# File Explorer: Selecting multiple notes in the mobile app (tap and hold) **URL:** \ **Category:** Feature requests\ **Tags:** valuable, ui-ux, mobile\ **Created:** [August 12, 2024, 12:57pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/file-explorer-selecting-multiple-notes-in-the-mobile-app-tap-and-hold/86756 "2024-08-12T12:57:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pisces](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/f6c823/32.png) [@pisces](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/pisces)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2024, 12:57pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/file-explorer-selecting-multiple-notes-in-the-mobile-app-tap-and-hold/86756/1 "2024-08-12T12:57:04Z")
### Use case or problem Often I want to select multiple notes to move to a different folder, for example, and it doesn’t look like Obsidian has this feature in the mobile apps at the moment? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I found these two posts under the Help forum with similar questions, but no answers: - [Mobile app, Select multiple notes?](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/mobile-app-select-multiple-notes/30669) - [Selecting multiple files/notes in mobile](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/selecting-multiple-files-notes-in-mobile/57595) ### Proposed solution An option to select multiple notes under the menu that pulls up when you long press a note (or somewhere else) ---
**Author:** ![StavrosL](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@StavrosL](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/StavrosL)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2024, 9:13pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/file-explorer-selecting-multiple-notes-in-the-mobile-app-tap-and-hold/86756/2 "2024-12-04T21:13:34Z")
thumbs up for that ---
**Author:** ![Sfogrrlinnyc](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/f05b48/32.png) [@Sfogrrlinnyc](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Sfogrrlinnyc)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 2:58am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/file-explorer-selecting-multiple-notes-in-the-mobile-app-tap-and-hold/86756/3 "2025-01-15T02:58:56Z")
Enthusiastic +1 ---
**Author:** ![obsidianfan2](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/96bed5/32.png) [@obsidianfan2](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/obsidianfan2)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2025, 6:52pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/file-explorer-selecting-multiple-notes-in-the-mobile-app-tap-and-hold/86756/4 "2025-02-22T18:52:42Z")
Thanks for keeping this thread open for so long. (I wonder why others were closed.) I found a workaround and want to ask (again) whether there is someone at this. I especially became eager for selecting multiple files with the newly added feature “File Explorer now includes a menu option to create a new folder with the selected items.” (v 1.8, January 2025) First I wondered why there is something that seems to be a multiselect functionality by tap-hold a second file and release the finger just _before_ the context menu appears. That makes the file explorer look like this with no effect of multiselect. ![IMG_20250222_201124](https://forum.obsidian.md/uploads/default/original/3X/2/e/2e45adb48871f6721bf1e3f08de6636532f688df.jpeg) I later tried using a bluetooth keyboard with touch pad and that works. In this example I selected a second file with Shift down, though could not open the context menu via track pad. Yet once selected I could tap-hold via screen and that looked like that: ![IMG_20250223_014044](https://forum.obsidian.md/uploads/default/original/3X/c/3/c33311ef6b5d2dafcd945027a158834bd8590a0d.jpeg) So who’s going to go into this and maybe there already is some hidden feature for multiselect via touch UI? ---
**Author:** ![Valery\_Kondakoff](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/valery_kondakoff/32/165_2.png) [@Valery\_Kondakoff](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Valery_Kondakoff)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2021, 10:44am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/file-explorer-selecting-multiple-notes-in-the-mobile-app-tap-and-hold/86756/5 "2021-04-28T10:44:54Z")
Please add [Bug] or [Feature] to your post title, then delete this line. ### Platform iOS Obsidian Mobile version: v0.0.17(4) * * * It is possible to highlight more than one note in File Explorer by tapping on item and hold. ![Снимок экрана 2021-04-28 в 13.44.19](https://forum.obsidian.md/uploads/default/original/2X/3/3d3d4ee16a47b89dac75c8df9c54fca538d34d84.jpeg) Here is a video: [Dropbox](https://www.dropbox.com/s/53i2eyqfbfzb8t1/RPReplay_Final1619596563.mov?dl=0) (iPadOS 14.6) ---
**Author:** ![Valery\_Kondakoff](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/valery_kondakoff/32/165_2.png) [@Valery\_Kondakoff](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Valery_Kondakoff)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2021, 1:47pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/file-explorer-selecting-multiple-notes-in-the-mobile-app-tap-and-hold/86756/6 "2021-07-08T13:47:15Z")
This is still an issue in 1.0.0.14… ☹ I hope this will be fixed before the release. ---
**Author:** ![aitransformed](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/aca169/32.png) [@aitransformed](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/aitransformed)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 8:06am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/file-explorer-selecting-multiple-notes-in-the-mobile-app-tap-and-hold/86756/7 "2025-02-26T08:06:05Z")
While using obsidian for PC, I can move multiple files using combining keyboard keys and mouse: Shift + click selects a group. Alt + click selects the ones you click on. Then right click on one of the selected for the context menu. The above is okay. But i want this in obsidian mobile as well. ---
