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Choose one synchronization method for a vault, based first on your devices. Obsidian Sync is the simplest officially supported choice for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, and it includes integrated version history. iCloud is practical when every device is a Mac, iPhone, or iPad and the vault is stored in the correct iCloud Drive folder. Syncthing keeps copies on your own participating computers and offers more control, but it requires more setup and devices must be able to connect.
Whichever method you choose, keep an independent backup. Synchronization copies changes; it does not by itself protect you from accidental deletion, a damaged vault, or a bad conflict. Use only one provider for a particular vault.
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Which method should you use?
Start with operating-system compatibility, then consider recovery, storage control, and how much maintenance you want to perform.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches| Method | Best fit | Documented platform guidance | How data moves | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obsidian Sync | People who want the lowest-setup, officially supported option across desktop and mobile | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android | A remote Obsidian vault plus a local copy on each device | Paid subscription with storage, file-size, vault-count, and history limits |
| iCloud | People whose devices are all in the Apple ecosystem | macOS, iOS, and iPadOS | The vault lives in iCloud Drive and is opened from each Apple device | Folder placement and local download status matter; iCloud Drive on Windows can cause duplication or corruption |
| Syncthing | People who want direct device-to-device synchronization and control over where files remain | Windows, macOS, and Linux; Android requires a community-maintained fork; iOS is not officially supported | Participating devices exchange files directly | More hands-on configuration; devices must connect to transfer changes |
Use Obsidian Sync if you need a supported mixed-platform setup, mobile access, and integrated recovery history. Choose iCloud for an Apple-only workflow when the recommended folder arrangement is acceptable. Choose Syncthing if local, device-to-device control is more important to you than an effortless setup and you can keep participating devices reachable.
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How Obsidian Sync works
Obsidian Sync is an add-on service. Each device retains a local vault, while Sync also maintains a remote vault used to exchange changes. This design lets you work offline and upload changes when a connection is available, while the same vault can be opened on supported desktop and mobile systems.
Why it is the default cross-platform choice
- Obsidian recommends it for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.
- It has selective synchronization, so you can choose which folders or file types are downloaded to a device.
- It can synchronize Obsidian settings in addition to note files, subject to the settings you select.
- It includes note-history and deleted-file recovery features that are integrated into Obsidian rather than handled as a separate file-management task.
Those conveniences come with a subscription and plan limits. Check the limits against your actual vault, especially if you keep large PDFs, images, audio, video, or other attachments.
Current Sync plans and limits
The following figures were listed by Obsidian on October 13, 2026. Subscription prices and limits can change, so treat them as a dated snapshot rather than a permanent price guarantee.
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| Plan | Price when billed annually | Price when billed monthly | Synced vaults | Total storage | Maximum file size | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sync Standard | USD 4 per user per month | USD 5 per user per month | 1 | 1 GB | 5 MB | 1 month of version history |
| Sync Plus | USD 8 per user per month | USD 10 per user per month | 10 | 10 GB, with an option to upgrade storage to 100 GB | 200 MB | 12 months of version history |
Obsidian’s version-history documentation specifies that versions of attachments are retained for two weeks. That is different from the longer note-history periods shown in the plan table, so do not assume an old attachment can be restored as far back as an old Markdown note.
How to set up Obsidian Sync
- Install the current Obsidian application on each desktop or mobile device that will use the vault.
- Open the existing vault on your primary device, or create the vault you intend to share.
- Open Obsidian’s settings and select the Sync section.
- Sign in to your Obsidian account, choose a plan, and create or select the remote vault.
- Enable end-to-end encryption if the vault contains private material. Create an encryption password that you can store safely; it is not recoverable by Obsidian.
- On each additional device, sign in, open Sync settings, select the same remote vault, and choose the local folder where that device should keep its copy.
- Allow the initial download to finish before making substantial edits on another device. Confirm that representative notes and attachments open correctly.
- Use selective synchronization and settings synchronization deliberately. Excluding a folder from a device means that folder will not be available there, even though it remains in the remote vault.
During the first connection, leave the application open long enough for the initial transfer to complete. A partially downloaded vault can look like missing notes when the files are simply not local yet.
