I've been using Obsidian for three years, across seven different vaults.

That means I've installed plugins because they looked interesting, built workflows around them, abandoned them, migrated vaults, replaced some and eventually kept a much smaller group.

So this isn't a list of every plugin you could install.

It's a list of the best Obsidian plugins I've actually found useful, including the ones that survived multiple vaults.

Quick node

All those plugins are installed only on the main vault. I keep the

And there's one plugin that deserves special attention:

Obsidian Templater.

Quick security note

Obsidian's community ecosystem has grown into a huge collection of extensions, and the official Community directory now makes it possible to browse and filter plugins across many categories. Obsidian itself says community plugins are third-party code, so maintenance and trust matter when deciding what to install. (Obsidian)

Quick Answer: What Are the Best Obsidian Plugins in 2026?

If you don't want to read the entire list, these are the plugins I'd investigate first:

Plugin Best for
Templater Dynamic templates and automation
Dataview Turning notes into databases and dashboards
Tasks Managing tasks across your vault
Omnisearch Powerful vault search
Excalidraw Visual thinking and diagrams
Calendar Navigating daily notes
QuickAdd Fast capture and automation
Periodic Notes Weekly/monthly planning
Tracker Habit and data tracking
Style Settings Customizing Obsidian

These aren't necessarily the right plugins for every Obsidian user. In fact, one of the biggest lessons from using seven vaults is that you shouldn't install a plugin just because someone calls it one of the best Obsidian plugins.

Install it when it solves a problem you actually have, saves time or you get value.

1. Obsidian Templater: The Plugin I Keep Coming Back To

If there is one plugin I would put near the center of an advanced Obsidian setup, it's Templater.

Obsidian Templater

Templater extends Obsidian's built-in template functionality with a much more powerful templating language. It can insert variables, execute functions, prompt for information and run JavaScript or system commands. The official plugin listing currently shows more than 5.5 million downloads, version 2.25.0, and recent maintenance. (Obsidian Community)

That makes Templater very different from simply having a template like:

    # Meeting

    Date:

    Attendees:

    Notes:

    Action items:

A static template gives you the same structure every time.

Templater can generate the structure dynamically.

For example:

    ---
    title: <% tp.file.title %>
    created: <% tp.date.now("YYYY-MM-DD") %>
    type: meeting
    ---

    # <% tp.file.title %>

    ## Attendees

    ## Notes

    ## Tasks

Now the template knows something about the note it's creating.

That's where Templater becomes interesting.

2. What Can You Do With Obsidian Templater?

This is the section I'd deliberately expand because “Obsidian Templater” gives the article a second search topic rather than simply mentioning the plugin once.

1. Automatically insert dates

<% tp.date.now("YYYY-MM-DD") %>

Instead of manually typing the date, Templater generates it.

2. Use the filename inside a note

<% tp.file.title %>

This is useful when creating structured notes.

For example:

# <% tp.file.title %>

If the note is called:

Atomic Habits

the heading becomes:

# Atomic Habits

3. Ask questions when creating a note

You can make Templater ask for information.

That makes note creation interactive.

For example:

Project name?
Client?
Deadline?
Status?

The answers can then be inserted into the note automatically.

4. Create different templates for different note types

This is where a serious Obsidian vault starts becoming interesting.

You might have:

Templates/
├── Daily Note.md
├── Project.md
├── Meeting.md
├── Book.md
├── Person.md
├── Article.md
└── Research.md

Then every note type gets a consistent structure.

After seven vaults, this is one of the biggest advantages I've found with templates:

I don't have to remember how I structure a note. The vault remembers for me.

3. Templater vs Obsidian's Built-in Templates

Obsidian already has a built-in Templates core plugin. The official documentation lists Templates among Obsidian's core plugins. (Obsidian)

So why install Templater?

Built-in Templates

Good for:

  • inserting predefined text
  • simple note structures
  • dates
  • basic templates
  • minimal setups

Templater

Better suited to:

  • dynamic values
  • prompts
  • conditional logic
  • JavaScript
  • automation
  • advanced note creation
  • complex workflows

You don't need Templater simply because you're using Obsidian.

But once your templates start becoming logic rather than text, Templater becomes much more interesting.

