Installing Obsidian

Obsidian is a note-taking app that stores your notes as plain text files on your computer. We will use it to organise research notes and readings throughout the workshop.

Estimated time: 5 minutes

Mac

Step 1: Download Obsidian

1. Go to obsidian.md/download
2. Click Download for macOS
3. The .dmg file will appear in your Downloads folder when it’s finished

Step 2: Install Obsidian

1. Open your Downloads folder and double-click the .dmg file
2. A window will open — drag the Obsidian icon into the Applications folder
3. Once copied, close the window

Step 3: Open Obsidian

1. Open Finder, click Applications, and double-click Obsidian
2. If macOS shows a security warning preventing Obsidian from opening:
   1. Click OK or Done to dismiss it
   2. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security
   3. Scroll down and click Open Anyway next to the Obsidian message
   4. Enter your Mac password if prompted

Windows

Step 1: Download Obsidian

1. Go to obsidian.md/download
2. Click Download for Windows
3. The .exe file will appear in your Downloads folder when it’s finished

Step 2: Run the installer

1. Open your Downloads folder and double-click the .exe file
2. Wait for the installation to complete and open Obsidian