How to Sync Obsidian with iCloud

Having gotten used to Notes’ silky iCloud sync, the first thing I wondered when moving to Obsidian was: how do I sync across devices? I did a lot of research online. Aside from Obsidian’s official sync, many solutions point to iCloud. At the same time, there are quite a few posts repeatedly warning against using iCloud for syncing, claiming it can lead to data loss. After reading through many of these posts, I realized iCloud can, in fact, be used—there are just a few key points to watch out for. Let’s walk through how to set it up properly!

Preparation

Before we start, there are a few prerequisites:

1. Make sure iCloud Drive is enabled on all devices you want to sync, and that they’re signed in with the same Apple ID.
2. Install the Obsidian app on the devices you’ll be syncing. You can download it from the App Store or the web. In this example, we’ll use an iPhone and a Mac.

Sync Setup

Enable iCloud Sync on iPhone

First, open Obsidian on your iPhone, create a new vault, and enable iCloud sync. Obsidian will then create a folder named “Obsidian” in your iCloud Drive. Note that this folder will be at the root of iCloud Drive and cannot be moved. I tried manually creating a folder with the same name on my Mac, but it wasn’t recognized by the iPhone. So, it’s recommended to create the folder on your iPhone first, then proceed on your Mac.

Next comes a crucial step: set the Obsidian folder to “Keep Downloaded” so that all files are stored locally. This prevents local documents from being offloaded to iCloud, which could make them unavailable offline. Once set, you’ll see the “keep downloaded” indicator on the file names.

Sync the Folder on Mac

On your Mac, locate the same Obsidian folder in iCloud Drive and likewise set it to “Keep Downloaded.” Then open Obsidian, choose “Open another vault,” and select the Obsidian folder in iCloud Drive. This completes the sync setup between your iPhone and Mac.

Sync Existing Notes

If you already have a notes folder on your Mac, simply move it into the Obsidian folder within iCloud Drive. After iCloud finishes syncing, open Obsidian on your iPhone, choose “Open another vault,” select the Obsidian folder in iCloud Drive, and you’ll see your existing notes.

Testing Sync

On your Mac, update a note—for example, add an image to this article—then wait for iCloud to finish syncing. You should see the updated note appear in Obsidian on your iPhone.

Summary

By following the steps above, you can sync your Obsidian notes across Apple devices. You can also add a third-party sync tool on top for an extra layer of safety. If you’re interested, we can cover that in a follow-up article.