**Author:** ![Jopp](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Jopp](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Jopp)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 10:32am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/file-explorer-selecting-multiple-notes-in-the-mobile-app-tap-and-hold/86756/8 "2025-02-27T10:32:25Z")
A solution could be to 1. tab hold a file, then select a new menu entry “select multiple files” 2. select a second file over/under the first selection to include all files in between. 3. At this point, the usual menu would pop up again and ask what to do with the selection. Another way could be to use two fingers, but selecting files and folders with two fingers simultaneously might be difficult ---
**Author:** ![Svitman](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/svitman/32/82419_2.png) [@Svitman](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Svitman)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 12:20pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/file-explorer-selecting-multiple-notes-in-the-mobile-app-tap-and-hold/86756/9 "2025-07-19T12:20:41Z")
`+1` Dear developers, please implement multiple selection feature. ---
**Author:** ![chrislou1961](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chrislou1961](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/chrislou1961)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 7:51pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/file-explorer-selecting-multiple-notes-in-the-mobile-app-tap-and-hold/86756/10 "2025-09-21T19:51:21Z")
I really would love this feature! ---
**Author:** ![Sandwich\_lord](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/sandwich_lord/32/86721_2.png) [@Sandwich\_lord](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Sandwich_lord)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2025, 10:33am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/file-explorer-selecting-multiple-notes-in-the-mobile-app-tap-and-hold/86756/11 "2025-11-10T10:33:18Z")
+1 I am struggling with the same issue. The problem is the time interval of tap and hold to distinguish the action of drag and drop, and opening the menu bar is kinda weird and unintuitive. Ex. I wanted to opens the menu by holding the file but instead it responded as drag and drop or either opening the file. I propose the developer team to at least implement the hover view so that I know when to unhold(in current us design, 1 out of 2, it responds as drag and drop or does nothing when try to tap and hold to activate the menu) I think it would not take so much effort to do it. Also there should be options to select the multiple files, since deleting files in iPad or mobile phone without key board is pain in the ass at the moment. I hope that there’s a plugin to solve this issue… ---
**Author:** ![DRRO](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@DRRO](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/DRRO)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2026, 6:05am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/file-explorer-selecting-multiple-notes-in-the-mobile-app-tap-and-hold/86756/12 "2026-04-18T06:05:03Z")
Closed related posts that could have led me here: [90180](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/how-to-select-multiple-files-on-android/90180), [57595](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/selecting-multiple-files-notes-in-mobile/57595),[42783](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/question-about-selecting-multiple-files/42783), [90836](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/android-in-the-files-view-how-do-i-create-a-multi-selection-of-files-folders/90836) (2024, 2023, 2022, 2024 respectively) Is this really that difficult to implement? Can we get some information to understand the challenges involved? It would help some come to terms with it. The tool is very powerful, even awesome in some cases, but these “simple” features missing affect negatively to the experience. * * * > [@Sandwich\_lord](#): > > I hope that there’s a plugin to solve this issue… I haven’t found it. If someone does please tag me. ---
**Author:** ![Howe](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/howe/32/41229_2.png) [@Howe](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Howe)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2026, 6:03am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/file-explorer-selecting-multiple-notes-in-the-mobile-app-tap-and-hold/86756/13 "2026-08-02T06:03:07Z")
## Multi-Select Files in Mobile Obsidian * * * - Ok, it’s _Aug 2nd, 2026_ and _Multi-Select Files_ is still **not natively supported** by Mobile Obsidian yet. - Here is my successful solution: * * * > [!info] Preinfo > > - OS: iOS ### Instruction * * * #### 1. Open Files 1. Go to _Files_ App * * * #### 2. Locate Directory ##### Method\_1: 1. Locate Obsidian App directory e.g., `On My iPhone` \> `Obsidian` 2. Choose your _vault_ folder 3. Find your _target files_ ##### Method \_2: 1. Locate your files via _Files_ App’s Search function 2. `Show in Enclosing Folder` * * * #### 3. Execute the Operation ##### 3.1 Multi-Select 1. **Activate Select:** 2. **Select multiples:** ##### 3.2 Operation Options: ###### Option\_1: Multi-Delete ###### Option\_2: Multi-Move ---
**Author:** ![DRRO](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@DRRO](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/DRRO)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 1:54am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/file-explorer-selecting-multiple-notes-in-the-mobile-app-tap-and-hold/86756/14 "2026-08-11T01:54:50Z")
> **[Column Explorer](https://community.obsidian.md/plugins/column-explorer)** > > Finder-style file explorer for Obsidian with Miller columns, drag and drop, multi-select, context menus, and complete file management. ~~Maybe can~~ is helping me in the meantime.