How to Use Templates with Obsidian

Obsidian is an efficient and effective note-taking app, but it can be overwhelming the first few times you load it up. To get off to a good start, it’s important to understand how templates work. If you can master them, they’ll save you a ton of time when generating and customizing new notes.

This guide will cover all you need to know about using Obsidian templates.

How to Enable Templates in Obsidian

Obsidian doesn’t come with its own pre-made templates. Instead, it’s up to you to make them yourself. While this may sound tricky for Obsidian newbies, it’s actually quite simple, once you know how. Just follow the steps below to get started:

1. Open the Obsidian app and click on the “Create New Folder” button in the top left menu.
   
2. Name your new folder “Templates.” This gives you somewhere to store your templates when you start making them later on.
   
3. Next, click on the “Settings” tab and then find “Core Plugins” from the menu on the left.
   
4. In this menu, find the “Templates” and “Command Palette” features and ensure that they’re both enabled.
   
   
5. Still in the “Settings” menu, scroll to the “Templates” section and click on it.
   
6. In the “Template folder location” box, select your new “Templates” folder.
   

With these steps complete, Obsidian will be fully configured and ready to provide templates on-demand, whenever you need them. However, you’ll still need to create the templates you plan on using.

How to Make Obsidian Templates

Making a template is a straightforward process, requiring just a few simple clicks and a bit of customization on your part. Here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Right-click on your “Templates” folder in the left pane.
   
2. Click on “New note” to generate a blank canvas you can use as the basis of your template.
   
3. Next, all you need to do is customize your template, entering a title and body content.
   

Obsidian will save the template content automatically, but you can save it manually to make sure.

How to Put Variables in Templates

Template variables are little snippets of dynamic information that are automatically updated each time you load a template. There are a few different examples of these variables provided by Obsidian:

• {{date}} – as the name suggests, this variable automatically adjusts to display the day’s date.
• {{time}} – shows you the current time when loading a new note.
• {{title}} – this gets replaced by the note title in the text.

Date and time variables accept parameters for structuring, for example {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}}.

How to Use Obsidian Templates

Whenever you want to use your template, here’s what you need to do:

1. Open a new note in Obsidian.
   
2. Press Ctrl+P (Windows) or Cmd+P (Mac) to bring up the Command Palette.
   
3. Type “Template,” to start the search.
   
4. Select “Insert template” from the list of results.
   
5. Choose the template you want to use.
   

Your new note will get filled with the same information as the template and be ready for further customization.

Examples of Templates to Use in Obsidian

You can add as many templates as you like to your Obsidian folders. If you use Obsidian regularly for of different kinds of notes, it helps to have a wide range of templates. Here are some examples you could consider:

• Blogs – A blog post template could include a {{date}} code, along with some typical headers or sections, like an “Intro,” a “Main Content” area, and a “Conclusion.” You can break this down much further, with additional subheadings or categories, depending on the type of blog you run.
• Recipes – A lot of people like to store their favorite recipes in Obsidian. Using recipe templates can save you lots of time, and they’re easy to make. Just open a new template canvas and add headings like “Ingredients” and “Cooking Instructions.”
• To Do List – A “To Do Template” could include sections such as “Most Important Tasks for the Day” and “Things to Do if I Have Time,” as well as having a {{date}} code so that the day’s date is always included.
• Daily Notes – Plenty of users also have a “Daily Notes” template, with headings like “What I Accomplished Today” and “Things to Focus on Tomorrow.” This is particularly helpful for people who like to set themselves daily goals or review their accomplishments each evening.
• Journal/Diary – You could also create a journal template, with headings like “What Happened Today?” “What Did I Feel Today?” and “What Am I Grateful for Today?” Since Obsidian is so versatile, it’s ideal to use a diary app.

What Are the Benefits of Using Templates?

We’ve seen how to make templates, but why would you want to create them? Well, there are multiple benefits associated with templates, including:

• Saving time – The main advantage of Obsidian templates is how much time they can save, especially if you tend to make the same kinds of notes regularly. For example, if you make a daily “To Do List,” you can save precious seconds with the aid of a “To Do” template. It’s only a few seconds, but that time adds up each day.
• Reducing errors – If you do a lot of note-writing with Obsidian, it’s easy for little mistakes to happen. You might forget a certain heading while writing a blog post or make a spelling mistake while rushing through a daily note. Using templates helps minimize errors, as the basic building blocks of each note are already prepared for you.
• Boosting productivity – With saved time and fewer errors to worry about, templates can also boost your productivity. Many professionals find that templates give them more time and energy to focus on other areas of their work. Even students can feel the benefits of this; try making a “Lecture Notes” template, for example, to note down what your teacher says.
• Staying organized – Finally, Obsidian templates are also beneficial for general organization. No matter whether you’re writing a blog or simply storing your favorite family recipes, it’s much easier with templates to rely on. Everything will look neater and tidier as you scroll back through your old notes, with the same clear layouts and headings on every page.

FAQs

Are templates free in Obsidian?

Yes, the ability to make and use templates is included with the free “Personal” version of Obsidian. So you don’t need to worry about templates being locked behind a paywall or only available to business users.

Where can I find Obsidian template ideas?

There are various guides and articles online which list examples of Obsidian templates and provide you with some snippets of text to copy and paste into the app. You can also try chatting with other users via the Obsidian Discord or forum to ask for template ideas.

Start Using Obsidian Templates Today

Using templates may seem tricky at first, but even new users can quickly master them. It may take a little time to build up your own set of templates, but once you’ve got the hang of it, you’ll get much more value out of this software.

Have you used templates in Obsidian yet? Got any good template ideas to share to help other people save some time? Let us know in the comments below.