docs/obsidian-help/Obsidian Sync/Set up Obsidian Sync.md

In this guide, you'll enable [[Introduction to Obsidian Sync|Obsidian Sync]] for your vault.

[!hint] Remote vaults and local vaults In this guide, you'll create a new [[Local and remote vaults|remote vault]] and connect it to an existing local vault. You don't need to create a new local vault to use Obsidian Sync.

Prerequisites

• An Obsidian account. If you don't have one, sign up now.
• An active Obsidian Sync subscription. If you don't have one, subscribe from your account page.

Log in with your Obsidian account

1. Open Settings.
2. In the sidebar, select General.
3. Under Account → Your Account, select Log in.
4. In Email, enter your email.
5. In Password, enter your password.
6. Select Login.

Enable Obsidian Sync

1. Open Settings.
2. In the sidebar, select Core plugins.
3. Enable Sync.

Create a new remote vault

1. Open Settings.
2. In the sidebar, select Sync.
3. Next to Remote vault, select Choose.
4. Click Create new vault.
5. In Vault name, enter the name of the remote vault.
6. In Region, choose your server [[#Regional sync servers|region]] for your remote vault.
7. In Encryption password, choose a password for your vault. This creates an end-to-end encrypted vault. The vault password is separate from your Obsidian account and can be different for each of your vaults. For more information, refer to [[Security and privacy]].
8. Click Create.

Regional sync servers

As of Obsidian release 1.5, users can now choose the hosting location for their remote vault.

For users not yet on release 1.5 or a later version, the assignment of their remote vault location will be handled automatically.

![[sync-regional-sync-servers.png#interface|300]]

After selecting a location, it's crucial to be aware that the data center cannot be changed afterward. If you wish to relocate your data, the process involves [[#Create a new remote vault|creating a new remote vault]] and specifying the desired hosting location during the setup.

![[Obsidian Sync/Security and privacy#^sync-geo-regions]]

Connect to a remote vault

[!danger] Is your current vault in an iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox, or other syncing folder? Please [[Back up your vault|read this guide]] before proceeding.

1. Next to your newly created vault, select Connect.
2. In Encryption password, enter the password you configured for the vault if you opted into [[Obsidian Sync/Security and privacy#What does end-to-end encryption mean?|end-to-end encryption]].
3. Select Unlock vault.
4. It is highly recommended that you do not start syncing yet. Instead, proceed to [[Select files and settings to sync#Initially adjusting your Sync settings|syncing your vault settings for the first time]].
   1. If you wish to start syncing right away, select Start Syncing.

Sync settings and other file types By default, Sync only syncs notes and images. For information how to sync other file types, refer to [[Select files and settings to sync#Select file types to sync|Select file types to sync]].

If you want to sync vault configuration, such as settings for [[Core plugins]], [[Hotkeys]], or [[Community plugins]], learn how to [[Select files and settings to sync#Sync vault configuration|Sync vault configuration]].