Use Backlinks the right way with Obsidian

I’ve made mistakes using them

Robert Buscher
2 min readMay 11, 2024
Picture showing an oversaturated Obsidian graph view.
Picture from Clivus on the Obsidian Forum.

Obsidian is a very comprehensive way to take notes. You get unique features that I had never heard of before I installed the app. You get the graph view, and you can use backlinks to make links between your notes: it is a very distinctive way to take notes, that sets itself apart from all other apps.

I really think that Obsidian can make you productive. But first, you have to know how to use this amazing tool. And that’s something I’ve been struggling with.

For example, backlinks were kind of a headache for me the first time. How do I use it properly?

Let me show you what I’ve figured out.

We all get how Obsidian is supposed to be used: taking notes and making links between them. However, the concept of backlinks in itself can be overwhelming.

To get started, you can start using backlinks by writing the title of your notes in two brackets just like that : [[]].

Picture showing some brackets on Obsidian
By using the brackets, you get access to all your Obsidian notes.

My biggest mistake yet

Avoid excessive linking. Backlinks are very powerful, and it’s important to link…

--

--

Robert Buscher

Fitness enthusiast. On a journey to gain muscle and sharing my tips.