I think it’s time to close this feature request based on the Obsidian team’s responses as of late, such as this one
I’m certain the Obsidian team will not be implementing pen support for Obsidian. This is and will remain a plaintext note-taking app meant for programmers.
For those who are interested in an app that supports plain-text and drawing support, I would look at AFFiNE. They’re also open-source, unlike Obsidian.
That message is over a year old.
Generally, We don’t comment on what will or will not be implemented and when.
The only exception is the roadmap which contains a broad list of major new features to be implemented in the short or medium term.
I wouldn’t hold my breath for this being implemented, IMO. I’d look at AFFiNE if I were you. I’ve started looking at it and experimenting with it a little and I’m definitely going to make the switch from Obsidian after I finish my degree. Their whiteboard feature is better than Obsidian’s and you can easily switch from document-view to whiteboard/canvas-view without having to create a new canvas (you can be writing something in document-view and then switch to whiteboard-view right away). Also, they’re open-source (Obsidian is not) which is great and there’s no learning curve with the tool, you can use it right out-of-the-box, you don’t need to install a plugin for accomplishing “this” or “that.” Also, you can export your notes to Markdown and you can use the tool locally. They’re also very, very responsive to questions from their users (just check out their discord server). Anyways, if drawing support is very important to your workflow, I would look at AFFiNE which is what I’ve started to do.
It doesn’t matter, based on these responses and the lack of interest from the Obsidian team in general, I have a pretty good idea that handwriting will not be added to Obsidian. Obsidian will remain a glorified text editor and will not really venture into a true note-taking app because of its obsession with markdown
I don’t know, Obsidian is a really really solid product (it’s almost like Skyrim) and it has been here for some years already, maybe as a result of a well designed business model which has allowed them to stay in the market during all this time compared to others very promising projects which seem to have been fallen into oblivion, like Logseq. Im affraid this could be the case with the tool you’re mentioning as well, i think it’s very green yet to make any conclusions, but i respect other’s opinions
Now speaking of this feature, its such a shame that is not being implemented yet, but for the time being, in recent updates of the Excalidraw Plugin, Zsolt has achieved capabilities that have surpassed Canvas’s in my opinion, now you can get the best of both worlds and create cards that leverage all the features available in the Obsidian editor and at the same time use all the tools provided by excalidraw, and of course the Obsidian integration the plugin itself offers.
This current status of the plugin resembles to the amazing Logseq Whiteboards.
Of course this is not for handwritten due to the poor performance, but now you can achieve one of the things Canvas lacks, fast and frictionless thinking of your ideas.
It’s not perfect, but i recommend others give it a try and make your own conclusions
Not sure if you are still having this issue. I use Surface Pro with its pen and drawing/sketching on Excalidraw within Obsidian works absolutely beautifully!
Canvas has lots of potential but is still in its infancy. It can’t do different shapes properly, the text inside cards becomes illegible if you go for a low-zoom/bird’s eye view of the entire Canvas, there is no drawing support which is essential for brainstorming. It is simply superb that the creator of Excalidraw is supporting all this in Obsidian for free!
Several users have already mentioned it here: Just use the Excalidraw plugin. It just works great. Canvas is a well-intentioned attempt, but it falls short due to its limited features and functionality, and from what I’ve gathered in this thread, I think, it will stay this way. For me, it’s less of a ‘sense-making tool’ and more of just a ‘different type of storage space’ I unfortunately have no use for.
Excalidraw is bad and terrible and is not a substitution for Canvas.
This is a perfect way to get things cooking! I’ve been dying to get OneNote fully replaced by Obsidian… one day…
Excalidraw being Obsidian’s most downloaded plugin by a wide margin reflect the strong demand for drawing capabilities in Canvas. While Canvas is great for organizing and connecting ideas, being able to quickly sketch and annotate would make it so much more powerful, and drawing support feels like a natural fit, especially since .canvas files already use a custom format.
This could be done while keeping Canvas’s clean simplicity by making drawing tools optional and unobtrusive. For many people though, not having native drawing support is a deal-breaker. And let’s be honest‚ the irony of not being able to actually draw on something called “Canvas” is quite something!
I really hope the Obsidian team will reconsider adding this truly sense-making feature. And @Pol1, I’m curious about your experience with Excalidraw’s limitations, as it could help shape what good drawing support in Canvas might look like.
I would really love this feature. It would make Canvas so much better for me.
I’ve been using Obsidian for a long time now, one of the main things I’m missing.
Plugins that allow free-drawing are limited and their UX could be much better, but the high popularity of plugins like Excalidraw and TLDraw should show that there is demand for such a feature which is better integrated.
The Canvas feature is a fantastic step towards visual thinking within Obsidian. To make it even more powerful and flexible, I propose enhancing its compatibility with the Excalidraw format and feature set.
I often want to create rich diagrams, sketches, and mind maps directly linked to my Obsidian notes. While Canvas allows linking notes visually, its drawing capabilities sometimes feel limited compared to dedicated tools like Excalidraw.
Specific issues include:
.excalidraw files that don’t seamlessly integrate with the note/block linking paradigm of a .canvas file. Moving diagrams between standalone Excalidraw and Obsidian Canvas requires manual export/import steps (e.g., as images), losing editability and direct linking.Examples of desired workflows:
.excalidraw file created externally (e.g., during a collaborative session) into Obsidian Canvas, retaining both the drawing and the ability to link elements to notes.Update the core Canvas feature to achieve deep compatibility with Excalidraw. This could involve one or a combination of the following:
.excalidraw File Support: Allow Canvas to natively open, edit, and save files in the .excalidraw format. This would make Canvas a first-party editor for Excalidraw files within Obsidian, enabling seamless import/export and interoperability.This solution would provide the “best of both worlds”: Excalidraw’s mature, feature-rich, and pleasant drawing experience combined with Obsidian’s powerful knowledge linking capabilities within a single, cohesive interface. It leverages an open standard (.excalidraw), potentially improving data longevity and compatibility with other tools.