Edit Markdown files that do not belong in any vault, from Obsidian.
Hidden directory in the vault, with a symlink or copy of the file getting created there upon open and destroyed on close. All plugins would then be available (I’m thinking “editing” plugins, such as Advanced Tables, Templater, etc…)
Adding my vote to this! I imagine there could be a global set of settings and plugins for this.
I feel like this would be particularly nice for mobile >.>
Yes, please! I want to be able to open files from within Obsidian, or within the Mac Finder – whichever seems most convenient at the moment.
This would open up some alfred workflow possibilities 
I would love this
YES, PLEASE.
I’ve been looking for something to take over Typora, and I absolutely love Obsidian’s real time rendering, and really want it to be my one-stop-shop for markdown editing too.
Exactly this!
Obsidian’s inability to open individual Markdown files outside of a vault is quite unusual and feels out of place in today’s software landscape.
For those who prefer a single Markdown editor, being able to open files directly is essential. That’s why Typora became the go-to choice. Despite Obsidian’s many features, this fundamental limitation made it a deal breaker.
Hoping for a resolution soon, it’s worth noting that this feature request has been around for a while with limited progress. If Obsidian introduces this capability in the future, returning to it would definitely be a no-brainer.
For me, I don’t care that much about using Obsidan to edit standalone Markdown files. I do very much want to be able to use the Finder (the Mac’s system file explorer — I’m a Mac guy) to navigate the vault.
I use folders extensively and I find Obsidian’s folder and built-in file explorer support to be weak.
Could Obsidian support opening standalone Markdown files without needing to put them in a vault? Sometimes I just want to quickly edit or review a file without the extra steps of setting up or switching vaults. It’d make Obsidian way more flexible for people working across multiple projects, letting us access those great features without having to fully commit each file to a vault.
I would love this feature as well. I write a blog in Markdown, and often miss the superior editing features of Obsidian. I have yet to find a markdown editor that is superior to Obsidian’s Live Preview mode, Table editing, Frontmatter GUI editing and so much more. I often find myself putting a file in my vault just so that I can use these fantastic editing features.
It’s a long shot, but is this possible to be done via a plugin?
Yes. And now (at long last) it is!
Great. This request really has a lot of support. Personally, I have been avoiding Obsidian only for this reason, and every few months I come back to see if anything has changed. 
Don’t we have at least a feedback from the developers on whether they are considering this feature? Thanks.
The developers don’t typically say, but here are some signs you can check:
Yes!! The option to Have Obsidion associate and handle all .md files on my Machine would be a welcome feature… It’s by far the best application that works with .md files!!
Split the ObsidianShell talk to its own thread in share and showcase.
+1
i upvote this feature!
as i understand, i believe some features depend on the vault concept to work, that’s ok. i don’t think the vault should be eliminated. but it would be perfect if obsidian had a module to enable opening standalone MD files outside any vault, and still navigate to other MD files on the filebase, using absolute or relative paths. kind of a typora-like experience.
i don’t want to install yet another app… i want to go all-in with obsidian!