Launch the Linux Development Environment on a ChromeOS device with an ARM64 processor.
Download and run the official AppImage for ARM64. The same issue is also reproducible with the Flatpak and .deb versions.
Did you follow the troubleshooting guide? [Y/N]
Y
Expected result
The Obsidian application should render its user interface correctly.
Actual result
The application window appears corrupted, with a white screen and graphical artefacts. The issue occurs immediately upon launch, before a vault can be created or opened.
Environment
[Please use the “Show debug info” command in the app if possible, otherwise state that it’s not possible due to the rendering issue.]
Additional information
I have attached a screenshot of the issue. When launched from the terminal, the application outputs a number of GPU-related errors. The key error messages are as follows:
[...]:ERROR:gpu/command_buffer/service/context_group.cc:177] ContextResult::kFatalFailure: ES3 is blocklisted/disabled/unsupported by driver.
[...]:ERROR:gpu/command_buffer/service/gl_utils.cc:439] [...] GL_INVALID_ENUM: glGetIntegerv: Invalid pname.
The rendering issue is slightly improved at a lower screen resolution, but the application is still unusable.
Device: Lenovo Chromebook Plys
OS Version: [Paste the version number from chrome://version here, e.g., 126.0.6478.140]
Processor Architecture:aarch64
AppImage Version: 1.9.10 (ARM64)
As a workaround, the native Android version of Obsidian works without any issues on this device and is a great alternative for any Chromebook users experiencing similar problems.
I had the same problem on LInux Mint. Disabling hardware acceleration fixes it. I ended up rolling back to the older version. obsidian_1.8.10 works fine.
Linux Mint
System:
Kernel: 6.14.0-27-generic arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 13.3.0 clocksource: tsc
Desktop: Cinnamon v: 6.4.8 tk: GTK v: 3.24.41 wm: Muffin v: 6.4.1 vt: 7 dm: LightDM v: 1.30.0
Distro: Linux Mint 22.1 Xia base: Ubuntu 24.04 noble
Graphics:
Device-1: AMD Barts PRO [Radeon HD 6850] vendor: Gigabyte driver: radeon v: kernel
I am perfectly happy with android version but some Chromebooks don’t support Play Store and AppImage is a recommended option. Will test your solution and will let you know if it helped.
You’re a star! This solved a problem, but I did a slightly different approach… I ran the appimage with --disable-gpu:
igor@penguin:~$ ./Obsidian-1.9.10-arm64.AppImage --disable-gpu
2025-08-22 08:16:41 Loading main app package /tmp/.mount_ObsidiWK59v6/resources/obsidian.asar
2025-08-22 08:16:41 Checking for update using Github
2025-08-22 08:16:42 Success.
2025-08-22 08:16:42 Latest version is 1.9.10
2025-08-22 08:16:42 App is up to date.
[1500:0822/091643.259310:ERROR:gpu/command_buffer/service/gles2_cmd_decoder_passthrough.cc:1095] [GroupMarkerNotSet(crbug.com/242999)!:A070210044000000]Automatic fallback to software WebGL has been deprecated. Please use the --enable-unsafe-swiftshader (about:flags#enable-unsafe-swiftshader) flag to opt in to lower security guarantees for trusted content.
[1500:0822/091643.282900:ERROR:gpu/command_buffer/service/gles2_cmd_decoder_passthrough.cc:1095] [GroupMarkerNotSet(crbug.com/242999)!:A070210044000000]Automatic fallback to software WebGL has been deprecated. Please use the --enable-unsafe-swiftshader (about:flags#enable-unsafe-swiftshader) flag to opt in to lower security guarantees for trusted content.
[1500:0822/091643.287897:ERROR:gpu/command_buffer/service/gles2_cmd_decoder_passthrough.cc:1095] [GroupMarkerNotSet(crbug.com/242999)!:A0A0210044000000]Automatic fallback to software WebGL has been deprecated. Please use the --enable-unsafe-swiftshader (about:flags#enable-unsafe-swiftshader) flag to opt in to lower security guarantees for trusted content.
[1500:0822/091643.348303:ERROR:gpu/command_buffer/service/gles2_cmd_decoder_passthrough.cc:1095] [GroupMarkerNotSet(crbug.com/242999)!:A0A0210044000000]Automatic fallback to software WebGL has been deprecated. Please use the --enable-unsafe-swiftshader (about:flags#enable-unsafe-swiftshader) flag to opt in to lower security guarantees for trusted content.
[1500:0822/091643.486192:ERROR:gpu/command_buffer/service/gl_utils.cc:443] [.WebGL-0x2401c94000]GL Driver Message (OpenGL, Performance, GL_CLOSE_PATH_NV, High): GPU stall due to ReadPixels
[1500:0822/091643.961897:ERROR:gpu/command_buffer/service/gl_utils.cc:443] [.WebGL-0x2401c94000]GL Driver Message (OpenGL, Performance, GL_CLOSE_PATH_NV, High): GPU stall due to ReadPixels
[1500:0822/091643.991099:ERROR:gpu/command_buffer/service/gl_utils.cc:443] [.WebGL-0x2401c94000]GL Driver Message (OpenGL, Performance, GL_CLOSE_PATH_NV, High): GPU stall due to ReadPixels
[1500:0822/091644.011135:ERROR:gpu/command_buffer/service/gl_utils.cc:443] [.WebGL-0x2401c94000]GL Driver Message (OpenGL, Performance, GL_CLOSE_PATH_NV, High): GPU stall due to ReadPixels (this message will no longer repeat)
2025-08-22 08:19:46 Checking for update using Github
2025-08-22 08:19:46 Success.
2025-08-22 08:19:46 Latest version is 1.9.10
2025-08-22 08:19:46 App is up to date.
On my Fedora 42 I installed it with Flatpak and it works well. Somehow the side-loaded Debian 12 doesn’t quite like the official appimage and flatpaks. Still, I think I will stick to Android version on ChromeOS because it’s a lot faster, the fonts are rendered properly and overall it is more native to chromeos than sandboxing.
