Obsidian Tutorial

3 Obsidian Plugins I Use in 2026

TS
By Tech Simpld
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Available Now
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8 Min Read

Out of the box, Obsidian is essentially just a very clean, very fast plain text editor. If you only write a few notes here and there, that might be all you ever need. But as you start relying on it for more things—like tracking your daily tasks, planning out long-term projects, writing blog posts, or studying for school—that plain text approach starts to break down. If you don't know how to customize it, your notes will quickly turn into a cluttered, unorganized mess that feels impossible to navigate.

But the real magic of Obsidian happens when you flip a single switch in your settings and unlock Community Plugins. Community plugins are extra features built by everyday people and developers that you can download directly into the app for free. They take Obsidian from a digital notebook and turn it into whatever you want it to be.

In today's guide, I'm going to walk you through exactly how to set up the three plugins I personally use to completely transform Obsidian from a basic notepad into a fully automated, visual project management system. We will get all three of these running in under 15 minutes. No complex code, no steep learning curves, just the absolute essentials.

Before We Start: Enabling Community Plugins

To use any of the tools below, you first need to allow Obsidian to download them.

  • Click the gear icon in the bottom left to open your Settings.
  • On the left side, click on Community plugins.
  • You will see a warning about "Safe Mode." By default, Obsidian blocks outside plugins for security. Click the button that says Turn off Safe Mode to enable them.
  • Now you will see a button that says Browse. This is your gateway to thousands of custom features.

Step 1: The Kanban Plugin (Visual Project Management)

First up on the list is the Kanban plugin. If you've ever used an app like Trello, Notion, or Asana, you already know how powerful a visual board layout can be. A Kanban board is simply a way to visualize your tasks by moving them through different stages of completion.

Without this plugin, you are stuck using basic bullet point checklists. With it enabled, you can turn any plain note into a colorful, interactive project board where you can literally click and drag your ideas across the screen. It is the absolute best way to manage video scripts, content calendars, freelance clients, or even just your daily chores without ever leaving the app.

How to Install and Set It Up:

  • Go to Settings > Community plugins > Browse.
  • In the search bar, type "Kanban." Look for the one created by mgmeyers. It is usually the most downloaded one.
  • Click on it, hit Install, and then wait a second and click Enable.
  • Close the settings window. Now, press Ctrl + P (or Cmd + P on Mac) on your keyboard to open the Command Palette.
  • Type "Kanban: Create new board" and hit Enter.

You now have a blank board! To make it useful, click "Add a list." You might create three lists: To-Do, Doing, and Done. Now you can click the "+" button under To-Do, type out a task (like "Pay the electric bill"), and when you finally get around to doing it, just click and drag that card over to the next column. It is incredibly satisfying and visually organizes your chaos instantly.

Step 2: Dataview (The Automated Search Engine)

Next is Dataview, which is widely considered the ultimate powerhouse plugin for Obsidian. Once you learn Dataview, you will wonder how you ever survived without it. Think of Dataview as a personalized search engine that treats your entire vault like a private database.

Usually, when you write a note in Obsidian, it just sits wherever you left it. If you want a list of all the books you read this year, you would have to manually create a "Books Read" note and painstakingly type out a link to every single book review you wrote. Dataview automates all of this.

Instead of manually linking or looking for your notes, a simple three-line code block will automatically gather, sort, and display every single file matching your criteria. It runs in the background, updating itself every time you create a new note.

How to Install and Set It Up:

  • Go back to Settings > Community plugins > Browse and search for "Dataview" (by blacksmithgu).
  • Install it and click Enable.

To use it, you just type three backticks (```) followed by the word "dataview" to create a code block. Inside that block, you write a tiny bit of instructions. For example, if you want a list of every note in your "Recipes" folder, you would type: 

```dataview
LIST
FROM "Recipes"
```

The second you click away from that code block, it instantly transforms into a neat, clickable list of every single recipe in your vault. If you add a new recipe tomorrow, it will automatically appear on this list. It is pure magic for staying organized without having to maintain massive index pages yourself.

Step 3: Templater (Infinite Workflow Automation)

To tie this all together, you need a plugin called Templater. Obsidian does have a built-in "Templates" core plugin, but it is very basic. Templater takes things to a completely different level.

If you find yourself typing the exact same things over and over again—like setting up a daily journal with today's date, or structuring a meeting note with the same headers—Templater will do it for you instantly. This plugin completely automates new note creation by inserting dynamic variables like dates, times, specific tags, and pre-set structures the exact second you open a file.

How to Install and Set It Up:

  • Go to Settings > Community plugins > Browse, search for "Templater" (by SilentVoid13).
  • Install it and click Enable.
  • Before you can use it, you need a place to put your templates. Go to your file explorer and create a new folder called Templates.
  • Open your settings, scroll down the left side until you see the "Templater" plugin settings under Community Plugins, and click it.
  • At the very top, look for Template folder location and select the "Templates" folder you just made.

Now, let's make a real template. Create a new note inside your Templates folder and call it "Daily Note Template." Inside the note, type the following: 

# Journal for <% tp.date.now("YYYY-MM-DD") %>

## Goals for today:
- [ ] 

## Notes:

That little piece of code (<% tp.date.now("YYYY-MM-DD") %>) is what makes Templater special. Now, whenever you apply this template to a new note, Templater will delete that code and automatically type out today's actual date in its place.

Pro-Tip: When you combine all three of these plugins, you become unstoppable. You can build a Templater template that automatically drops a Dataview query into your daily note to show you tasks from your Kanban board. And if you back up Templater with a Stream Deck shortcut or a hotkey, you can launch that perfectly formatted daily note with a single button press.

Common Questions (FAQ)

Are Community Plugins safe to use?
Yes, for the most part. Every plugin available in the official "Browse" menu has been reviewed by the Obsidian team. However, they are created by third parties, so it is always a good idea to stick to the popular ones with lots of downloads (like Kanban, Dataview, and Templater) just to ensure they are well-maintained and bug-free.

Will installing too many plugins slow down Obsidian?
Yes. Obsidian is incredibly fast, but if you install fifty different plugins, it will start to take longer to open and might feel sluggish. Only install plugins you actually use. Periodically review your list and uninstall the ones collecting digital dust.

Do these plugins sync across my devices?
Yes! If you use Obsidian Sync (or any cloud folder like iCloud or Google Drive) to sync your vault to your phone or laptop, your plugins and settings sync right along with it. Just remember that some heavy plugins might take a second longer to load on a mobile device.

Conclusion

These three plugins—Kanban, Dataview, and Templater—form the foundation of almost every professional Obsidian setup. They take away the friction of manual organization, they make your vault visually appealing, and they save you countless hours of busywork so you can focus on actually taking notes and getting things done.

If you want to skip the trial-and-error of configuring these plugins yourself, I highly recommend checking out my free 2026 Obsidian Starter Vault. It comes with Kanban, Dataview, and Templater completely pre-installed, organized, and configured right out of the box so you can start organizing your life right away without fiddling with settings menus.