By Daren Wesolowski in Obsidian — 30 Aug 2026

How to Create Nested Notes in Obsidian with Create Nested Note

Obsidian provides a flexible file and folder system for organizing Markdown notes, but creating a consistent hierarchy can require several manual steps. A topic may need its own folder, a corresponding Markdown note, and additional notes organized beneath it.

Create Nested Note simplifies this workflow by adding a Create nested note option directly to Obsidian's file explorer. With a single action, the plugin creates a folder and a same-named Markdown note inside it, then automatically opens the new note.

This guide explains how to install Create Nested Note, use it to build hierarchical note structures, and understand how the plugin determines where new notes are created. The plugin supports both desktop and mobile versions of Obsidian and is available from the Create Nested Note Community Plugin page.

How Create Nested Note Organizes Notes

Create Nested Note is designed around a simple organizational pattern: a topic can have both its own folder and a Markdown note representing that topic.

For example, you may want a topic named Docker represented by the following structure:

Docker/
└── Docker.md

Creating this manually requires creating the Docker folder, creating Docker.md inside it, and then opening the new note.

Create Nested Note performs those steps as a single operation. The resulting folder and Markdown file are standard items in your Obsidian vault, so you can continue organizing and editing them normally.

Requirements

Before starting, you will need:

Obsidian 1.4.0 or newer
An existing Obsidian vault
Community plugins enabled
Obsidian running on desktop or mobile

Create Nested Note operates entirely within the active Obsidian vault. It does not require an online account, external service, or network connection to create notes.

Before You Begin

Create Nested Note is designed around a simple organizational pattern: a topic can have both its own folder and a Markdown note representing that topic.

Suppose your vault contains:

Projects/

Creating a nested note named Website inside Projects produces:

Projects/
└── Website/
    └── Website.md

The Website folder can contain additional notes related to the project, while Website.md serves as the main note for the topic.

You can continue the same pattern at additional levels:

Projects/
└── Website/
    ├── Website.md
    └── Documentation/
        ├── Documentation.md
        └── Installation/
            └── Installation.md

Because these are ordinary folders and Markdown files, the resulting structure remains compatible with Obsidian's normal file explorer and Markdown-based storage.

The plugin does not introduce a proprietary note format or external database.

Why This Works

An Obsidian vault is fundamentally a directory containing Markdown files and supporting resources.

Create Nested Note works with that existing structure rather than replacing it.

For each nested note, the plugin creates a directory and then creates a Markdown file with the same base name inside that directory.

Entering Networking, for example, results in:

Networking/
└── Networking.md

The plugin also determines the destination based on what you selected before running the command.

When you invoke Create nested note on a folder, the new structure is created inside that folder.

For example, running it on the Linux folder and entering Networking creates:

Linux/
└── Networking/
    └── Networking.md

When you invoke the command on a file, the nested note is instead created beside that file, within the file's parent directory.

If your vault contains:

Linux/
└── Linux.md

running Create nested note on Linux.md and entering Networking produces:

Linux/
├── Linux.md
└── Networking/
    └── Networking.md

This behavior makes it possible to work naturally from either files or folders without manually navigating to the destination directory first.

Step 1: Install Create Nested Note

You can install the plugin from within Obsidian as described below, or open the Create Nested Note Community Plugin page to view its listing.

Open Obsidian and navigate to Settings → Community plugins.

If Community Plugins are not already enabled, enable them first.

Select Browse, search for Create Nested Note, and open the plugin.

Select Install and, after installation completes, select Enable.

The plugin does not require additional configuration before it can be used.

Once enabled, the Create nested note command becomes available from the file explorer context menu.

Step 2: Choose Where to Create the Nested Note

Open Obsidian's file explorer and locate the file or folder where the new note should be created.

On desktop, right-click the item. On mobile, long-press it.

Select Create nested note from the context menu.

The selected item determines where the new structure will be placed.

If you select a folder, the nested note is created inside that folder.

If you select a Markdown file, the nested note is created inside that file's parent folder.

This distinction is useful because you do not need to reorganize the file afterward depending on whether you started from a note or a directory.

Step 3: Create Your First Nested Note

Select Create nested note.

A dialog will ask for the name of the new note.

For example, enter:

about-this-site

Select Create.

The plugin creates:

about-this-site/
└── about-this-site.md

The new Markdown file is then opened automatically in Obsidian.

You can immediately begin writing in about-this-site.md while using the surrounding about-this-site folder for related notes.

For example, the note itself remains a normal Markdown document:

# About This Site

This note contains information about the site.

## Documentation

Additional documentation can be stored as nested notes.

Step 4: Build a Hierarchical Note Structure

The main advantage of the plugin becomes more apparent when the same process is repeated.

Suppose you start with:

Linux/
└── Linux.md

Create a nested note named Docker.

The structure becomes:

Linux/
├── Linux.md
└── Docker/
    └── Docker.md

You could then create another nested note inside Docker named Compose, producing:

Linux/
├── Linux.md
└── Docker/
    ├── Docker.md
    └── Compose/
        └── Compose.md

The same pattern can continue as deeply as your organization requires.

This can be useful for project documentation, technical notes, research, reference material, or other collections where a subject naturally contains smaller subjects.

Step 5: Understand File and Folder Selection

One of the more useful parts of Create Nested Note is that you can invoke it from either a file or a folder.

Consider this structure:

Projects/
└── Projects.md

Selecting the Projects Folder

Right-click the Projects folder, select Create nested note, and enter Website.

