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MultiDim Virtual Folders

by Arislan Song
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Description

Create multi-dimensional virtual folders from frontmatter without moving real files. - This plugin has not been manually reviewed by Obsidian staff.

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Latest Version

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Changelog

See all version on GitHub

README file from

Github

MultiDim Virtual Folders

中文说明

MultiDim Virtual Folders is an Obsidian plugin for building multiple virtual folder trees from note frontmatter.

Your notes do not have to live in only one folder hierarchy. A single note can appear under a date, a project, a source, a topic, and any other structure you care about, while the real Markdown file stays exactly where it is.

Why Use It

Use MultiDim Virtual Folders when one real folder tree is not enough.

For example, the same note can be part of a monthly review, a project, and a source collection at the same time. Instead of duplicating files or constantly moving notes around, you write simple frontmatter fields and let the plugin build the sidebars for you.

What You Can Do

  • Create any number of virtual folder dimensions.
  • Show each dimension in the left sidebar, right sidebar, or both.
  • Switch dimensions from compact sidebar icons.
  • Date dimensions can start from year, month, or day.
  • Path dimensions support nested virtual folders from frontmatter paths.
  • Create temporary virtual paths without creating real folders.
  • Drag Markdown notes into virtual folders to update frontmatter.
  • Rename folders/categories from the context menu.
  • Change folder/category icons from the context menu.
  • Delete virtual folders/categories without deleting real files.
  • Sort each dimension by name, created time, or modified time.
  • Choose ascending or descending order per dimension.
  • Use Emoji or Lucide icons.
  • Use Chinese or English interface text.

A Small Example

Add frontmatter like this to a note:

---
catalog_date: 2026-06-29
project_path: Example Project/Phase One
source_path: Reference/Manual
---

Then the note can appear in several virtual folder trees at once:

  • Date: 2026 / 2026-06 / 2026-06-29
  • Project: Example Project / Phase One
  • Source: Reference / Manual

Installation

Obsidian Community Plugin Store

After the plugin is approved by the Obsidian community plugin review process:

  1. Open Obsidian Settings.
  2. Go to Community plugins.
  3. Search for MultiDim Virtual Folders.
  4. Install and enable the plugin.

Offline Installation

Use this method when the plugin is not available from the community store yet, or when the target computer cannot access GitHub or the Obsidian community plugin store.

  1. Download multidim-virtual-folders.zip from the latest GitHub release. If the target computer is offline, download it on another computer and copy it over.
  2. Open the target vault folder and go to:
.obsidian/plugins/
  1. Extract multidim-virtual-folders.zip into that folder.
  2. Confirm the files are in:
.obsidian/plugins/multidim-virtual-folders/
  1. Restart Obsidian or reload the app.
  2. Open Settings -> Community plugins and enable MultiDim Virtual Folders.
Visual Setup Guide

The screenshots below use the Chinese Obsidian interface, but the flow is the same in other languages.

  1. Open Obsidian settings.

Open settings

  1. Go to Community plugins.

Open community plugins

  1. Find multidim-virtual-folders.

Find the plugin

  1. Open the plugin options.

Open options

  1. Return to the main interface and open the virtual folder sidebar from the bottom icon.

Open the sidebar

BRAT Installation

Before community plugin approval, you can install the GitHub repository with BRAT:

Arislan-x/multidim-virtual-folders

How It Feels To Use

Open the plugin from the ribbon icon or from the command palette.

In settings, create one or more virtual folder dimensions:

  • Date dimension: groups notes by a date frontmatter property.
  • Path dimension: groups notes by a path-like frontmatter property.

For each dimension, you can configure:

  • Title
  • Icon
  • Color
  • Frontmatter property
  • Display side
  • Sorting
  • Write mode
  • Temporary virtual paths

Most dimension settings are locked by default, so you do not accidentally change a working setup. Click Edit, adjust the dimension, then click Save.

Drag And Drop

Drag a Markdown note into a virtual folder to write that folder path into the configured frontmatter property.

Only Markdown files are accepted. Real files are not moved.

Mobile Support

The plugin is marked as mobile-compatible.

Sidebar browsing, dimension switching, settings, and frontmatter-based virtual folders can be used on mobile. Drag-and-drop behavior depends on the Obsidian mobile app and the operating system, so desktop remains the most complete experience for drag-and-drop workflows.

Context Menu

Right-click a virtual folder/category to:

  • Change icon
  • Rename the folder/category
  • Create a subcategory
  • Delete the virtual folder/category

These actions update frontmatter and plugin settings only. They do not delete or move real files in your vault.

Privacy

This plugin does not send data to external services.

It does not use telemetry, analytics, remote code loading, or external network requests.

All data stays in your local Obsidian vault and plugin settings.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE.

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