Import non-Vault Media on Android

Things I have tried

Thoroughly examined the UI.

What I’m trying to do

I have a shiny new Obsidian install on a Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+, working with Canvas.

There should be a way to import media that is not yet in a vault into a canvas. (In this case, I would like it to be a PDF.) But I have no idea how to do this. The drag and drop metaphor of the desktop is not helpful, and there does not seem to be an “import from elsewhere” function.

To be clear, I want to import a file that is already on my Tablet, not something from the internet.

Are you able to go to your pdf-viewer, and share the file with Obsidian? Doesn’t that copy the file into your vault?

In other words, I think you need to export the file into Obsidian, not import it. I reckon this has to do with application security reasons.

Android is pretty awful about things like that, in my experience. Of the several I’ve tried, only one (Samsung Notes) makes that possible. Or at least only one is easy enough that I’ve figured it out, and I basically have to remember and navigate the path back to Obsidian and save a file there directly.

And (even though I did specify I was interested in PDFs for the first try) how would that work for images or other files?

Is there really no way to import?

Command palette > Insert attachment

iOS gives me these options →

Did you even try what I suggested? It worked like a charm for me to import a pdf file into my vault?

Which part didn’t work for you?

It’ll work the same way for other file types, as well. Use a viewer or file explorer which can share it, and Obsidian will accept it if it’s a legal format for Obsidian, it seems.

That command doesn’t exist in my Obsidian on Android. I think I’m on the last version too, 1.4.2 (which is not an insider version that is).

Wow. That’s a bummer. I don’t have an Android device at the moment and wasn’t aware that command isn’t there. I’m on 1.4.2 (94) - I think that’s the current public release.

So yeah, if that command isn’t available on Android, from outside Obsidian you share (export? I don’t remember what Android calls it) the PDF, image, etc, into Obsidian. Only annoying part iirc is you have to open Obsidian first to the file you want it in, and place your cursor at the desired spot.

Hey @holroy :wave:t3:

An Android user said they have the command and the mobile toolbar shortcut. Not sure what settings to check, but have another look.

Oopsie, my bad, I searched the command pallette when I was in reading view, and then it didn’t show. In an editing mode it does show.

So we do have it on Android (and I’m running 1.4.2 (94) too).

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