The result is:

Projects/
├── Projects.md
└── Website/
    └── Website.md

Selecting the Projects Note

You can instead right-click Projects.md and create Website.

The result is the same:

Projects/
├── Projects.md
└── Website/
    └── Website.md

When a file is selected, Create Nested Note uses the directory containing that file as the destination.

This makes the context-menu operation predictable regardless of whether your workflow begins from the parent note or its surrounding folder.

Step 6: Naming Nested Notes

Create Nested Note accepts names with or without the Markdown .md extension.

For example, entering either:

Networking

or:

Networking.md

creates the same basic structure:

Networking/
└── Networking.md

You therefore do not need to manually add .md when creating notes.

The plugin also checks names before creating the new structure. Invalid filenames and accidental path collisions are prevented rather than allowing the plugin to overwrite or create an invalid path.

This is particularly important when repeatedly creating structures through a context-menu command, where an unnoticed naming collision could otherwise produce unexpected results.

Verification

After installing and enabling Create Nested Note, verify the plugin by creating a temporary nested note.

Right-click a suitable test folder, select Create nested note, and enter Test Note.

After selecting Create, verify that the file explorer contains:

Test Note/
└── Test Note.md

The new Test Note.md file should also open automatically.

A successful test confirms that:

Create nested note appears in the file explorer context menu.
A new folder is created in the expected location.
A Markdown file is created inside the folder.
The file and folder use the same base name.
The newly created Markdown note opens automatically.
Existing files are not overwritten by a naming collision.

You can delete the test folder and note after verification.

Privacy and Security

Create Nested Note operates entirely inside the currently active Obsidian vault.

The plugin does not require an account and does not make network requests as part of its operation.

It also does not collect telemetry, display advertisements, or depend on external services.

The plugin's file operations are limited to the active vault rather than accessing arbitrary files elsewhere on the computer.

This keeps the plugin's functionality straightforward: it works with the same local files and directories already managed by Obsidian.

Because the created notes are standard Markdown files, they remain readable independently of the plugin.

Disabling or removing Create Nested Note does not make previously created notes inaccessible.

Troubleshooting

First verify that the plugin is enabled.

Open Settings → Community plugins, locate Create Nested Note, and make sure its toggle is enabled.

If the plugin was just installed, disabling and enabling it again or restarting Obsidian can also confirm that it has been loaded.

The Nested Note Was Created in an Unexpected Location

The destination depends on the item used to invoke the command.

When invoked on a folder, the new nested note is created inside that folder.

When invoked on a file, it is created in the file's parent folder.

For example, suppose you have:

Projects/
└── Website.md

Invoking the command on Website.md creates the new nested structure inside Projects/.

It does not create it inside Website.md, because a Markdown file cannot contain filesystem objects.

Check which item you right-clicked or long-pressed before creating the note.

A Note Cannot Be Created with a Particular Name

Create Nested Note validates filenames and checks for path collisions before creating files.

If a requested name would result in an invalid filename or conflict with an existing path, the plugin prevents the operation.

Check the existing files and folders in the destination and choose a unique, valid name.

The Plugin Works on Desktop but I Cannot Find It on Mobile

Create Nested Note supports both desktop and mobile versions of Obsidian.

Instead of right-clicking as you would on a desktop computer, long-press the file or folder in Obsidian's file explorer and select Create nested note from the context menu.

Common Questions

Does Create Nested Note Replace Obsidian's File Explorer?

No.

The plugin extends Obsidian's existing file explorer with an additional context-menu command. The files and folders it creates appear in the standard file explorer.

Does the Plugin Use a Special File Format?

No.

Nested notes are ordinary Markdown .md files stored in ordinary directories inside your vault.

For example:

Servers/
└── Servers.md

can be accessed and edited like any other files in an Obsidian vault.

Do I Need to Keep the Plugin Installed?

Not to access notes you have already created.

The plugin automates the creation process. Once a folder and Markdown file exist, they are normal filesystem objects.

Removing the plugin only removes the convenient Create nested note command.

Can I Use Spaces in Note Names?

The plugin is designed to accept normal note names while rejecting invalid filenames. You can enter the note name through the creation dialog rather than manually constructing the folder and Markdown filename.

Can I Include `.md` When Entering the Name?

Yes.

Names are accepted with or without the .md extension.

Entering Docker or Docker.md creates:

Docker/
└── Docker.md

Does the Plugin Require Internet Access?

No.

Create Nested Note does not require network access, an external account, telemetry, or a third-party service to create nested notes.

Final Thoughts

Obsidian's filesystem-based design provides considerable flexibility, but repetitive file operations can add unnecessary friction to structured note-taking.

Create Nested Note focuses on one specific workflow: creating a folder and a same-named Markdown note together.

Instead of manually creating:

Topic/
└── Topic.md

the structure can be generated directly from the file explorer context menu.

The ability to invoke the command from either a folder or an existing file also makes it easy to extend an established hierarchy without manually determining paths or moving files afterward.

For Obsidian users who organize projects, documentation, research, or knowledge bases using hierarchical folders and corresponding parent notes, Create Nested Note provides a simple way to make that structure faster and more consistent.

About This Guide

This guide explains how to install and use the Create Nested Note Community Plugin for Obsidian. It is intended for Obsidian users who prefer hierarchical note organization and want a faster way to create matching folders and Markdown notes directly from the file explorer.