Obsidian 1.14 features five upgrades: opening Markdown files outside your vault, Mac Quick Look previews, iPhone Quick Capture, Kanban boards in Bases, and six highlight colors. The outside-file option needs a fresh installer, so updating in-app alone can leave it hidden.
What the Obsidian 1.14 update includes
The Obsidian 1.14 features list covers five changes: opening Markdown files from outside the vault, Quick Look previews on macOS, Quick Capture on iPhone, a Kanban view in Bases, and six highlight colors. Obsidian, made by Dynalist Inc., is a free note-taking app that stores your notes as plain text files on your own device.
The video from October 2026 presents these as live in version 1.14. The five changes are summarized below.
| Upgrade | Platform | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Outside-vault files | Desktop | Open any Markdown file on your computer in a current window |
| Quick Look | macOS | Preview notes with the spacebar while Obsidian is closed |
| Quick Capture | iPhone | Create notes from lock screen, Control Center, widgets, or Shortcuts |
| Kanban in Bases | All | Drag note cards between columns and update the notes underneath |
| Highlight colors | All | Six colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple |
One setup note applies before you hunt for any of these: the outside-file capability requires the newest installer, not an in-app update.
How do you open Markdown files outside your vault?
A new command called open file from outside the vault lets you pick any Markdown file on your computer and open it in the current window. Until this version, a Markdown file sitting elsewhere on your machine had no clean path into Obsidian; you copied it in or used another app.
The change goes further than the command. Obsidian now appears in your operating system's open-with menu, so you can right-click a file and send it straight to the app. You can also set Obsidian as the default application for Markdown files.
An outside file behaves like a normal note once open. Links and images inside it still resolve to their folders, the outline pane jumps between headings, and outgoing links show what the file connects to.
To get this working, download the current installer from the Obsidian download page and reinstall. Updating inside the app is not enough; the feature will not appear otherwise.
Can you preview Obsidian notes without opening the app on Mac?
On macOS, Obsidian notes now support Quick Look previews, and it works while Obsidian is completely closed. Quick Look is Apple's file preview feature: select a file in Finder, tap the spacebar, and a preview opens instantly.
This removes a small but repeated cost. Checking one reminder, link, or saved line no longer means launching the app, waiting for the vault to load, and finding the note. One keypress shows the file.
The same release added proper document icons for Markdown, base, and canvas files on Mac and Windows. Notes in your folders now display as Obsidian files instead of generic blank documents, which makes folders easier to scan.
What does Quick Capture do on iPhone?
Quick Capture creates a note instantly from your lock screen, Control Center, a home screen widget, or Shortcuts, and it skips the vault-loading wait entirely. In this release it is available on iPhone on the newest iOS.
You choose where each capture lands. Destinations include a brand new note, today's daily note, a bookmarked note, or any specific note you pick. Templates can attach automatically, so each quick thought arrives preformatted.
Setup takes a few steps:
- Update Obsidian on your iPhone to version 1.14 or later on the newest iOS.
- Add the capture control to your lock screen or Control Center, or place the widget on your home screen.
- Pick a default destination, such as today's daily note.
- Attach a template if you want captures formatted the same way every time.
For ideas that arrive while you are away from your desk, this is the upgrade with the widest daily use. The thought goes down in seconds instead of after an unlock-open-wait-find sequence.
How does the Kanban view work in Bases?
Bases, Obsidian's database view that turns notes into a sortable, filterable table of properties, now includes a Kanban view. Kanban is the column-and-card layout familiar from tools like Trello: to do, doing, done.
Your notes are the cards. Drag a card from one column to the next and the note updates underneath, so the project board and the notes behind it stay the same object rather than two copies.
The release also added a group menu across Bases. You pick a property to group notes by, then reorder, hide, or add groups. A content tracker could group ideas by status or by topic and rearrange them on the fly. Groups are collapsible in the table, card, and list layouts, so you can fold away what you are not working on.
If you manage projects inside Obsidian, this moves Bases from a static table toward a working board.
How do the six highlight colors work?
Highlights were previously one plain yellow; version 1.14 adds red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. There are three ways to set a color.
- Colored dot emoji. Put a colored dot emoji at the start of a highlight and the highlight takes that color. Red dot produces red, blue dot produces blue.
- Autocomplete while typing. When you type the highlight marker, two equal signs, Obsidian suggests the available colors so you can pick as you type.
- Live preview swatch. In live preview mode, placing your Cursor on an existing highlight shows a small color swatch. Click it to switch the color on the spot.
The practical value is scanning speed. A simple system, such as one color for key points and another for open questions, lets your eyes jump to the right category inside a long note.
Which upgrade should you set up first?
Install the fresh installer first, then enable Quick Capture, then pick a two-color highlight system. That order, suggested in the October 2026 video walkthrough, front-loads the changes with the largest daily effect.
- Download and reinstall Obsidian from the website so the outside-file feature unlocks.
- Turn on Quick Capture on your iPhone, since it catches ideas you would otherwise lose.
- Apply highlight colors to your next few notes with a simple scheme, such as one color for key points and one for questions.
- Add the Bases Kanban view and outside-vault file tools when you are ready to organize at a larger scale.
All five changes point in the same direction: notes that are faster to reach, easier to sort, and quicker to read.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Obsidian 1.14 free? The video describes Obsidian as a free note-taking app, and the core app has historically been free for personal use. Check the official Obsidian site for current licensing details.
- Why don't I see the outside-vault file feature after updating? That capability requires the newest installer. Update inside the app and it stays hidden; download a fresh copy from the Obsidian website and reinstall.
- Where is Quick Capture available? In this release it runs on iPhone on the newest iOS, with entry points on the lock screen, in Control Center, on the home screen, and through Shortcuts.
- Do Kanban boards duplicate my notes? No. The card is the note. Moving a card between columns updates the note underneath, so board and notes stay one object.
- Which upgrade is easiest to start using today? Highlight colors. Pick two colors with fixed meanings, apply them on your next few notes, and the scanning benefit shows up immediately.
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