Obsidian Sync is a [[Core plugins|core plugin]] and a paid Obsidian service. Obsidian itself is free and you can use that without paying anything ever. However, if you do want to more easily sync between devices, you can pay for Obsidian Sync. This plugin is disabled by default. Without Sync, your notes are stored locally. With Sync, your notes are *still* stored locally, but are also copied over to Obsidian servers and then to other devices you connect. There's also an option to encrypt your data, which I suggest you take advantage of. ## Setting up Obsidian sync ### Pay for Obsidian Sync Go to [the Obsidian website](https://obsidian.md/sync) and click *Buy now*. Sync currently costs $10 a month or $96 per year. Sign into your Obsidian account (or sign up for one). Go through the prompts to enter your payment method. ### Connect your device to your account In Obsidian, go to Settings > About and click *Log in* under *Your Account*. Enter your credentials again when prompted. After you log in, your account details are shown under *Your Account.* ### Enabling Obsidian Sync Go to Settings > Core Plugins and enable Obsidian Sync. Click on the options (cog wheel) icon next to Obsidian Sync. It says you're currently not connected to any remote vault. Click on *Choose* and then *Create new vault*. ![[obsidian-sync-setup.png]] Enter a vault name. I recommend you leave *Customize end-to-end encryption password* enabled. Enter a strong password in *Encryption password*. Click *Create*. When your new vault is displayed, click *Connect*. There is a message that pops up, stating that your local vault already contains some notes, but if you're creating a new vault, there's nothing to overwrite, so click *Merge*. Click *Unlock vault.* Now your local vault is syncing to your remote vault! ## Syncing to another device Once Sync is set up on your main device, you can [[Obsidian Sync#Connect your device to your account|connect your device]] and [[Obsidian Sync#Enabling Obsidian Sync|enable Sync]] again on that new device. It may take a few minutes to copy over everything from the first device to the Obsidian servers and then to the second device, but from now on, Sync runs in the background all the time. ## 40% off for education and non-profit For students and non-profit companies, you can apply to get a 40% off your Sync and Publish subscriptions. To apply, go to [your Obsidian account page](https://obsidian.md/account), scroll down to the *Discount* section, click *Apply*, and go through the prompts. ## Related - [[Other syncing options]]