How to Install and Optimize Obsidian on Linux

Looking for a feature-packed and a clean note-taking app on Linux? Obsidian is a great app to try out, but proper setup is key. Let’s go through the installation process and key optimizations to ensure Obsidian runs smoothly on your Linux system.

Why Use Obsidian?

When it comes to note-taking apps, there are several options to choose from, such as Notion, Evernote, and OneNote. While I’ve found each of these apps has its strengths, I eventually settled on Obsidian for myself, and I’ve been using for over a year now to store all my writing and journals. There are clear reasons for this.

Whether you’re a student, a researcher, or a writer, Obsidian can help with organizing information, capturing insights, and coming up with new ideas. The best feature for me is the ability to interconnect notes so that any note taken in the past can be reused and linked with newer topics, helping with remembering and retaining information. For example, if you were taking notes on Machine Learning, you could link previously learned math topics to maybe numerical computing or linear algebra.

I absolutely love Obsidian for both its functionality and visual interface. The app is built around the idea that notes should evolve over time—you start by jotting down thoughts, then gradually expand and refine them. This is made possible by a powerful set of features, such as bidirectional note linking, graph view, tagging, and note search.

These features are all designed with one primary goal: to help you take notes and easily expand upon them. For instance, with bidirectional linking, I can connect new notes to previously created ones, and then visualize these connections in the graph view. Tagging allows me to categorize my notes flexibly, without needing to organize them into specific folders. Finally, whenever I need to find notes on a particular topic, Obsidian’s search quickly locates them.

Furthermore, the app has a clean, distraction-free interface, making sure there is a simple onboarding experience for newcomers. Once you are accustomed to the app, you can explore a vast library of themes and plugins that further supercharge Obsidian.

Installing Obsidian

The three most popular ways to run Linux apps are Flatpak, Snap, and AppImage. While all three packaging formats achieve the same goal—making an app available to use—they differ in how the app runs at the OS level.

AppImage From Obsidian’s Official Website

AppImage is a portable packaging format that lets users run applications without installing them on the system. It bundles all required dependencies, making it a self-contained and hassle-free way to run apps. It is quite simple to use AppImage, just download the file, run it, and delete it when no longer needed—much like Windows executables. Since AppImage doesn’t sandbox the app by default, it’s very important to download files from trusted sources.

To run Obsidian as an AppImage file, first go to obsidian.md, which is the official website for Obsidian. Download the AppImage file. Then right-click on the downloaded file and select Properties > Run as executable. Open the AppImage file and Obsidian will get loaded.

Using Snap Package Manager

Another way to install apps on Linux is with Snap, a packaging format developed by Canonical, the company that maintains Ubuntu. Unlike AppImage, Snap installs apps on the system, so you also get seamless updates. Additionally, Snap apps run in a sandbox using AppArmor, restricting unauthorized access and offering better security.

To install Obsidian as a Snap, make sure you have Snap package manager installed. Then, type.

sudo snap install obsidian

Note that Snap might give you a warning about the obsidian package using “classic confinement.” In that case, you’ll need to add a –classic flag to the end of your command.

Then, the installation will start. Once completed, you will find Obsidian alongside other apps installed on your system.

Using Flatpak

To install Obsidian using Flatpak, first make sure you have Flatpak package manager installed. Type the following command to check. If Flatpak is already installed, you will see a version number displayed.

flatpak --version

Next, make sure you have added Flathub repository, which is the official app store for Flatpak.

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Then search for Obsidian and install it using its Application ID.

flatpak install md.obsidian.Obsidian 

Optimizing Obsidian

My experience with Obsidian has been positive so far. I have tested the app extensively on multiple devices and operating systems, including Ubuntu, Windows 11, macOS, and Android. Overall, it has been reliable and fast. But that doesn’t mean the Obsidian app doesn’t have any issues. I have read a few users complaining about the Obsidian app being sluggish on Linux.

The Issue With Electron Apps

Obsidian runs on Electron, a framework that lets developers create apps for multiple operating systems using web technologies, making developing apps easier. However, if you have several Electron-based apps (like Obsidian, Discord, VS Code) running at the same time, then each app will run its own instance of Chromium, which leads to higher memory and CPU usage compared to native apps. So, you might see Obsidian slowing down under heavy use or even when used normally, depending on your PC’s resources.

Common Issues With Obsidian and Possible Fixes

Performance issues in Obsidian can arise for various reasons, such as conflicts with community plugins or the installation of certain themes. While this isn’t very common, it is still possible. I have personally encountered instances where a theme made the app feel sluggish.

If you’re experiencing slowdowns in Obsidian, the first step is to disable community plugins, especially if you have live plugins installed (e.g., Dataview, Calendar, Canvas) that consume more resources than others.

To disable them, go to Settings > Community Plugins > toggle Restricted Mode.

Themes or CSS customizations introduce animations, and some of these can also slow down the app. To get the best performance, I suggest using a lightweight theme or switching to the default theme.

You can do this by navigating to Settings > Appearance > Themes.

In some cases, GPU-related issues can affect performance. Try disabling hardware acceleration by going to Settings > Appearance > toggle Hardware Acceleration.

Finally, make sure there are no large files stored in your vault. If you do have large videos or even PDFs, that can slow down indexing and make the app sluggish. To prevent this, make sure to store large files outside the Obsidian vault.

Whether you choose Snap, Flatpak, or AppImage packaging to run Obsidian, it’s important to note that performance can degrade under heavy use. However, by applying these tweaks, you can keep Obsidian running efficiently on Linux, regardless of the installation method.