# Property support for non-markdown files **URL:** \ **Category:** Feature requests\ **Tags:** properties\ **Created:** [August 3, 2023, 9:15am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386 "2023-08-03T09:15:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![yplvivua](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/fbc32d/32.png) [@yplvivua](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/yplvivua)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2023, 9:15am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/1 "2023-08-03T09:15:52Z")
### Use case or problem The use case is binary file management. Obsidian already supports inline rendering of PDFs, audio and video files. This fact invites such files to become integral part of the vault. However, Obsidian does not support assigning metadata to binary files, like it does for markdown. You cannot tag a PDF, for example. The same goes for canvases, AFAIC. It is possible to use a “twin” markdown file, and there are plugins that try to automate this, but that is cumbersome. Now that we have properties and property panes it seems logical to extend property support to binary files. It is clear, though, that properties for binaries would have to be stored externally w.r.t. the file, like in a JSON file inside `.obsidian`. ### Proposed solution The property pane works for binary files exactly as it does for markdown files. ### Current workaround (optional) Creating markdown files that mirror/link to the binary files. ---
**Author:** ![TfTHacker](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/tfthacker/32/12958_2.png) [@TfTHacker](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/TfTHacker)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2023, 1:56pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/2 "2023-08-20T13:56:24Z")
This would be very useful in canvas and can be implemented in the JSON without external dependencies. ---
**Author:** ![constantins2001](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@constantins2001](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/constantins2001)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 7:42am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/3 "2023-09-28T07:42:16Z")
Would be very helpful, using twin markdown files is very cumbersome and sucks overall ---
**Author:** ![Deinos](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/deinos/32/1301_2.png) [@Deinos](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Deinos)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 2:24pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/4 "2023-11-01T14:24:58Z")
+1 for this. It would be a true game changer for me and my admittedly idiosyncratic uses of Obsidian 😄 ---
**Author:** ![d.norman](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/d.norman/32/47113_2.png) [@d.norman](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/d.norman)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 6:02pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/5 "2024-08-06T18:02:03Z")
+1 for this - I’m scanning pages from a paper notebook to bring them into Obsidian as PDF files. And PDF files don’t have Properties so they can’t be linked/tagged/categorized/etc. and can’t show up in the Graph display (aside from disconnected orphan PDFs, unless I create mirror .md files or link directly to the PDF from other notes) ---
**Author:** ![utof](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/b3f665/32.png) [@utof](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/utof)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2024, 7:40pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/6 "2024-08-23T19:40:44Z")
+1. im surprised to being unable to find any solutions whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![TheBooker66](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/thebooker66/32/71794_2.png) [@TheBooker66](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/TheBooker66)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2024, 6:43pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/7 "2024-12-27T18:43:31Z")
+1 as well. I use my fair share of pdfs and it would make my life just a tad easier. ---
**Author:** ![sunnysystems](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/35a633/32.png) [@sunnysystems](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/sunnysystems)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2025, 10:01am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/8 "2025-02-04T10:01:59Z")
+1 for a more standardized way to do this. ---
**Author:** ![Will-A-A](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Will-A-A](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Will-A-A)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2025, 1:42pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/9 "2025-04-17T13:42:23Z")
+1 this would be genius ---
**Author:** ![Simulacrum](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Simulacrum](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Simulacrum)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 7:27am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/10 "2025-06-21T07:27:43Z")
+1 indeed ---
**Author:** ![ryadaj](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/ryadaj/32/12683_2.png) [@ryadaj](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/ryadaj)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 5:04pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/11 "2025-06-22T17:04:25Z")
The final step to replacing Finder with Obsidian ---
**Author:** ![harr](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/harr/32/68498_2.png) [@harr](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/harr)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 9:31pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/12 "2025-06-22T21:31:01Z")
It’s fun to see [Zawinski’s Law](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Zawinski) at work: > An app for editing text becomes an IDE, then an OS. [https://x.com/jwz/status/1331287160738070528](https://x.com/jwz/status/1331287160738070528) ---
