# Sync settings and selective syncing

When you create a remote vault and connect to it, the Sync Core plugin becomes the place for managing your remote vault.

# Sync settings

Remote vault
This section shows your currently connected remote vault. It includes a Disconnect button to disconnect from the remote vault and a Manage button to view all remote vaults your account has access to (including shared vaults via collaboration).

[!warning]+ Remote vault in third-party sync service If your remote vault is located in a third-party sync service, you will see a red error message. Follow the steps in Switch to Obsidian Sync to resolve this.

Sync status
Displays the current sync status of the remote vault. This section includes either a Pause or Resume button, depending on the status.

Device name
Assign a unique name to the device currently syncing. This helps track activity in the sync log. This setting is device specific, just like Selective syncing.

Conflict resolution Choose how to resolve conflicts when you modify a file on multiple devices. This setting is device specific, just like Selective syncing.

Deleted files
Contains a button to View or Restore deleted files. For more details, see Version history.

Storage usage
Displays a progress bar showing how much of your sync storage is used.

Contact support
Provides instructions on how to contact Obsidian support, including options to Copy debug info and Email support.

# Conflict resolution

Choose how to resolve conflicts when you modify a file on multiple devices before syncing. You can automatically merge changes or create separate conflict files for manual review. See Conflict resolution for details on how conflicts work and how to configure this setting.

[!warning]+ Configure on each device This setting must be configured separately on each device.

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You can also choose what to sync in the Sync Core plugin's settings. This section covers selective sync and vault configuration sync, along with their associated caveats.

# Selective syncing

Files synced to your remote vault contribute to your storage limit. By default, Obsidian Sync activates selective sync for the following file types:

• Images
• Audio
• Videos
• PDFs

To sync additional file types, toggle the Sync all other types option.

The default vault configuration sync settings include:

• Other file types
• Main settings
• Appearance
• Themes and snippets
• Hotkeys
• Active core plugin list
• Core plugin settings

To sync community plugins, manually enable Active community plugin list and Installed community plugin list.

# Change the file types you want to sync

1. Open Settings → Sync.
2. Under Selective sync, enable the file types you want to sync.
3. Restart the application to apply the new settings. On mobile or tablet, this may require a force-quit.

Note that your Sync plan defines the maximum file size you can sync. The Standard plan allows syncing files up to 5 MB, while the Plus plan supports files up to 200 MB.

[!info]+ Excluded files remain in remote vault Adding a file to the Excluded files list does not remove it from the remote vault if it has already been synced. Configure your Sync settings before syncing to avoid using unnecessary storage.

# Exclude a folder from syncing

By default, Obsidian syncs all files and folders in your vault. To exclude a specific folder from syncing:

1. Open Settings → Sync.
2. Next to Excluded folders, select Manage.
3. Select the folder you want to exclude from the list.
4. Select Done.

To remove a folder from the exclusion list, select the button next to the folder name.

# Always excluded from sync

# File recovery snapshots

The snapshots in the File recovery plugin are not synced via Obsidian Sync, as snapshots are kept in the Global settings.

# Hidden files and folders

Files and folders beginning with a . are treated as hidden and excluded from sync. The only exception is the vault's configuration folder (.obsidian), which does sync.

Common examples of hidden files and folders that are not synced:

• .vscode
• .git
• .idea
• .gitignore

# Sync settings

Sync settings do not sync across devices. You need to configure them separately on each device as needed.

# Updating your synced vault settings

To modify sync settings across multiple devices, follow these steps:

# Primary device

The primary device acts as the source of truth. Changes made here are synced across all other devices.

1. Go to Settings → Sync.
2. Activate the desired settings under Vault configuration sync.
3. Reload or restart Obsidian. On mobile or tablet, a force-quit may be required.
4. Allow time for the settings to sync with your remote vault.

# Secondary device(s)

Secondary devices (such as your phone) receive updates from the primary device.

1. Go to Settings → Sync.
2. Enable the necessary settings under Vault configuration sync.
3. Wait for changes to download from the remote vault.
4. Reload or restart the app to apply the synced settings. On mobile or tablet, a force-quit may be required.

# Reloading of settings

Certain settings can be hot reloaded, while others require a restart:

• Hot-reloadable: Most Obsidian configurations, including hotkeys and properties, appearance settings, and configurations for already-enabled core plugins.
• Requires reload: CSS changes (e.g., CSS snippets, Themes), graph view configurations, and core plugin states (e.g., enabling/disabling Daily Notes).

Community plugins typically do not support hot reloading and require a restart when new settings are applied.

[!info]+ For plugin developers Learn how to integrate hot-reload functionality with Obsidian Sync.

# Settings profiles

Obsidian Sync can sync multiple configuration folders to the same remote vault, allowing you to create separate profiles (e.g., one for mobile, another for your laptop).

# Create a settings profile

To create a new settings profile:

1. Open Settings → Files and links.
2. Under Override config folder, enter a name for your profile, starting with a period (.), e.g., .obsidian-mobile.
3. Relaunch Obsidian to apply the changes.

[!info]+ Avoid redownloading plugins and themes Changing the settings profile will require reconfiguring your sync settings. To avoid redownloading plugins and themes, copy your existing .obsidian folder and rename it to match your new profile (e.g., .obsidian-mobile) before making changes.