Tags in Obsidian work like labels you can search and filter by, and you add them by typing a hash symbol before a word
A tag in Obsidian is any word you write after a hash mark — # — in your notes. When you type #project or #urgent, Obsidian recognizes it as a tag and lets you click it to see every note with that same tag. Tags are plain text, not a separate system you have to set up. You can start using them when ready.
Tags work best when you keep them straightforward and consistent. If you tag one note #writing and another #Writing, Obsidian treats them as different tags. The same goes for #project-planning versus #projectplanning. Decide on your tag names early and stick to them, or use Obsidian's search and replace to fix them later.
You can put tags anywhere in a note — in the body text, in a properties section at the top, or in a dedicated tags line. Most people put them at the bottom or in a metadata area so they do not interrupt reading, but Obsidian does not care where they live.
Key Takeaways
- Type a hash mark followed by a word with no spaces to create a tag — #tagname — and Obsidian will recognize it automatically.
- Nested tags like #project/client/important date let you organize tags into categories and search by parent or child level.
- Click any tag in your note to see all notes with that tag, or use the tag pane on the left sidebar to browse your entire tag structure.
- Tags are case-sensitive and must be consistent across notes, so choose your naming system before you have hundreds of notes to fix.
- You can combine tags with Obsidian's search syntax to find notes that have multiple tags at once.
How to type a tag in your note
Open any note in Obsidian and place your cursor where you want the tag. Type a hash mark when ready followed by a word with no space between them. #urgent works. # urgent does not — the space breaks it. The tag ends when you hit a space, punctuation, or the end of the line.
If you want a tag with multiple words, use a hyphen or underscore to connect them: #client-meeting or #client_meeting. Do not use spaces inside the tag itself. You can put the tag in the middle of a sentence — "This is #urgent and needs attention" — or on its own line. Obsidian recognizes it either way.
As you type, Obsidian may show you a dropdown list of tags you have used before. Click one to insert it, or keep typing to create a new tag. This autocomplete feature helps you stay consistent without having to remember exact spelling.
Using nested tags to organize by category
A nested tag uses forward slashes to create levels, like a folder structure. Instead of #project, you might write #project/client/important date. This tells Obsidian that important date is a child of client, which is a child of project. When you click the parent tag #project, you see all notes tagged with any level under it — #project/client/important date, #project/internal/planning, and so on.
Nested tags are useful when you have many notes in one category. A freelancer might use #client/acme/invoice, #client/acme/feedback, and #client/beta/contract to organize by client and then by document type. A student might use #course/math/homework and #course/math/exam. You can go as deep as you want, but three or four levels is usually enough.
The tag pane on the left sidebar shows your nested tags as a tree. Click the arrow next to a parent tag to expand it and see all its children. This gives you a quick overview of how your tags are organized without opening a search.
Finding and clicking tags to filter your notes
Click any tag in your note to open a search showing every note with that tag. The search results appear in a panel, and you can click each result to open it. This is the fastest way to jump between related notes.
You can also use the tag pane on the left sidebar. Open it by clicking the tag icon (it looks like a hash mark) in the left ribbon, or press the keyboard shortcut if you have set one. The pane shows all your tags organized by nesting level. Click any tag to search for it, or right-click a tag to see options like renaming or deleting it across all notes.
If you want to find notes with multiple tags at once, use Obsidian's search box. Type tag:#urgent tag:#client to find notes that have both tags. You can also use -tag:#done to exclude notes with a certain tag — useful for filtering out completed work.
Renaming or deleting tags across all your notes
Right-click a tag in the tag pane and select "Rename tag" to change it everywhere at once. Obsidian updates every note that uses that tag, so you do not have to find and fix them manually. This is how you correct misspellings or consolidate similar tags.
To delete a tag, right-click it in the tag pane and select "Delete tag". Obsidian removes the tag from every note but leaves the rest of the note text intact. If you delete #urgent from a note that says "This is #urgent and important", it becomes "This is and important" — the word "urgent" disappears because it was only there as a tag.
You can also use find and replace to change tags manually. Press Ctrl+H (or Cmd+H on Mac) to open find and replace, search for the old tag, and replace it with the new one. This gives you more control if you want to change only some instances or combine it with other edits.
Combining tags with properties for better organization
Obsidian also supports properties — a structured metadata section at the top of a note that can hold tags, dates, and other information. If you want your tags in one organized place instead of scattered through your note, add a properties section and create a tags property.
At the very top of your note, type three dashes, then add a line like tags: [urgent, client, important date], then three more dashes. This creates a properties section with a tags field. You can click tags here just like tags in the body text, and they work the same way in searches. Some people prefer this because it keeps metadata separate from the note content.
You do not have to choose between inline tags and properties tags — you can use both in the same note. A note might have tags: [project, client] in the properties and #urgent in the body. Obsidian treats them all as tags and includes them in searches.
Common tag naming patterns that work well
The best tag system matches how you actually think about your notes. A writer might use #draft, #published, and #archived to track status. A project manager might use #project/name, #status/active, and #priority/high. A student might use #course/name, #type/lecture, and #type/assignment.
Keep tag names short and lowercase. #proj is faster to type than #ProjectName, and lowercase avoids the case-sensitivity problem. Use hyphens instead of underscores for readability — #client-meeting is easier to scan than #client_meeting.
Avoid tags that are too specific. #meeting-with-sarah-on-tuesday is so narrow that you will never search for it again. #meeting or #client/sarah is more useful. The goal is to find groups of related notes, not to label every note uniquely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use spaces in a tag?
No. Obsidian stops reading a tag when it hits a space. Use hyphens or underscores instead: #client-meeting or #client_meeting. If you type #client meeting, Obsidian treats #client as the tag and ignores the rest.
What happens if I use the same tag name with different cases?
Obsidian treats them as separate tags. #urgent and #Urgent are two different tags, and searches for one will not find the other. Decide on lowercase or title case early and stick with it, or use find and replace to make them consistent.
Can I search for multiple tags at once?
Yes. In the search box, type tag:#urgent tag:#client to find notes with both tags. Use -tag:#done to exclude notes with a certain tag. You can combine as many tag searches as you need.
Do I have to create tags before I use them?
No. Tags are created the moment you type them. There is no setup or configuration needed. Start typing #tagname in any note and it exists when ready.
What is the difference between inline tags and tags in properties?
Inline tags are #tagname typed anywhere in your note text. Tags in properties are listed in a metadata section at the top. Both work identically in searches and the tag pane — the difference is only where they appear in the note and how organized they look.