And that's exactly why I'd give it prominent placement in this article.

4. My 36 Best Obsidian Plugins After 3 Years

Plugin Best for Why I use it Who should install it?
Templater Automation Dynamic note creation Almost anyone building a structured vault
Dataview Databases Dynamic queries and dashboards Metadata-heavy vaults
Tasks Tasks Query tasks anywhere Project/productivity users
Omnisearch Search Finds information quickly Large vaults
Excalidraw Visual thinking Diagrams and sketches Visual thinkers
Calendar Daily notes Date-based navigation Journal users
Periodic Notes Reviews Weekly/monthly notes Journal/productivity users
Tracker Data Habit/data visualization Quantitative tracking
Style Settings Customization Theme configuration Customization enthusiasts
Banners Design Visual note headers Dashboard users
Charts Visualization Graphs from note data Data-heavy vaults
Chronology History Browse notes chronologically Large/long-lived vaults
Chronos Timeline Timelines Timeline visualization Research/project users
Colored Tags Tags Visual tag hierarchy Tag-heavy vaults
Daily Note Outline Journaling Navigate daily notes Daily-note users
Day and Night Themes Automatic light/dark mode Anyone using scheduled themes
Editing Toolbar Editing Formatting controls Markdown beginners
Editor Width Slider Writing Control text width Long-form writers
Emoji Toolbar Emoji Fast emoji insertion Emoji users
File Explorer Note Count Navigation Folder counts Large vaults
Iconize Navigation File/folder icons Visual organizers
Advanced Slides Presentations Markdown presentations Presentation-heavy users
Marp Slides Presentations Markdown → slides Technical presenters
Mind Map Brainstorming Visual Markdown hierarchy Visual thinkers
Open Link With Browsing Browser selection Multi-browser users
Open with External apps Open files elsewhere Advanced workflows
Recent Files Navigation Recently opened notes Everyone who revisits notes
Recent Notes Navigation Recently edited notes Large active vaults
RSS Dashboard Information RSS inside Obsidian Research/information users
Shrink Pinned Tabs UI More tab space Heavy tab users
Table Generator Tables Faster Markdown tables Table-heavy users
Tagged Documents Viewer Tags Browse tagged notes Tag-heavy vaults
Terminal Development Shell inside Obsidian Developers
Weekly Routine Planner Planning Recurring weekly schedule Routine-focused users

5. My complete list with details

# Plugin What I use it for Why it's in my vault 2026 status
1 Advanced Slides Markdown presentations Useful when notes need to become presentations without leaving Obsidian ⚠️ Specialized / check alternatives
2 Auto Link Title Better web links Automatically turns pasted URLs into titled Markdown links ⚠️ Mature, last major release older
3 Banners Note covers Makes important notes and dashboards visually distinct 🟢 Active
4 Calendar Daily-note navigation The quickest way to navigate a journal by date 🟢 Mature
5 Charts Data visualization Useful when a table isn't enough and I need to see a trend ⚠️ Mature / slow updates
6 Chronology Timeline of notes Lets me explore what I created or changed around a particular time 🟢 Maintained
7 Chronos Timeline Timelines Excellent for projects, historical information and chronological research 🟢 Active
8 Colored Tags Tag styling Makes large tag systems much easier to scan visually 🟢 Active
9 Daily Note Outline Daily-note navigation Lets me search across headings, links, tags and tasks in daily notes 🟢 Maintained
10 Dashboard navigator Vault dashboard/search Gives a dashboard plus powerful file navigation 🔴 Archived in 2026
11 Dataview Querying notes Turns Markdown metadata into tables, lists and dashboards 🟢 Essential
12 Day and Night Automatic themes Switches between light and dark themes on a schedule 🟢 Active
13 Editing Toolbar Formatting Gives Obsidian a more traditional word-processor-style toolbar 🟢 Active
14 Editor Width Slider Writing width Quickly changes how wide the editor is ⚠️ Mature
15 Emoji Toolbar Emoji insertion Much faster than hunting for emojis manually 🟢 Maintained
16 Excalidraw Visual thinking Diagrams, sketches, systems thinking and visual notes 🟢 Very active
17 File Explorer Note Count Folder statistics Shows how many files are inside folders 🟢 Maintained
18 Iconize Icons Adds icons to folders, files and notes 🔴 End of maintenance
19 Marp Slides Presentations Markdown → presentations ⚠️ Mature / consider newer forks
20 Mind Map Mind maps Converts Markdown structure into a visual mind map ⚠️ Mature
21 Omnisearch Search Faster, smarter search across notes and PDFs 🟢 Active
22 Open Link With External browsers Lets me choose which browser opens a link ⚠️ Mature
23 Open with External applications Opens notes/files in other desktop applications ⚠️ Mature
24 Periodic Notes Weekly/monthly notes Extends Daily Notes into a broader time-based system ⚠️ Mature
25 Recent Files Navigation Quickly returns to recently opened notes 🟢 Maintained
26 Recent Notes Recent-note timeline Shows recently edited notes grouped by time 🟢 Active
27 RSS Dashboard RSS/YouTube feeds Keeps information consumption inside the vault 🟢 Active, but specialized
28 Shrink pinned tabs UI Saves horizontal space when many tabs are pinned ⚠️ Mature
29 Style Settings Appearance Lets themes/plugins expose their customization options ⚠️ Mature
30 Table Generator Tables Much faster way to create Markdown tables ⚠️ Mature
31 Tagged Documents Viewer Tag browsing Shows documents matching selected tags together ⚠️ Mature
32 Tasks Task management Turns scattered Markdown checkboxes into a queryable task system 🟢 Essential
33 Templater Automation/templates Dynamic templates and powerful note creation workflows 🟢 Essential
34 Terminal Development Gives me a terminal directly inside Obsidian 🟢 Active
35 Tracker Habit/data tracking Turns note data into calendars, charts and statistics 🟢 Maintained
36 Weekly Routine Planner Weekly planning Visual timetable for recurring weekly routines 🟢 Active

