Excalidraw
A full-featured drawing and diagramming tool embedded directly in Obsidian for mind maps, sketches, and visual notes.
Zsolt Viczián is credited as the original plugin creator. Setup notes, fit assessments, and cautions below are Obsidian Mate editorial guidance. How we review resources
Overview
Excalidraw for Obsidian brings infinite-canvas drawing and diagramming directly into your vault. Built by Zsolt Viczián on top of the open-source Excalidraw tool, it lets you draw hand-style sketches, wireframes, and mind maps while seamlessly embedding links to your Obsidian notes directly inside drawings.
Key Features
- Infinite canvas with hand-drawn, sketch-like vector aesthetics
- Bi-directional linking between drawing elements and Markdown notes
- Embed images, PDFs, and live Markdown note previews inside drawings
- Full support for pen tablets, stylus, and touch input
- Custom scripts and automation via built-in script library
How to Install Excalidraw
- 1Open Settings, then Community plugins and disable Restricted mode.
- 2Click Browse, search for "Excalidraw", then Install and Enable.
- 3Open the command palette (Ctrl/Cmd + P) and choose "Excalidraw: Create new drawing".
- 4Start sketching or drag and drop Obsidian notes directly onto the canvas.
How to Use Excalidraw
You can create an Excalidraw drawing from the ribbon or command palette. Double-click anywhere on the canvas to type text or press [[ to search and link an existing note.
Drawings are saved as Markdown files with embedded Excalidraw data, ensuring your visual notes stay versionable and safely backed up alongside your vault.
Best Uses for Excalidraw
Excalidraw is a strong fit for spatial work: architecture sketches, concept maps, annotated screenshots, handwritten notes, and diagrams linked to source notes. It is unnecessary for a simple flowchart that Mermaid can express in a few lines, and excessive when the final artifact must remain easy to diff as ordinary Markdown.
A Linked-Sketch Workflow
Create a drawing from the command palette, add a shape for each concept, and place an internal link such as [[Project Brief]] in the shape text. Embed the drawing in a project note and use a sized embed when the full canvas would overwhelm the page. With Obsidian's automatic internal-link updates enabled, drawing links follow file renames.
![[System Map.excalidraw|700]]
[[Project Brief|Open the project brief]]Portability, Publishing, and Script Safety
- Native Excalidraw drawings do not display directly in Obsidian Publish. Configure automatic PNG or SVG export when a drawing must work outside the plugin.
- Large canvases with many images can use substantial memory and cache space. Split unrelated diagrams instead of making one canvas an entire vault map.
- Scripts from the Script Library execute dynamic code. Install only scripts you trust and review the permissions documented by the project.
- Enable synchronized SVG or PNG exports when interchange with other tools matters.
Repository Screenshots & Visual Preview
Rich preview screenshots and visual assets extracted directly from the official GitHub repository for Excalidraw:
Details
- GitHub stars
- 7k+
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I link specific drawing shapes to Obsidian notes?
Yes. Any text or shape in Excalidraw can contain internal links [[Note Title]], allowing you to navigate seamlessly between visual maps and textual notes.
Does Excalidraw work offline?
Yes. Excalidraw runs entirely locally inside Obsidian and does not require an active internet connection.
Sources and Documentation
This guide was checked against the creator's repository and primary documentation.
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