Obsidian Canvas

Obsidian Canvas is the infinite canvas feature built into Obsidian that allows visual organization of notes, ideas, and external content in spatial arrangements. Unlike linear note-taking, Canvas enables creating visual knowledge maps, mind maps, mood boards, and project dashboards by arranging cards, notes, media, and websites on an infinite 2D workspace.

Best For: Obsidian users who think visually and want to supplement text-based notes with spatial organization, mind mapping, and visual project planning while maintaining Markdown file control.

Key Features

What can you add to an Obsidian Canvas?
Existing Obsidian notes appear as live-updating cards. Text cards for quick thoughts without creating separate files. Images, PDFs, and media files embedded directly. Web pages embedded as iframes. Entire groups of items for organization. Arrows and connections show relationships. Everything on infinite zoomable workspace.

How does Canvas integrate with Obsidian's features?
Canvas files stored as JSON in your vault alongside Markdown notes. Link to/from canvas in regular notes. Backlinks work bidirectionally. Search finds content within canvas. Plugins extend canvas functionality. Themes style canvas appearance. Local-first file storage maintains privacy and control.

What organization features does Canvas provide?
Group related cards with frames and labels. Color-code cards and connections. Arrows with labels show relationships. Nested canvases embed one canvas within another. Infinite zoom from overview to detail. Minimap for navigation in large canvases. Export canvas as image for sharing.

Can Canvas replace specialized tools?
Use as mind mapping alternative to dedicated tools. Project dashboards combining notes, tasks, and media. Mood boards with images and inspiration. Research organization with sources and notes. Argument mapping with connected reasoning. Workflow visualization. Planning and brainstorming spaces.

Pricing & Plans

Free: Included in Obsidian at no cost - Unlimited canvases, all features, local storage

Canvas is a core Obsidian feature available to all users. No separate pricing or subscription required beyond standard Obsidian Sync ($4/month) if you want cloud sync.

Limitations

• Only works within Obsidian (not standalone)
• Learning curve for Obsidian's overall system
• No real-time collaboration on canvases
• Less specialized than dedicated mind mapping tools
• JSON storage format not human-readable like Markdown

Getting Started

1. Ensure you have Obsidian installed
2. Create new canvas (right-click in file explorer, "New canvas")
3. Add cards by dragging notes or using toolbar
4. Connect cards with arrows to show relationships
5. Organize with groups, colors, and spatial arrangement

Learn More: Part of Obsidian