A few of those statuses deserve special attention because 2026 changed the story.

1. Advanced Slides

Advanced Slides — Obsidian Community Plugin

Advanced Slides is for creating presentations from Markdown.

The attraction is obvious: your presentation can live alongside the research and notes that produced it.

I'd keep it if presentations are part of your workflow. I wouldn't install it simply because you're experimenting with Obsidian.

My reason:

Research → notes → presentation without moving everything into PowerPoint.

There are also newer slide options in the community ecosystem, so in a brand-new vault I'd compare them before committing.

Auto Link Title

This is one of those tiny plugins that solves a tiny problem extremely well.

Paste:

https://example.com/article

and get a properly titled Markdown link.

The plugin can also convert existing raw URLs and replace titles of existing Markdown links.

My reason: less ugly URLs and less manual formatting.

The downside in 2026 is that the current release is relatively old, so I'd call this mature rather than actively evolving.

3. Banners

Banners

Banners adds cover images and icons to notes.

It stores banner information in frontmatter, meaning the visual configuration remains part of the Markdown note rather than being some mysterious external database.

My reason: dashboards, home pages, project pages and important reference notes.

It's not an essential knowledge-management plugin.

It's a presentation plugin.

And sometimes presentation matters because you spend thousands of hours looking at the same interface.

4. Calendar

Calendar

Calendar is one of the plugins I would install almost immediately in a journal-heavy vault.

It gives you a calendar for navigating daily notes and can visualize writing activity. It also integrates with weekly-note workflows.

My reason: I don't want to remember the filename of a note from March 17.

I want to click March 17.

Simple.

5. Charts

Charts

Charts turns Markdown tables or CSV data into interactive charts.

This is useful when your vault contains actual quantitative information.

For example:

Month | Articles
Jan   | 12
Feb   | 18
Mar   | 23
Apr   | 16

A table stores the data.

A chart helps you see the pattern.

My reason: data visualization without leaving the vault.

6. Chronology

Chronology

Chronology is different from Calendar.

Calendar asks:

"What did I write on this date?"

Chronology is more like:

"Show me what happened across my notes during this period."

It provides calendar navigation and timeline/list views based on note creation or modification dates.

My reason: rediscovering old work.

This becomes surprisingly useful once a vault gets large.

7. Chronos Timeline

Chronos Timeline

Chronos is for actually building timelines.

You can define events and date ranges in Markdown and render interactive timelines. It also supports grouping, colors and links to notes.