Encryption and the password-recovery trap
For end-to-end encrypted Sync vaults, Obsidian documents AES-256 encryption with scrypt key derivation and GCM. The stated purpose is that Obsidian cannot access the encrypted remote data. The same property means Obsidian cannot reset a forgotten encryption password.
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If the password is lost, additional devices cannot connect to that encrypted remote vault. Obsidian’s documented recovery route starts with making a full local backup, then creating a new remote vault and reconnecting devices to it. Store the password in a trusted password manager or another secure location before you enable encryption.
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iCloud is designed for Apple-only arrangements in Obsidian’s guidance: macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. The critical detail is the folder location. The vault should be inside iCloud Drive → Obsidian, not in an arbitrary iCloud Drive folder.
Set up the vault on a Mac
- Make a complete copy of the vault before moving it.
- In Finder, open iCloud Drive and create or open the Obsidian folder.
- Move or copy the vault folder into that Obsidian folder. Keep the vault as a folder, including its hidden
.obsidianconfiguration folder. - Open Obsidian, choose to open an existing vault, and select the copy inside iCloud Drive/Obsidian.
- Wait for iCloud to finish uploading the folder before opening it elsewhere. Finder’s cloud-status indicators can help confirm whether files are local or still waiting to download.
Open the same vault on iPhone or iPad
- Install Obsidian on the iOS or iPadOS device and allow it to use iCloud Drive when prompted.
- Choose the option to open an existing vault stored in iCloud.
- Navigate to iCloud Drive/Obsidian and select the vault folder.
- Keep the vault downloaded on the device when possible. A file that exists only in the cloud may need to download before Obsidian can open it reliably or quickly.
- Wait for the first download to complete, then open several notes and attachments to verify the vault.
Obsidian warns that placing an iOS or iPadOS vault outside the Obsidian folder in iCloud Drive can cause syncing problems. If a vault appears twice or files seem to disappear, close Obsidian on all devices, check that every device points to the same folder, and remove any accidental second copy only after comparing its contents.
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Why Windows is a poor fit for this method
Obsidian specifically warns that using iCloud Drive on Windows may lead to file duplication or corruption. For a vault that must be edited on Windows, use a method Obsidian recommends for Windows instead of treating iCloud as a neutral cross-platform provider.
What iCloud does not establish here
The documented material for this comparison does not establish a plan-specific Obsidian version-history or deleted-file recovery guarantee for iCloud. Do not treat iCloud’s ordinary file synchronization as equivalent to Sync’s integrated history. Keep a separate backup for recovery.
How to sync with Syncthing
Syncthing is a continuous file-synchronization program. It keeps files on the participating computers rather than placing the vault in a separate hosted service. Devices exchange changes over encrypted connections when they can reach one another. The practical consequence is that a device cannot receive a change while every other participating device is offline or unreachable.
Platform coverage and mobile limitations
- Obsidian recommends Syncthing for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- The official Syncthing Android application is no longer maintained. Obsidian points to a community fork, so maintenance and behavior can change independently of Obsidian.
- Obsidian does not officially support Syncthing on iOS. Syncthing’s FAQ says it has no foreseeable plan for official iOS support because iOS background-processing restrictions make the required continuous operation difficult, although third-party applications exist.
For a desktop-only vault, these limitations may not matter. For a workflow centered on iPhone or iPad, they make Syncthing a workaround rather than a first-choice supported path.
Prepare the vault
- Close Obsidian on every device and make a full backup of the vault.
- Install Syncthing on each participating computer.
- Choose one computer as the initial source and add the vault folder to Syncthing.
- Share that folder with the device identifiers for the other computers.
- Accept the share on each receiving computer and choose the local folder in which the synchronized copy will live.
- Set the folder to bidirectional sending and receiving when every device should be able to edit notes. Use a send-only or receive-only mode only when you intentionally want one-way behavior.
- Wait for the first synchronization to finish on every device. Check the file count and open representative notes before launching Obsidian against the copy.
- Open each synchronized folder in Obsidian as an existing vault, and ensure that only one synchronized copy is used on that device.
Keep a device available
Syncthing works best when at least one participating device stays on and connected so changes can move continuously. If your laptop is asleep and your desktop is shut down, a phone or another computer cannot receive a new note until one of those peers becomes available.
