Obsidian · Compatibility

How to Open an Obsidian Vault Without Obsidian
and actually read the notes

You want to open an Obsidian vault but you do not have Obsidian, maybe it is not installed, maybe you cannot install it, maybe you just do not want to. The good news: a vault is only a folder of .md files, so you can absolutely open it without Obsidian.

The catch is how you open it. Most answers say "just use any text editor," and that technically opens the files, but it shows you the raw symbols instead of your notes. Here is how to open the vault and actually read it the way Obsidian did.

A vault is just Markdown files

An Obsidian vault is a normal folder. Inside it are your .md notes (plain text) and a hidden .obsidian folder that holds Obsidian’s own settings, plugins, and themes. To read your notes, you only need the .md files, not the .obsidian folder. So any Markdown tool can, in principle, open them.

The catch: raw symbols vs rendered notes

Obsidian uses two link styles that plain editors do not understand: [[wikilinks]] and ![[embeds]]. Open a note in Notepad or a code editor and you see those exactly as typed, as literal text, not as links or inline images.

Open it in What you see
A plain text editor (Notepad, a code editor) Shows [[Note]] and ![[image.png]] as literal text, not links or embeds
A tool that renders Markdown + wikilinks Shows the linked notes and inline images, the way Obsidian did

So "just use a text editor" gets the file open, but not readable the way you are used to. To see your vault the way Obsidian showed it, you need a tool that renders Markdown, wikilinks, and embeds. If a tool is leaving them as raw text, that is the same issue covered in why your Markdown is not rendering.

Open the vault in NoteLoom, rendered, in the browser

NoteLoom opens a local folder right in the browser and reads and writes the .md files in it, so it opens your vault without Obsidian and, crucially, renders it.

  1. Open app.noteloom.cc in Chrome / Edge / Arc. Nothing to install.
  2. Mount your vault folder.
  3. Open any note. NoteLoom renders [[wikilinks]] as clickable links, ![[embeds]] as inline notes and images, and reads the frontmatter, so the vault looks right.
  4. Edit in the live or source view, and it saves straight back to the same file, no import and no export.

So you get the two things a plain text editor cannot give you: your notes rendered, and edits written back to the real vault files, all with no install.

What works, and what does not

In your Obsidian vault In NoteLoom, without Obsidian
Your .md notes Opened, rendered, and edited, saved back to the same files
Frontmatter / properties Compatible, the same YAML block Obsidian uses
[[wikilinks]] and ![[embeds]] Rendered, including aliases, heading and block links, and image / PDF embeds
reading / live / source views All three, for reading cleanly or editing the raw Markdown
Plugins, canvas, graph view Not available, this is not the Obsidian app
Sync, remote vault fetch Not available, it opens local files
The .obsidian config folder Not loaded, settings / plugins / themes stay with Obsidian

It reads and edits the notes, it is not the whole app. For plugins, the canvas, the graph, or sync, use Obsidian on a machine where you can install it.

When you would do this

  • On a computer where you cannot install Obsidian (a managed work or school machine).
  • On a Chromebook, without a Linux container.
  • On a borrowed or shared computer where you just need to check or fix a note quickly.

In all of these, the vault files have to be on the computer already (a local copy, a USB drive, or a synced folder that has downloaded). NoteLoom opens local files; it does not fetch a remote vault.

Related reading

Obsidian without admin rights? Opening your vault on a locked-down work or school computer. Obsidian on a Chromebook? Open your vault in Chrome, no Linux container. Markdown not rendering? The common gotchas When [[wikilinks]] and other syntax show as raw text. Online Markdown Editor Open a local folder of .md files and read or edit them in your browser.

FAQ

Can you open an Obsidian vault without Obsidian?
Yes. A vault is just a folder of .md files, so any Markdown tool can open the notes. The thing to get right is rendering: a plain text editor shows the raw [[wikilink]] and ![[embed]] symbols, while a tool that renders Markdown shows them the way Obsidian did.
Why do my notes show [[ ]] and ![[ ]] as plain text?
Because the tool you opened them in is not rendering Obsidian-style links and embeds; it is showing the raw Markdown source. Open the notes in something that renders wikilinks and embeds and they turn back into clickable links and inline content.
Can I edit the vault, not just read it?
Yes. NoteLoom edits the .md files and saves straight back to the same files, with no import or export, so your vault stays exactly as Obsidian would leave it. You are working on the real files, not a copy.
Do I need the .obsidian folder to read the notes?
No. The .obsidian folder holds Obsidian’s own settings, plugins, and themes; your actual notes are the .md files next to it. You can read and edit the notes without it. NoteLoom does not load the .obsidian folder anyway; it opens the notes.
Does opening it this way install anything?
No. NoteLoom opens in Chrome, Edge, or Arc with nothing to install and no account. It uses the browser’s File System Access API, so it works in Chromium-based desktop browsers; Firefox, Safari, and mobile are not supported yet.
Is this a full replacement for Obsidian?
No. It reads and edits your vault’s .md notes, but it has no plugins, no canvas, no graph view, and no sync. For those, use Obsidian on a machine where you can install it. This is for reading and editing the notes themselves without it.

Open your vault, rendered, without Obsidian

Open NoteLoom in Chrome / Edge / Arc, mount your vault folder, and read or edit the .md notes with [[wikilinks]] and ![[embeds]] rendered, saved straight back to the same files. No software to install and no account to sign up for.

Open NoteLoom and try it