My reason: research and projects.

If you're writing about:

  • history
  • product development
  • biographies
  • project milestones
  • company timelines

this is considerably more useful than a simple list of dates.

8. Colored Tags

Colored Tags

Colored Tags automatically gives tags different colors and handles nested tags intelligently. It also adjusts contrast for readability.

My reason: visual scanning.

If you have:

#project
#project/client-a
#project/client-b
#research
#research/book
#research/article

plain monochrome tags eventually become a wall of similar-looking text.

Colored Tags gives your tag hierarchy visual distinction.

9. Daily Note Outline

Daily Note Outline

This is much more useful than its name suggests.

It can show headings, links, tags, list items and tasks across multiple daily notes.

My reason: daily notes become an archive rather than a graveyard.

Instead of opening:

2026-01-01
2026-01-02
2026-01-03
...

you can inspect their structure collectively.

10. Dashboard Navigator — The Important 2026 Caveat

This is one I would not blindly recommend anymore.

Dashboard Navigator — GitHub repository

Dashboard Navigator provided vault statistics, recent files, file-type navigation, filtering and search.

But there's an important update:

The repository was archived on March 3, 2026, and the plugin was removed from the Community Plugins directory because the repository was archived.

My reason for keeping it historically: dashboard + navigator.

My 2026 recommendation: don't build a new workflow around it.

11. Dataview

Dataview

This remains one of the foundational plugins.

Dataview lets you query Markdown metadata and turn your vault into something resembling a database.

For me:

Markdown = storage
Dataview = views

That's the important distinction.

You don't have to physically reorganize your files every time you want another view of your information.

My reason: this is one of the plugins that fundamentally changes what an Obsidian vault can be.

12. Day and Night

Day and Night

Automatically switches your Obsidian theme according to a schedule.

My reason: I don't want to manually change themes.

This is a classic example of a plugin doing one small thing and doing it well.

13. Editing Toolbar

Editing Toolbar

Editing Toolbar gives Obsidian a more traditional formatting toolbar, with commands for formatting, lists, colors, alignment and other editing operations.

My reason: sometimes I want Obsidian to behave more like a conventional writing application.

Especially useful if you're introducing someone to Obsidian who isn't comfortable with Markdown syntax.

14. Editor Width Slider

Editor Width Slider

This one is pure ergonomics.

It adds a slider for editor width and can even define width per file through YAML frontmatter.

My reason: different notes need different layouts.

Long-form writing benefits from a narrow reading width.

Tables and code can benefit from more horizontal space.

15. Emoji Toolbar

Emoji Toolbar

Searchable emoji insertion.

That's basically it.

And sometimes that's enough.

It supports fuzzy/semantic searching, recently used emoji and skin tones.

My reason: fast visual markers in notes and tasks.

16. Excalidraw

Excalidraw

This is one of the biggest plugins in the entire Obsidian ecosystem, with millions of downloads and active development.

It turns Obsidian into a visual thinking environment:

  • diagrams
  • architecture
  • brainstorming
  • systems
  • sketches
  • visual explanations
  • linked drawings

And the drawings remain part of your vault.

My reason: some thoughts are easier to draw than to write.

17. File Explorer Note Count

File Explorer Note Count

Adds counts next to folders in the File Explorer, including items in subfolders.

My reason: situational awareness.

It's not transformative.

It's just one of those tiny details that makes a large vault easier to understand.

18. Iconize — Another 2026 Warning

Iconize

Iconize lets you add icons to files, folders, tabs and notes.

It has been enormously popular.

But the current community page explicitly states:

Project Deprecation and End of Maintenance

So this is another plugin where my historical use doesn't equal my 2026 recommendation.

My reason for using it: navigation and visual hierarchy.

My 2026 view: if starting a new vault, look at actively maintained icon alternatives first.

19. Marp Slides

Marp

Marp lets you create slide decks from Markdown and export them to PDF, PPTX and HTML.

There are also newer Marp-based projects/forks in the ecosystem, including Marp Extended and Marp Slides Presenter.

My reason: presentations stay close to the source material.

But this is another plugin where I'd evaluate the current alternatives before starting a new workflow in 2026.