**Author:** ![DandyLyons](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@DandyLyons](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/DandyLyons)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2025, 6:11pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/13 "2025-09-24T18:11:56Z")
The need for this feature is even more apparent with the release of Bases on Obsidian. The majority of Bases features require properties, which are not supported on non-markdown files (e.g. PDFs). ---
**Author:** ![ThuThoma](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/6bbea6/32.png) [@ThuThoma](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/ThuThoma)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2025, 6:50pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/14 "2025-10-24T18:50:19Z")
+1 for this feature! would be very useful for organizing my vault. ---
**Author:** ![churnish](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/churnish/32/89588_2.png) [@churnish](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/churnish)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 4:12am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/15 "2025-10-25T04:12:03Z")
These two requests could be merged here: > [@Canvas: Add properties/YAML tied to a canvas (as a whole)](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/canvas-add-properties-yaml-tied-to-a-canvas-as-a-whole/49619): > > Use case or problem I think having frontmatter values in canvas files just as in the normal .md ones could be a really powerfull feature allowing us to combine our visual thinking with incredible plugins as Datawiew, Spaced Repetition or the core Search plugin. As the quantity of .canvas files increases this need of metadata will become more evident just as in any actual Obsidian Workflow Proposed solution I wish it could exist a section in the side bar of the canvas plugin with an option to a… > [@Bases - extend the format to include yaml / frontmatter](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/bases-extend-the-format-to-include-yaml-frontmatter/104287/): > > Use case or problem The new bases feature allows us to create lots of different bases, even bases of bases. This leads to a lot of individual base files, most likely scattered around the vault. In order to filter or group them logically - right now we can only utilize file.properties and directories. This limits the way i can filter all those bases - while Obsidian already has the yaml format inbuild (as properties / frontmatter) and utilizes it in bases. Proposed solution As bases has a ver… ---
**Author:** ![blue\_emperor](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@blue\_emperor](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/blue_emperor)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 5:47am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/16 "2025-10-25T05:47:09Z")
We currently have file properties or implicit properties for all file types (in bases): ![image](https://forum.obsidian.md/uploads/default/original/3X/0/7/071f8db54e338bd4885133b5480d93ee0bcf888e.png) [https://help.obsidian.md/bases/syntax#File%20properties](https://help.obsidian.md/bases/syntax#File%20properties)   The old property search `[property:value]` in Ctr + Shift + F doesn’t use implicit properties from bases but rather we have other set of “default properties” `tags`, `aliases` and `cssclasses`. Since bases have their own rich set of default properties, bases are now much more powerful than the old property search `[property:value]`. ---
**Author:** ![Deinos](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/deinos/32/1301_2.png) [@Deinos](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Deinos)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2025, 2:01pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/17 "2025-10-26T14:01:03Z")
Thinking back to the OP… So how would the implicit property file.tags work if I am working with PDFs? Or (less likely) an Excel file? Or an audio file? I’m reluctantly using the embed-binary-in-markdown-file method for the time being, but it is cumbersome. I wonder if there might be a way to make it less cumbersome… maybe a plugin that could create a metadata container, triggered and integrated in a Bases view, and excluded/hidden from the rest of Obsidian’s UI (already configurable in settings). ---
**Author:** ![blue\_emperor](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@blue\_emperor](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/blue_emperor)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2025, 3:08pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/18 "2025-10-26T15:08:46Z")
> [@Deinos](#): > > maybe a plugin that could create a metadata container, Definitely a plugin and not a native feature. Or you could use [Finder in mac](https://www.howtogeek.com/file-tagging-is-the-best-mac-finder-feature-youre-not-using-but-should/) but the problem is divergence from using Obsidian (but Obsidian cannot do everything like managing files seamlessly). Other nice file manager is OneCommander (has file tags). ---
**Author:** ![Deinos](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/deinos/32/1301_2.png) [@Deinos](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Deinos)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2025, 6:52pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/19 "2025-10-27T18:52:20Z")
I haven’t found the Mac OS tags terribly user friendly, although they are well integrated in Spotlight. And as you say, they are no help when it comes to Obsidian’s file management. If a user can accept the performance penalty, the backlinks property can be used to approximate tags for binary files. For example, if you use tag pages (in which a markdown note corresponds with a tag in your vault), you can link from the tag page to the PDF and it will create a backlink on which you can filter. Using a filter that surfaces either a tag #cooltag or a backlink [[cooltag]] can generate the Bases results some may be looking for… ---
**Author:** ![vin3375](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/c5a1d2/32.png) [@vin3375](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/vin3375)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2025, 8:42am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386/20 "2025-11-13T08:42:09Z")
+1, would be useful to alias PDFs to more easily find and embed them [Next page](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/property-support-for-non-markdown-files/64386.md?page=2)