# Symlinked Custom Dictionary.txt file is overwritten when adding new words

**URL:** <https://forum.obsidian.md/t/symlinked-custom-dictionary-txt-file-is-overwritten-when-adding-new-words/121578>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [November 3, 2026, 8:39pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/symlinked-custom-dictionary-txt-file-is-overwritten-when-adding-new-words/121578 "2026-11-03T20:39:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![drewlwhitney](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/ecd19e/32.png) [@drewlwhitney](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/drewlwhitney)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 8:39pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/symlinked-custom-dictionary-txt-file-is-overwritten-when-adding-new-words/121578/1 "2026-11-03T20:39:19Z")

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### Steps to reproduce

1. Install Obsidian on Linux
2. Navigate to `~/.config/obsidian`
3. Rename the `Custom Dictionary.txt` file
4. Create a symlink to the renamed file, called `Custom Dictionary.txt`
5. In Obsidian, add a new word to the dictionary using the right click context menu

### Expected result

The new word would be added to the renamed `Custom Dictionary.txt` _through_ the symlink named `Custom Dictionary.txt`

### Actual result

The symlink named `Custom Dictionary.txt` is deleted, and a new `Custom Dictionary.txt` is created

### Environment

SYSTEM INFO:  
Obsidian version: 1.15.0  
Installer version: 1.15.0  
Operating system: #1 SMP PREEMPT\_DYNAMIC Fri, 30 Oct 2026 14:32:40 +0000 7.2.14-arch1-1  
Login status: not logged in  
Language: en  
Insider build toggle: off  
Live preview: on  
Base theme: dark  
Community theme: Atom 0.0.0  
Snippets enabled: 3  
Restricted mode: off  
Plugins installed: 7  
Plugins enabled: 7  
1: Latex Suite v1.13.4  
2: Multi-Column Markdown v0.9.1  
3: Quick Explorer v0.2.21  
4: Git v2.41.1  
5: Excalidraw v2.28.1  
6: Linter v1.33.0  
7: Filename Heading Sync v1.11.1  
RECOMMENDATIONS:  
Custom theme and snippets: for cosmetic issues, please first try updating your theme and disabling your snippets. If still not fixed, please try to make the issue happen in the Sandbox Vault or disable community theme and snippets.  
Community plugins: for bugs, please first try updating all your plugins to latest. If still not fixed, please try to make the issue happen in the Sandbox Vault or disable community plugins.

Distro Name: Endeavor OS  
Distro Version: VERSION=2025.03.19  
Desktop Environment: Niri + Dux Shell  
Installation method used: Tested with Appimage

* * *

### Additional information

If this is intentional behavior, it would be nice if it were changed. Linux users like to back up configuration in “dotfile” directories, so being able to store `Custom Dictionary.txt` in a different location and symlink to it would allow this.  
Cheers!

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**Author:** ![WhiteNoise](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/whitenoise/32/11_2.png) [@WhiteNoise](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/WhiteNoise)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 8:53pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/symlinked-custom-dictionary-txt-file-is-overwritten-when-adding-new-words/121578/2 "2026-11-03T20:53:34Z")

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I don’t consider this a bug because we never claimed to support what you are doing.

That aside, this process is likely something managed by chromium/electron and we haven’t touched it.

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**Author:** ![Sunnaq445](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Sunnaq445](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Sunnaq445)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2026, 7:20am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/symlinked-custom-dictionary-txt-file-is-overwritten-when-adding-new-words/121578/3 "2026-11-04T07:20:10Z")

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That’s not how you should do it. A hash line is to be added to the end of the file.  
Check how others did it:

> [@\`Custom Dictionary.txt\` sync tool](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-dictionary-txt-sync-tool/51905):
>
> Long ago, Obsidian used to keep the custom dictionary in the .obsidian folder where it was easy to keep in sync across multiple devices. [This is no longer the case](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/where-is-the-user-spell-check-dictionary-file-located/35714/2); you now have a unique Custom Dictionary.txt file per host that you use Obsidian on. I use obsidian heavily on a few computers but access one vault or another from time to time across many computers and I got tired of having to keep adding various project names and custom words to the dictionaries on each computer… so I took a few p…