20. Mind Map

Mind Map

Mind Map renders Markdown notes as Markmap mind maps.

My reason: seeing the hierarchy of an idea.

It's particularly useful for:

  • article outlines
  • course notes
  • book structures
  • project structures
  • brainstorming

If you already use Canvas or Excalidraw extensively, you may not need it.

21. Omnisearch

Omnisearch

One of the plugins I would install in a large vault.

Omnisearch uses relevance ranking and can index notes, PDFs, Office documents and images when paired with text extraction.

My reason:

I don't want to remember where I put something.

I want to search for it.

As your vault grows, search becomes more important than folder organization.

Open Link With

Lets you choose which browser opens an external link, including custom browser profiles and modifier-key combinations.

My reason: different browsers for different contexts.

For example:

  • normal browsing
  • work browser
  • private browser
  • research browser

Very niche, but excellent if you need it.

23. Open with

Open with — Obsidian plugin reference

This is different from Open Link With.

Open with lets you open notes in external applications.

That makes Obsidian a little less isolated.

For example:

Obsidian note
     ↓
External application

My reason: not every file should be edited in Obsidian.

24. Periodic Notes

Periodic Notes

Extends the Daily Notes concept into weekly and monthly notes.

I like the underlying philosophy:

Daily
 ↓
Weekly
 ↓
Monthly

You can use each level for a different type of reflection.

My reason: turning individual journal entries into a rhythm of review.

25. Recent Files

Recent Files

A sidebar containing recently opened files.

It supports exclusions, previews, drag-and-drop and other basic navigation features.

My reason: most of the time I'm working on the same 5–20 notes.

I don't need to search for those notes every time.

26. Recent Notes

Recent Notes — Obsidian Community Plugin

Recent Notes is different from Recent Files.

It focuses on recently edited notes and organizes them into time periods such as Today, Yesterday and This Week.

My reason: rediscovering what I was actually working on.

That's subtly different from asking what I opened.

27. RSS Dashboard

RSS Dashboard — GitHub repository

This is for people who want their information feeds closer to their knowledge base.

The project supports RSS feeds and media consumption and can save items as Markdown. Its 2026 development has also included work on the Community Plugin Audit and security-related changes.

My reason: turning consumption into something I can actually archive and reference.

This is one I would call workflow-specific, not universally useful.

28. Shrink Pinned Tabs

Shrink pinned tabs

Tiny plugin.

Tiny problem.

Very nice solution.

It reduces the size of pinned tabs to save screen space and can hide their titles.

My reason: I keep too many tabs open.

If you don't, you probably don't need this.

29. Style Settings

Style Settings

Style Settings exposes CSS customization options from themes, snippets and plugins in one settings interface.

My reason: customization without manually editing CSS.

One warning:

Don't spend three days customizing Obsidian instead of actually using Obsidian.

I've learned that one the hard way.

30. Table Generator

Table Generator

Makes Markdown tables much easier to create and edit.

My reason: Markdown tables are annoying to type manually.

That's enough.

Not every plugin needs to change your life.

Sometimes it just needs to save you 30 seconds every day.

31. Tagged Documents Viewer

Tagged Documents Viewer

Shows documents containing selected tags together in a scrollable view.

My reason: tag-based browsing without constructing a Dataview query.

It's especially useful when you think:

"Show me everything I've written about this."

rather than:

"Give me a database report."

32. Tasks

Tasks

This is one of my core plugins.

Tasks lets you query tasks across the entire vault, filter them, handle due dates and recurring tasks, and mark them complete from query results.

The important idea is:

Task lives where the context lives.

A project task can remain in the project note.

A meeting task can remain in the meeting note.

Tasks then gives you the global view.

That's much better for me than forcing every task into one giant "Tasks" page.

33. Templater

Templater

Another core plugin.

Templater creates dynamic templates using variables, functions and JavaScript.

This lets you build things like:

New project
     ↓
Template
     ↓
Ask project name
     ↓
Create metadata
     ↓
Create links
     ↓
Create folder structure

My reason: consistency and automation.

One important warning: Templater can execute arbitrary JavaScript and system commands, so scripts should only come from sources you trust.

34. Terminal

Terminal

Terminal integrates shells and consoles into Obsidian, supports multiple profiles, terminal history, keyboard shortcuts and integrated terminals.