Understand conflicts
Syncthing is a file synchronization system, not an Obsidian note-history interface. If two devices edit the same file before they exchange changes, Syncthing has conflict-handling behavior that selects a latest state or creates a conflict-resolution path according to its rules. It is not conflict-proof. Review conflicted files rather than assuming the newest-looking copy contains every edit.
How to migrate a vault without creating duplicates
- Stop editing the vault on every device.
- Choose the one provider that will own synchronization after the migration.
- Make a full, independently stored backup of the complete vault, including the
.obsidianfolder and attachments. - Disconnect or disable the old provider before enabling the new one for the same vault. Obsidian warns that running multiple sync services on one vault can cause conflicts or corruption.
- Complete the initial upload or peer-to-peer transfer from one clean source copy.
- Connect devices one at a time, selecting the newly synchronized copy rather than an old local duplicate.
- Open several recent and older notes, inspect attachments, and check important plugins or settings before resuming normal editing.
- Keep the backup until you have used the new arrangement successfully and verified that no files are missing.
Sync is not backup: a practical safety plan
A sync service is designed to propagate changes. If you delete a note, overwrite a file, or synchronize corruption, that change may be propagated too. Maintain at least one backup that is not managed by the active synchronization provider.
- Make a complete vault copy before changing providers, enabling encryption, or moving the vault.
- Keep backups on storage that is not simultaneously writable by the sync process.
- Include attachments and the hidden
.obsidianfolder when you need to preserve settings and plugins. - Test a backup by opening a few restored notes; an untested copy is not a proven recovery plan.
- Use Sync’s note history and deleted-file restoration when available, but remember the plan-specific retention periods and the shorter two-week attachment-version retention.
Troubleshooting by symptom
A device shows an empty or incomplete vault
- Confirm that the device is connected to the intended remote vault, iCloud folder, or Syncthing shared folder.
- Wait for the initial transfer to finish; cloud-only files may still be downloading.
- Check selective-sync settings in Obsidian Sync and ensure the missing folder or file type was not excluded.
- On iCloud, verify the path is exactly inside iCloud Drive/Obsidian.
The same notes appear in two places
- Close Obsidian on all devices.
- Identify which provider is supposed to own the vault.
- Look for an old local copy, an incorrectly placed iCloud copy, or a second Syncthing share.
- Compare file dates and contents before deleting anything, using your independent backup as the safety net.
Changes are not arriving in Syncthing
- Make sure at least two participating devices are powered on and can connect to each other.
- Confirm that both devices accepted the share and that the folder path is correct.
- Check that the folder mode allows the direction of transfer you expect.
- Remember that a sleeping or offline peer cannot receive changes until it reconnects.
Obsidian Sync will not connect a new device
- Verify that you selected the same remote vault.
- If end-to-end encryption is enabled, enter the exact encryption password used when the remote vault was created.
- If that password is lost, do not keep guessing while relying on the remote copy. Follow the documented recovery approach: preserve a full local backup and create a new remote vault.
Files duplicate or become corrupted with iCloud
Stop editing on all devices, make a backup of the affected copies, and verify that every Apple device opens the vault from the single iCloud Drive/Obsidian location. If a Windows device is involved, move the workflow to a method recommended for Windows rather than continuing to rely on iCloud Drive there.
Decision guide
Choose Obsidian Sync when
- Your devices include different operating systems, especially Windows or Android alongside Apple devices.
- You want an officially supported mobile path.
- You value integrated note history and deleted-file restoration.
- Your vault fits the selected plan’s storage and maximum-file-size limits.
- You are willing to pay the current subscription price.
Choose iCloud when
- Every device is a Mac, iPhone, or iPad.
- You can keep the vault inside iCloud Drive/Obsidian and available locally when needed.
- You are comfortable maintaining a separate backup because the recovery guarantees documented for Obsidian Sync do not automatically apply.
Choose Syncthing when
- You primarily use Windows, macOS, or Linux computers.
- You want files to remain on your own participating devices and prefer direct synchronization.
- You can configure clients, maintain shared-folder settings, and keep a peer online often enough for your workflow.
- You accept that Android requires a community fork and iOS lacks official support.
For most mixed-device users, Obsidian Sync is the least complicated route. For an Apple-only setup, iCloud can be sufficient when its folder and download requirements are followed. For technically comfortable desktop users who prioritize direct device control, Syncthing is a workable alternative with more operational responsibility.
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