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permalink: teams/syncSyncing for teams
Obsidian is designed to work both online and offline and give you total control over your team's data. To share data across your team, you will need to choose a sync solution.
Syncing tools and services
Obsidian offers an official service called Obsidian Sync which provides end-to-end encrypted syncing for small teams up to 20 users.
Because Obsidian stores your data in plain text .md files, there are numerous options available to sync data across devices and control access to your team's data. This can include version control systems such as Git, network attached storage systems, and many services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and more.
Obsidian Sync for teams
With Obsidian Sync you can collaborate on a shared vault with your team.
All collaborators must have an active Sync subscription to access a shared vault. Joining a shared vault does not count towards your remote vault limit. Note that Obsidian Sync is not included with the Commercial license and must be purchased separately.
If the remote vault is end-to-end encrypted, collaborators must enter the encryption password when they first access the shared remote vault.
Manage users
Add users
To invite a user to share a remote vault:
- Open Settings.
- In the side menu, select Sync.
- Next to Remote vault, select Manage.
- Next to the remote vault you want to share, select Manage sharing (
). - In Invite user, enter the email of the user you want to invite.
- Select Add.
Remove users
- Open Settings.
- In the side menu, select Sync.
- Next to Remote vault, select Manage.
- Next to the user you want to remove access from, select Remove user (
).
Collaborate with your team
Permissions
Fine-grained permissions are not supported yet. All collaborators receive the same permissions as the vault owner, with one exception: only the vault owner can invite collaborators.
Live editing
Shared vaults allow teams to work together on a set of files, however Obsidian does not yet support collaborative live editing on the same file. You will not see the other user's cursor, and their edits will only appear once the changes are synced.
If multiple users are editing the same file at the same time, changes will be merged during the syncing process. Changes can be viewed and restored using Version history.
Limitations
Be aware that Obsidian Sync has Limitations that may affect your team:
- The maximum number of collaborators on a shared vault is 20 users.
- The maximum file size for attachments depends on the plan of your remote vault host, with 5 MB for the Standard Plan and 200 MB for the Plus Plan.
Learn more about Syncing for teams.
Security
Hosting
Where do you host the servers for Obsidian Sync?
Our data centers, powered by DigitalOcean, provide geo-regional remote vault hosting options in the following locations:
Automatic: Your data center is chosen based on your IP location.
Asia: Singapore
Europe: Frankfurt, Germany
North America: San Francisco, USA
Oceania: Sydney, Australia
Where can I find my current Sync server and where is it hosted?
To locate your Obsidian Sync server, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings → Sync → Copy Debug Info.
- Paste the copied information into a note or file.
- Look for a line similar to this:
Host server: wss://sync-xx.obsidian.md
This line indicates the server where your remote vault is hosted. For more details on the server's locations and uptime, visit our status page.
What encryption do you use?
For data security, we implement industry-standard encryption protocols. Specifically, we use AES-256, the strongest encryption standard, widely employed in contexts such as online banking. The encryption process involves the following technical details:
- Key derivation function: scrypt with salt
- Encryption algorithm: AES-256 using Galois/Counter Mode (GCM)
Has Obsidian completed a third-party security audit?
Yes. Obsidian has been independently audited. Visit our Security page to view audit reports. Regular audits by third-party security firms ensure that Obsidian code and procedures meet the highest security standards.
Frequently asked questions
Can I purchase one Sync subscription and use it for my team?
If you are a team of one person, yes, you can use the Sync subscription for that team member. However, if you have multiple team members, each member will need their own Obsidian Sync subscription to access and share remote vaults.
Do you have an on-premises Sync server?
Obsidian Sync does not have an on-premises solution at this time. Feel free to add your use case to this feature request thread.