"Same Window" and "New Window" options for open vault

Feature requests
1

When I open a vault, I would like the options for “Same Window” or “New Window”. New window is currently the default. Same window would replace the current vault in view with the new vault. This is not the request to view multiple vaults in one window.

This is helpful for two reasons:

  1. More quickly and easily navigate OS windows without multiple Obsidian instances
  2. More obvious which vault is going to open when you close Obsidian
25 Likes
2

Love this! It can get a little cluttered when switching between multiple files.

1 Like
3

I would love this

1 Like
4

This would be a great easy workaround for the lack of tab support too. Not as good as tabs, but probably good enough.

5

I’m also on board with this idea. I’d really like the simple feature of being able to open multiple instances of an Obsidian within the same vault.

1 Like
6

Is any luck with this? What the approximate date of release?

8

I also would love this to be an option. I though about it the moment I switched vaults, and I can see I’m not the only one. I feel like I naturally prefer that kind of workflow.

9

I would also to open multiple Obsidian windows.

For more context: I’m considering switching to Obsidian for my usual note taking workflow. For years I have happily used Sublime Text to edit plain text files in a single ~/Notes directory (and for some years now, my friends have recommended I check out Obsidian :slight_smile:).

But my usual workflow depends on multiple windows on different macOS desktops. This is my workflow:

  1. Some new thread of work happens; for example, I go to a coffee shop to kick the tires on a new piece of technology (for example, Obsidian note taking tool).
  2. On macOS, I create and navigate to a new desktop.
  3. I launch a terminal, then launch Sublime Text with the subl --new-window ~/Notes command. Observation: Notice that --new-window option, that option launches a new Sublime Text window on that new macOS desktop, other Sublime Text windows stay in other desktops.
  4. I happily create and edit a new text file named like 2023-06-01 Kick the tires on Obsidian.txt.
  5. When I’m done I can close all the windows on that desktop. Alternatively, I do my usual thing: forget about my window on that desktop, then come back to after a couple months and pick up where I left off—excellent!

The thing I like about my workflow—where I freely launch new windows—is how accommodating it is for my totally haphazard approach—I can quickly launch new windows without needing to close or organize whatever other threads of work I did earlier. Then things can be maximally messy (and creative)!

1 Like
10

So sad this feature hasn’t become a reality. I’m investigating Obsidian and seeing if it can meet my needs but this is a big deterrent

11

It’s very frustrating still not to have this. I gather from other discussions on the topic that this isn’t very useful for a lot of Obsidian users who mainly use the software for personal notes in maybe a maximum of two vaults, which may eventually prove to be mergeable due to conceptual bleed, but I use obsidian primarily for tabletop rpg campaign and system planning, and as such I have sixteen vaults currently and may have more in the future.

Each and every one of those vaults is about a topic that will never have any conceptual crosstalk with any of the others; so the desktop application opening every vault in a new window and forcing me to close the old one myself is useless to me and a source of constant irritation. I really wish there were a way to make it work the way it does on the mobile app, with only one vault open at any one time for a neat and tidy desktop.