Notes in deferent panel

In the left sidebar of Obsidian, having folders and notes open in the same panel can be inconvenient for navigation. Scrolling through hundreds of notes in expanded view to reach another folder is cumbersome. Sometimes, it’s unclear which folder’s notes I’m scrolling through, making it hard to find the desired location. It would be easier if notes opened in a separate panel next to the folder navigation, or within the editor, or if the folder navigation panel displayed only the selected folder’s notes with a back button for switching folders. Every time opening a note back to the left sidebar panel, it’s lost the scroll position too.

Many notebook apps offer this same UI/UX. I recommend that Obsidian’s core developers consider implementing this feature, similar to other note-taking apps, and make our life easier by enhancing user experience.

Feature Request: Improved Folder and Note Navigation in Sidebar

Problem Statement:
In the left sidebar of Obsidian, having folders and notes open in the same panel can be inconvenient for navigation. Scrolling through hundreds of notes in expanded view to reach another folder is cumbersome. Additionally, it can be unclear which folder’s notes I’m scrolling through, making it challenging to find the desired location.

Proposed Solution:
It would greatly improve user experience if:

  1. Notes could open in a separate panel next to the folder navigation, or within the editor.
  2. The folder navigation panel displayed only the selected folder’s notes with a “Back” button for switching folders.

Why This is Needed:
Many modern note-taking apps (e.g., Notion, Evernote) implement similar UI/UX enhancements to streamline navigation. These features:

  • Save time when switching between folders and notes.
  • Improve clarity by reducing unnecessary scrolling.
  • Help users quickly locate and focus on their desired content.

Request to Developers:
Please consider implementing this feature in Obsidian’s core or as a plugin. It would greatly enhance the app’s usability and align it with the seamless navigation experience offered by other notebook apps.

Thank you for your attention and dedication to improving Obsidian for all users!


I do not understand what your are trying to convey here at all. Perhaps try with a screen recording.

After a quick read-through two thoughts come to mind. There is a menu option on the file title for Reveal file in navigation which would/should focus the file within the File Explorer.

Secondly, there is a plugin Reveal Active File Button which should do the same, but the button is to be found within the File explorer.

Both these options could help, to some extent, to locate where your current files is resided within your vault.

You don’t have to.
Use the Obsidians Search function to find files.
Ctrl+shift+f / CMD+shift+f

The file browser is just secondary, obsidian isn’t a file browser, but a pkm.
You organize files trough :

  • tags,
  • name conventions,
  • properties,
  • etc

You start o search for your notes based on your organization .
Looking for files manually through a file browser is “cumbersome”, as you state yourself.

Newcomers try to search notes manually, like in a conventional file navigator. That’s not the way pkm works. Obsidian is a pkm app. And note, also I was a “newcomer” many years ago.

If you need even more tools to find your notes, Dataview is the way to go. So you’re covered with many tools to find data :

  • use the “quick switcher” core plugin
  • user the search tab
  • use the community plugin dataview
  • on YouTube you’ll find tons of tutorials how to learn more about obsidian