Obsidian is an efficient and effective note-taking app, but it can be overwhelming the first few times you load it. To get off to a good start, it’s important to understand how templates work. If you can master them, they will save you a lot of time when generating and customizing new notes.
This guide will cover everything you need to know about using Obsidian templates.
How to enable templates in Obsidian
Obsidian does not come with its own pre-made templates. Instead, it’s up to you to do it yourself. While this may seem complicated to Obsidian newbies, it’s actually quite simple, once you know how to do it. Simply follow the steps below to get started:
- Open the Obsidian app and click the “Create New Folder” button in the top left menu.
- Name your new folder “Templates.” This gives you a place to store your templates when you start creating them later.
- Next, click on the “Settings” tab and then find “Core Plugins” in the left menu.
- In this menu, look for the “Templates” and “Command Palette” features and make sure they are both enabled.
- Still in the “Settings” menu, scroll down to the “Templates” p and click on it.
- In the “Templates Folder Location” box, select your new “Templates” folder.
Once these steps are complete, Obsidian will be fully configured and ready to provide templates on demand, whenever you need them. However, you will still need to create the templates you plan to use.
How to make obsidian templates
Creating a template is a simple process that requires just a few clicks and a little customization on your part. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Right click on the “Templates” folder in the left panel.
- Click “New Note” to generate a blank canvas that you can use as the basis of your template.
- 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 be safe.
How to put variables in templates
Template variables are small pieces of dynamic information that are automatically updated every time you load a template. There are a few different examples of these variables provided by Obsidian:
- {{date}} – As the name suggests, this variable is automatically set to display the date of the day.
- {{time}}: Displays the current time when uploading a new note.
- {{title}}: 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 should do:
- Open a new note in Obsidian.
- Press Ctrl+P (Windows) or Cmd+P (Mac) to open the command palette.
- Type “Template” to start the search.
- Select “Insert template” from the list of results.
- Choose the template you want to use.
Your new note will be populated with the same information as the template and will be ready for further customization.
Examples of templates to use in obsidian
You can add as many templates as you want to your Obsidian folders. If you use Obsidian regularly for different types of notes, it will be useful to have a wide range of templates. Below are some examples you might consider:
- Blogs: A blog post template might include a {{date}} code, along with some typical headings or ps, such as an “Introduction,” a “Main Content” area, and a “Conclusion.” You can break this down much further, with subheadings or additional categories, depending on the type of blog you run.
- Recipes: Many people like to save their favorite recipes in Obsidian. Using recipe templates can save you a lot of time and are easy to prepare. Simply open a new template and add titles like “Ingredients” and “Cooking Instructions.”
- To-do list: A “to-do template” could include ps like “Most important tasks of the day” and “Things to do if I have time,” as well as having a code {{date}} so that the date of the day is always it’s included.
- Daily Notes: Many users also have a “Daily Notes” template, with titles like “What I accomplished today” and “Things to focus on tomorrow.” This is especially useful for people who like to set daily goals or review their achievements every night.
- Diary/Diary: You can also create a diary template, with titles like “What happened today?” “What did I feel today?” and “What am I grateful for today?” Since Obsidian is so versatile, using a journaling app is ideal.
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:
- Time Savings: The main advantage of Obsidian templates is the amount of time they can save, especially if you tend to take the same type of notes regularly. For example, if you create a daily “to-do list,” you can save precious seconds with the help of a “to-do” template. It’s only a few seconds, but that time adds up every day.
- Reduce errors: If you write a lot of notes with Obsidian, it’s easy for small errors to occur. You might forget a certain title while writing a blog post or make a spelling mistake while quickly reading a daily note. Using templates helps minimize errors since the basic elements of each note are already prepared for you.
- Boost Productivity – By saving time and having fewer errors to worry about, templates can also increase 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 creating a “Class Notes” template, for example, to write down what your teacher says.
- Staying Organized – Lastly, obsidian stencils are also beneficial for overall organization. It doesn’t matter if you’re blogging or just storing your favorite family recipes, it’s much easier with templates you can rely on. Everything will look cleaner and neater as you scroll through your old notes, with the same clear layouts and headings on every page.
Frequent questions
Are templates free in Obsidian?
Yes, the ability to create and use templates is included in 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 ideas for obsidian stencils?
There are several guides and articles online that list examples of Obsidian templates and give you some snippets of text to copy and paste into the app. You can also try chatting with other users through Obsidian. Discord either forum to ask for template ideas.
Start Using Obsidian Stencils Today
Using templates may seem complicated at first, but even new users can master them quickly. It may take you a little time to create your own set of templates, but once you master it, you will get much more value from this software.
Have you already used templates in Obsidian? Do you have any good template ideas to share to help other people save some time? Let us know in the comments below.
