize these connections successful the graph view. Tagging allows maine to categorize my notes flexibly, without needing to signifier them into circumstantial folders. Finally, whenever I request to find notes connected a peculiar topic, Obsidian’s hunt rapidly locates them.

Furthermore, the app has a clean, distraction-free interface, making definite determination is simply a elemental onboarding acquisition for newcomers. Once you are accustomed to the app, you tin research a immense room of themes and plugins that further supercharge Obsidian.

Installing Obsidian

The 3 astir fashionable ways to tally Linux apps are Flatpak, Snap, and AppImage. While each 3 packaging formats execute the aforesaid goal—making an app disposable to use—they disagree successful however the app runs astatine the OS level.

AppImage From Obsidian's Official Website

AppImage is simply a portable packaging format that lets users tally applications without installing them connected the system. It bundles each required dependencies, making it a self-contained and hassle-free mode to tally apps. It is rather elemental to usage AppImage, conscionable download the file, tally it, and delete it erstwhile nary longer needed—much similar Windows executables. Since AppImage doesn't sandbox the app by default, it's precise important to download files from trusted sources.

To tally Obsidian arsenic an AppImage file, archetypal spell to obsidian.md, which is the authoritative website for Obsidian. Download the AppImage file. Then right-click connected the downloaded record and prime Properties > Run arsenic executable. Open the AppImage record and Obsidian volition get loaded.

Using Snap Package Manager

Another mode to instal apps connected Linux is with Snap, a packaging format developed by Canonical, the institution that maintains Ubuntu. Unlike AppImage, Snap installs apps connected the system, truthful you besides get seamless updates. Additionally, Snap apps tally successful a sandbox utilizing AppArmor, restricting unauthorized entree and offering amended security.

To instal Obsidian arsenic a Snap, marque definite you person Snap bundle manager installed. Then, type.

sudo drawback instal obsidian

Note that Snap mightiness springiness you a informing astir the obsidian bundle utilizing "classic confinement." In that case, you'll request to adhd a --classic emblem to the extremity of your command.

Then, the installation volition start. Once completed, you volition find Obsidian alongside different apps installed connected your system.

Using Flatpak

To instal Obsidian utilizing Flatpak, archetypal marque definite you person Flatpak bundle manager installed. Type the pursuing bid to check. If Flatpak is already installed, you volition spot a mentation fig displayed.

flatpak --version

Next, marque definite you person added Flathub repository, which is the authoritative app store for Flatpak.

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Then hunt for Obsidian and instal it utilizing its Application ID.

flatpak instal md.obsidian.Obsidian

Optimizing Obsidian

My acquisition with Obsidian has been affirmative truthful far. I person tested the app extensively connected aggregate devices and operating systems, including Ubuntu, Windows 11, macOS, and Android. Overall, it has been reliable and fast. But that doesn't mean the Obsidian app doesn't person immoderate issues. I person work a fewer users complaining astir the Obsidian app being sluggish connected Linux.

The Issue With Electron Apps

Obsidian runs connected Electron, a model that lets developers make apps for aggregate operating systems utilizing web technologies, making processing apps easier. However, if you person respective Electron-based apps (like Obsidian, Discord, VS Code) moving astatine the aforesaid time, past each app volition tally its ain lawsuit of Chromium, which leads to higher representation and CPU usage compared to autochthonal apps. So, you mightiness spot Obsidian slowing down nether dense usage oregon adjacent erstwhile utilized normally, depending connected your PC's resources.

Common Issues With Obsidian and Possible Fixes

Performance issues successful Obsidian tin originate for assorted reasons, specified arsenic conflicts with assemblage plugins oregon the installation of definite themes. While this isn't precise common, it is inactive possible. I person personally encountered instances wherever a taxable made the app consciousness sluggish.

If you're experiencing slowdowns successful Obsidian, the archetypal measurement is to disable assemblage plugins, particularly if you person unrecorded plugins installed (e.g., Dataview, Calendar, Canvas) that devour much resources than others.

To disable them, spell to Settings > Community Plugins > toggle Restricted Mode.

Themes oregon CSS customizations present animations, and immoderate of these tin besides dilatory down the app. To get the champion performance, I suggest utilizing a lightweight taxable oregon switching to the default theme.

You tin bash this by navigating to Settings > Appearance > Themes.

In immoderate cases, GPU-related issues tin impact performance. Try disabling hardware acceleration by going to Settings > Appearance > toggle Hardware Acceleration.

Finally, marque definite determination are nary ample files stored successful your vault. If you bash person ample videos oregon adjacent PDFs, that tin dilatory down indexing and marque the app sluggish. To forestall this, marque definite to store ample files extracurricular the Obsidian vault.

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Whether you take Snap, Flatpak, oregon AppImage packaging to tally Obsidian, it's important to enactment that show tin degrade nether dense use. However, by applying these tweaks, you tin support Obsidian moving efficiently connected Linux, careless of the installation method.