My reason: if Obsidian is my workspace, why constantly leave it to run commands?

This is particularly useful if your vault overlaps with:

  • programming
  • Git
  • scripts
  • automation
  • local AI tools
  • publishing

35. Tracker

Tracker

Tracker turns information in your notes into visual data.

You can track numbers, occurrences and other fields and visualize them with calendars, charts and tables.

For example:

---
sleep: 7.5
exercise: true
mood: 8
---

Over time, that becomes data you can analyze.

My reason: finding patterns instead of relying entirely on memory.

36. Weekly Routine Planner

Weekly Routine Planner

This is one of the newer plugins in your list.

It provides a timetable-style editor for recurring weekly routines and stores the routine as Markdown inside a weekly-routine block.

My reason: planning recurring structure rather than individual appointments.

It's particularly interesting if you think in terms of:

Monday
08:00 — Exercise
09:00 — Deep work
12:00 — Lunch
13:00 — Meetings
...

rather than a conventional calendar.

6. So What Would I Actually Install in a New Vault in 2026?

This is where the list gets more interesting.

My 36 plugins are not the same thing as my 36-plugin recommendation.

After three years and seven vaults, I'd divide them into four groups.

The core

These are the ones I'd seriously consider building a vault around:

Plugin Why
Dataview Query your knowledge
Templater Automate note creation
Tasks Manage tasks inside context
Omnisearch Find things
Excalidraw Think visually
Calendar Navigate time-based notes
Periodic Notes Weekly/monthly reflection

The "I use this all the time" group

Plugin Why
QuickAdd Workflow automation
Style Settings Interface customization
Recent Files Navigation
Banners Important notes/dashboards
Editing Toolbar Faster formatting
Auto Link Title Cleaner links
File Explorer Note Count Vault orientation

Workflow-specific

Plugin Useful when...
Tracker You track quantitative data
Charts You work with datasets
Chronos Timeline You work with timelines
Mind Map You think in hierarchies
Marp Slides You create presentations
RSS Dashboard Obsidian is your information hub
Terminal You code/automate
Weekly Routine Planner You plan recurring routines

Plugins I would reconsider in a fresh 2026 vault

Plugin Why
Dashboard Navigator Repository archived in March 2026
Iconize End of maintenance
Advanced Slides Mature/specialized; newer options exist
Marp Slides Mature; newer Marp projects exist
Editor Width Slider Useful, but mostly UX polish
Shrink pinned tabs Useful only if you need it
Table Generator Nice convenience, not essential
Open Link With Very workflow-specific

6. Frequently Asked Questions - Obsidian plugins and Templater

What are the best Obsidian plugins in 2026?

For a general-purpose vault, plugins worth investigating include Templater, Dataview, Tasks, Omnisearch, Excalidraw, Calendar and Periodic Notes. The right combination depends on what you use Obsidian for.

Is Obsidian Templater worth using?

Templater is particularly useful when Obsidian's built-in Templates plugin isn't enough. It adds dynamic variables, functions, prompts, JavaScript and system-command capabilities. (Obsidian Community)

What is the difference between Obsidian Templates and Templater?

Obsidian Templates is a built-in core plugin for inserting predefined templates. Templater is a community plugin that adds substantially more dynamic behavior and automation. (Obsidian)

Is Templater difficult to learn?

The basic features are relatively approachable, but Templater becomes considerably more advanced once you start using JavaScript. You don't need to learn JavaScript to use simple Templater templates.

What is the best Obsidian plugin for automation?

Templater is one of the main choices for dynamic note creation and automation, while QuickAdd is particularly useful for capture workflows and chaining actions. Recent 2026 plugin roundups commonly place both in the automation/templating category. (Sébastien Dubois)

What is the best Obsidian plugin for databases?

Dataview is one of the most established choices for querying metadata and generating dynamic lists, tables and dashboards.

What is the best Obsidian plugin for tasks?

Tasks is designed specifically for querying and managing Markdown tasks across an Obsidian vault.

How many Obsidian plugins should I install?

There isn't a useful magic number. Start with the smallest set that solves your actual problems. Community plugins execute third-party code, so every additional plugin also adds something you need to maintain and trust. (Obsidian)