Default preview/edit mode to be session wide?

Basement
1

Hey all!

Currently evaluating switching to Obsidian from Notion.

Tried searching and I think my question is not a common one (?).

I want to use obsidian as a second brain, as well as to help with research and writing. Thus I will have countless of documents with references and links i them.

Scenario:

  • I want to look something up and open a page.
  • It will by default be edit mode, so I press cmd+e to get preview.
  • I want cross-check some information and want to open some links on this page in different panes, so I click cmd+the links.
  • they open up in in new panes BUT in edit mode – despite me being in preview mode.
  • now to more easily read the documents I must for each document go and press cmd+e to get to the preview mode.

What I wish, is that the edit/preview mode follows whatever mode I have right now, so as to avoid having to manually toggle each thing I open for reading only. Since some times I will spend 90% time just looking things up, before I am ready to write anything.

Does my use case make sense?
Is this possible already and I am missing it?

Thanks in advance!

2

In the Settings->Hotkeys check “Toggle default view mode”.

With that hotkey you can switch the default to be preview.
And so when you open a note (in a new pane) through File Explorer, Quick Switcher or through a link in a note, it appears in preview.

Edit:

To clarify, regardless of what the default set trough the hotkey I mentioned is, if you have the focus on a note that is in edit mode and you switch to another note (while remaining in that pane) the note will appear in edit mode (If it was in preview mode it would remain in preview mode).

3 Likes
3

Wow, this was exactly what I needed. And it was already a feature, I thought I had looked through all settings but it seems I am utterly blind or I’m an idiot. I don’t ask for help often in this way so I appreciate the kind response!

Thanks again and cheers!

4

No problem it happens, glad I could help.
The community is super helpful so I wouldn’t be afraid to ask :slight_smile:

1 Like