Tab Indentation Inconsistent in Normal Text (Both Live Preview & Source Mode)

Bug reports
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1

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Open Obsidian in Restricted Mode (no third-party plugins, no custom CSS, and default theme).
  2. Set tab size to 4 in Settings → Editor.
  3. Create a new note.
  4. Type a normal paragraph (not a list or code block).
  5. Press Tab once:
  • The cursor moves forward by one tab width.
  • However, the text visually indents by two tab widths instead of one.
  1. Start typing after the tab:
  • The text now indents by four spaces (instead of the expected one tab width).
  1. Repeat with tab size 2:
  • The issue still happens, but with a smaller scaling effect (one tab press results in one tab width visually, but expands to two spaces when typing).
  1. Repeat in Source Mode:
  • The same issue occurs in Source Mode, not just Live Preview.

Did you follow the?

:white_check_mark: Yes, the issue was tested in:

  • A sandbox vault (default settings, no plugins, no custom CSS).
  • A fresh vault with no modifications.
  • Both Live Preview & Source Mode.

Expected Result

  • Pressing Tab should move the cursor and indent the text by one tab width as defined in settings.
  • The indentation should remain consistent after typing.

Actual Result

  • Pressing Tab once visually indents by two tab widths.
  • When typing after pressing Tab, the text expands to four spaces instead of one tab width.
  • The issue occurs in both Live Preview and Source Mode.
  • Bullet lists and code blocks do not have this issue—it only affects normal paragraph text.

Environment

Obsidian Version: SYSTEM INFO:
Obsidian version: v1.8.4
Installer version: v1.8.4
Operating system: Darwin Kernel Version 24.3.0: Thu Jan 2 20:24:16 PST 2025; root:xnu-11215.81.4~3/RELEASE_ARM64_T6000 24.3.0
Login status: logged in
Language: en
Catalyst license: none
Insider build toggle: off
Live preview: on
Base theme: adapt to system
Community theme: none
Snippets enabled: 0
Restricted mode: on

RECOMMENDATIONS:
none

Operating System: (macOS / Windows / Linux + version)
Vault: Sandbox vault (default settings, no plugins, no custom CSS)

Additional Information

  • This does not happen in external editors like TextEdit, Notepad, or VS Code, ruling out a system-wide issue.
  • Issue persists even after restarting Obsidian and creating a fresh vault.
  • Issue scales based on tab size:
    • Tab Size 4 → Pressing Tab indents visually by 2 tab widths, expands to 4 when typing.
    • Tab Size 2 → Pressing Tab indents visually by 1 tab width, expands to 2 when typing.
  • Workaround: Using spaces (␣␣␣␣) instead of Tab avoids the problem.
2

Yes, this is part of the broader positioning issues of the cursor on the first char of indented blocks. It’s unlikely that we fix this in the short term.