## Download the Obsidian installer
Click on the "Get Obsidian for X" link at [Obsidian.md](https://obsidian.md), where X is your operating system. Save the file. This is the Obsidian installer.
> [!warning] Obsidian installer vs. Obsidian app
> One thing to keep in mind is that Obsidian versions are a little bit tricky.
>
> There's the Obsidian installer which is what we've just downloaded. And then there's Obsidian, the app. Now these two are versions separately.
>
> The Obsidian version, once you've got Obsidian installed, is going to be automatically updated but the Obsidian installer is not. I didn't know this until a few months into using Obsidian. It's not super obvious.
>
> Every few months, it's a good practice to get into to go to Obsidian.md and also download the latest installer version because there's some big features that aren't going to work if you don't do so.
Run the installer, and it begins installing the Obsidian app.
On Mac, move the application your Applications Folder.
Run the Obsidian app and if you see an dialog box asking you whether you trust the source, click yes.
### Create a new vault
From the Obsidian dialog box, click Create. Type the name of your vault and click *Browse* to select where you want to save it.
Create or select an empty folder, and then hit *Open*.
Click *Create*.
#### Wait, what's a vault?
A vault in Obsidian is just a fancy term for a bunch of folders where all of your Obsidian notes are. It's kind of like a self-contained group of notes and you can create multiple vaults.
### Where does the Obsidian vault get saved?
Obsidian saves notes on your local machine. A vault in Obsidian is a folder. Folders in Obsidian correspond to folders in your file system, and notes in Obsidian are saved as Markdown (`.md`) files.
You can open notes in any text editor (Notepad++, Atom, Sublime Text) just like you can in Obsidian.
Obsidian saves settings (for your plugins, themes, workspaces, and other options you've selected) in a `.obsidian` folder within your vault.
## Creating your first note in Obsidian
To create a note, you can:
- Click on the *Create new file* link from the *No file is open* window on the Editor.
- Use a keyboard shortcut (`CMD/CTRL+N`).
- Right click on a folder in the [[Files]] pane and click *New note*.
- Click on the New Note icon in the left sidebar.
In Obsidian, you don't need to save your note. It is automatically saved for you.
## Related
- [[Syncing in Obsidian]]
- The [Obsidian site](https://obsidian.md/)
- [More instructions](https://help.obsidian.md/Getting+started/Download+and+install+Obsidian) on how to download and install Obsidian in different operating systems