FYI. There is now a “Switching between files will now keep the undo/redo history for the last 20 files, unless the file was changed externally. Not available for the legacy editor.” feature implemented in Obsidian.
https://forum.obsidian.md/t/obsidian-release-v0-13-16-insider-build/29215
7 Likes
I would also like something like this.
It doesn’t have to be an on/off thing, but maybe a way to tune the frequency? E.g. auto-saving each X minutes, or after writing Y number of characters.
But I would also welcome a simple on/off switch.
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For my use case it would also be helpful if auto-save could be changed on a per folder basis.
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Just a quick idea:
- Obsidian core: Add just a basic ability to toggle auto-saving on or off. Just a simple switch, affects the whole vault.
- Provide an API for plugins to change the auto-save option on a per-file (or per-pane) basis. Then community plugins can build more sophisticated solutions for controlling auto-save based on folder, time, keypresses, or whatever rule.
9 Likes
I just want to support this request; I think the autosave is quite a frustrating feature due to the amount of disk and cloud writes it generates.
Ideally one could set an auto-save interval, but to be honest, I would prefer no auto-save at all over the way it is implemented at the moment so even a simple on/off switch would be appreciated.
1 Like
Since there was a bit of talk about save history in this discussion, I thought I’d include this link: Clipboard data loss prevention through history states
Thanks.
I want to have an option to set when to do the auto save action, like deactivate the window/some time later like stuff, thanks!
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I support this feature request too, because auto-save creates unnecessary disk write (worn SSD) and network traffic (I sync the vault with cloud storage)
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I wonder if there is any official indication whether disabling autosave and/or setting autosave frequency might be implemented in the future (however long it takes to work out), or the 2s autosave is a conscious and final design decision. There’s enough threads about it in the FR forum already, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a response from the devs.
Obsidian is an excellent piece of software otherwise and I understand the logic in promoting its own sync solution but I feel like this particular way to do it is creating a lot of issues (collaboration problems, sync problems, unnecessary disk writes, data loss…). For sure there are workarounds to all, other than the disk writes, but they could also be fixed at root by allowing users to choose when or how often they save their files.
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I want to knwo whether is there anyway to disable auto-save, i just don’t want my note be auto-saving, it cause synchronizing traffic problem to me, every single trivial action will triggle the auto-saving, thus my note keep being saved and uploading consistently. It would be better to provide an option to diable/enable auto saving or an option to set auto-saving interval.
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Agree - there would be multiple benefits
- wip work doesn’t get persisted if user doesn’t want it to
- avoid disk/cloud sync churn
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I have also been struggling to work around the autosave feature, since it causes issues with both the system I use for cloud syncing and my development workflow in general (I use Obsidian for a couple code-based projects where I need to be deliberate about when I save updates to the files). Being able to at least configure the interval would be very helpful.
8 Likes
Completely new to Obsidian (0.11.5 on macOS 11.2.3); and really liking it…
May I ask the opposite question, please: How DO I (prompt a) Save - Cmnd+S as I would expect… there is no suggestion in the menus that such an option exists?
TIA!
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yes, you can change the shortcuts in the hotkey section of settings.
Got it! Thanks @WhiteNoise. Save was ⌘+S all along 
As I said, I’m new to Obsidian. But really, really liking it. Thanks to everyone.
I am fairly certain the overly high frequency of iCloud writes is causing Apple to pause my obsidian folder when using my windows machine. Hugely annoying because I have to reboot my machine to resolve the issue, and end up losing my recent notes.
It would be great if we had the option to lower the frequency to 1, 5, 15, 30, 60 etc second intervals.
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I signed up for this forum to say I’m having the same issue. Mid sentence I’ll lose content and then have to hit Ctrl-Z. I have a Windows machine connected to iCloud.
If I could just turn off auto-save then I could hit ctrl-s whenever I needed to save. Instead it’s just syncing all the time and causes this really weird typing bug where it goes back in time as I’m typing a sentence.
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I’m bumping up on this as well. I sync to Google Drive using InSync on Linux which works great for a work-related vault (I use Obsidian Sync for personal work). However, since Obsidian saves every key type, Google Drive will only store the last 100 versions which is basically my last 100 key types.
Can we get a throttling concept built into auto-save? It really doesn’t make sense to save every key type, at least wait a second for typing activity on the file to come to a stop before saving.
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Agreed! There are many reasons why the ability to disable the autosave feature would be wanted. Some are undeniably valid, some are personal preference.
- A syncing system can get thrown off by constant saves (either making massive numbers of backups, or throttling due to overaccess).
- Working on a media with limited write cycle per lifetime (flash drives, SSD, etc). This may be not worth stressing about, but knowing each type of a character triggers a resave of the entire file: the concern is reasonable.
- Just not wanting forced into a workflow that you do not prefer. Ctrl-S has worked fine for many people for many years. There’s a reason it has stuck around.
… and, finally, a toggle in the settings to turn on/off autosaving seems like such a simple feature to add.
Such a hard line reminds me of how IOS hides file/folder structure to the point where apps like Obsidian can’t take advantage of things like syncing apps, without special programming to add custom interoperability.
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Having the same issue here.
I’m using mega.nz software for syncing between devices. After some period of time it won’t sync your files, moreover, you can’t figure out when exactly this is happening. I have’to relaunch the app to be sure all my files are synced correctly, and due to the app need’s to rescan all my files, it can take up to 10 minutes.
1 Like