There are three different views in Obsidian, though you'll most often spend your time in one. The difference between each one is whether or not they show you the full [[Formatting text using Markdown|Markdown]] syntax you've used. ## Live Preview Live Preview is the default view in Obsidian, and it shows you a mixture of the other two views (Source mode and Reading view). When you're in this mode, you can edit text but also see it rendered when you move your cursor. Live Preview shows you everything you've typed (including Markdown-specific symbols and syntax) when you're on that line, but when you hit the ENTER key or leave that line by clicking elsewhere, Obsidian *renders* the text the way you've specified. At any point, you can move the cursor back to that line to see the exact text that you typed. Live Preview is disabled when you enable [[Views in Obsidian#Source mode]]. You can also find the command for it in the [[Command palette]]. ## Source mode Source mode always shows you the full Markdown of what you've written and never renders it. When you're in this mode, you can edit text. You can turn Source mode on by right-clicking on a tab and clicking *Source mode*, and you can disable it by selecting it again. You can also find the command for it in the [[Command palette]]. ## Reading view Reading view is the reverse of [[Views in Obsidian#Source mode]] in that it always shows you the *rendered* text. When you're in this mode, you cannot edit text. You can turn Reading view on by right clickign on a tab and clicking *Reading view*, and you can disable it by selecting it again. You can also find the command for it in the [[Command palette]]. If you intend to [[Obsidian Publish|publish]] your notes, the Reading view shows you exactly what readers will see. The Reading view does not show: - [[YAML Frontmatter]] - [[Comments]] ## Related - [Read and edit modes](https://help.obsidian.md/How+to/Read+and+edit+modes)