# Obsidian Application: Dynalist Inc. Also called obsidian md, obsidian vault Dynalist Inc., Productivity A local Markdown vault editor. The process is Obsidian.exe. Plugins are optional. It is not Notion. ## What you need to know Obsidian is a local Markdown vault. Notion is a different product. Obsidian.exe opens a folder of Markdown files on disk. Notion is a cloud workspace. Notepad++ can edit the same .md files without the graph. Extra Obsidian.exe rows are usually Electron helpers. - **What is it?**: Local Markdown vault **Same as Notion?**: No. Files live on disk **Need plugins?**: No. They are optional Feex says If Obsidian.exe is here, I treat the vault folder as the data. I do not look for a Notion export to explain those .md files, and I do not end notepad++.exe to close the vault. ## What is Obsidian? Obsidian is a local-first Markdown app. It is not Notion, not OneNote, and not Notepad++. ## If you have never used it If you want notes as local Markdown files, Obsidian is a vault on disk. Download it from obsidian.md/download. Obsidian.exe opens a folder of .md files. Notion is a cloud workspace in a browser or its own app. Plugins are optional. The files stay in your vault folder even if you quit the app. ## What is it used for? **Edit a vault of Markdown files** Plain .md on disk. Notion stores documents in a cloud workspace, not this folder. **Graph and links** \[\[wikilinks]] inside the vault. That graph is Obsidian, not a Notion database. **Optional plugins and Sync** Community plugins and paid Sync. Core app works offline without them. ## Who is it for? - People who want notes as files they can copy - Users leaving Notion for a local vault - Anyone who should not treat a browser wiki as this exe ## Current status Obsidian (2020) is a current local notes from Dynalist Inc.. The vendor still points Windows users at https://obsidian.md/download. ## How old is it? Dynalist Inc. launched Obsidian in 2020. It is younger than Notepad++ and newer than most wiki tools. Current Windows Electron builds still update. A 2015 Evernote-only workflow is a different product. ## Versions Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here. Obsidian desktop Insider builds ## System requirements Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need. ### Minimum | Operating system | A current 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per Obsidian | | ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | RAM | Electron baseline. Huge vaults and many plugins want more | ## Resource profile - **CPU demand**: Follows what you open inside the app **RAM demand**: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries ## Installed processes These executables belong to this product when it is installed. | Obsidian.exe | Obsidian vault window | | ------------ | --------------------- | ## Startup components Obsidian can reopen the last vault. That is session restore, not a Windows service. ## File locations | Typical install | C:\Users\\\\AppData\Local\Obsidian\\ | | --------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ## File formats Markdown, PNG attachments ## Common problems ### Vault on a flaky sync folder Two devices writing the same vault without Obsidian Sync or a careful Git setup can conflict. That is not a Notion block error. ### A community plugin hangs the app Safe mode disables plugins. notepad++.exe plugins will not fix this vault. ## Getting unstuck ### Install from obsidian.md/download Dynalist hosts the real installer. An Obsidian pro pack is junk. ### Open the vault folder in Explorer The .md files are the notes. A Notion export is a different tree. ### Start in restricted mode if a plugin breaks startup Help documents that path. It does not apply to Windows Notepad. ## Alternatives Notion if you want a cloud workspace. Notepad++ or VS Code if you only need a Markdown editor. OneNote is a different Microsoft notebook. ## Official help and downloads Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel. | Download | [obsidian.md/download ](https://obsidian.md/download)Official installer or vendor page | | ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Help | [help.obsidian.md/ ](https://help.obsidian.md/)Vendor support | | Official site | [obsidian.md/ ](https://obsidian.md/)Start here, not a random exe host | | Obsidian help | [help.obsidian.md/ ](https://help.obsidian.md/)Vaults, plugins, and sync | ## Related hardware The shell is Electron-class. Huge vaults want an SSD. A GPU is irrelevant. ## Technical details Technical details Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build. ## Related These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link. [Obsidian.exe: Application Process](https://feex.it/wiki/process/obsidian.exe)[Notepad++: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/notepad-plusplus)[How to read Task Manager: Guide](https://feex.it/wiki/software/system/how-to-read-task-manager) ## Sources and verification Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research). - [Obsidian official site ](https://obsidian.md/)· Vendor product page - [Obsidian help ](https://help.obsidian.md/)· Vendor support - [Obsidian help ](https://help.obsidian.md/)· Official product documentation - [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark. ## Was this article useful? A yes or no is enough. Pick a reason if you want, or add a short note. Quick facts The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article. - **Developer**: Dynalist Inc. **Category**: Local notes **Process**: [Obsidian.exe](https://feex.it/wiki/process/obsidian.exe) **License**: Free for personal use / paid commercial and sync add-ons **First released**: 2020 **Official site**: [obsidian.md](https://obsidian.md/) **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026 --- Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/software/obsidian/) [Developer guide](https://feex.it/wiki/developers/) | [API policy](https://feex.it/developers/api-policy/) | [Agent guidance](https://feex.it/wiki/llms.txt)