Obsidian Dual Pane Layout: How to Get It
Yes, Obsidian can give you a dual pane layout, and it has been able to since early versions—the feature is built into the core interface, not a plugin. You can split your note editor into two side-by-side panes, and you can also pin a second pane to keep a reference note open while you work. The confusion about needing a plugin usually comes from wanting a persistent, always-visible two-column setup like a file manager, which requires a different approach than the default split.
Background: Why People Think a Plugin Is Needed
Obsidian’s default layout is a single editor pane with a sidebar on the left (file explorer, search, tags) and another on the right (backlinks, outline, properties). That already gives you multiple panes, but they are not equal—the sidebars are narrower and designed for navigation, not for editing two notes at once. When users say they want a “dual pane layout,� they usually mean one of two things:
- Two editor panes side by side, each showing a different note, so you can read one while writing in the other.
- A persistent vertical split that stays even after you close and reopen the app, like a traditional two-column word processor.
The first is trivially easy with core features. The second requires saving a workspace layout, which is also core but less obvious. No plugin is strictly required for either.
How to Split the Editor Into Two Panes
To get two editing panes side by side, follow these steps:
- Open the note you want to edit.
- Click the More options icon (three dots) in the top-right corner of the editor pane.
- Select Split right from the menu. The editor splits into two panes, each showing the same note.
- In the new pane, open a different note by using the file explorer, quick switcher (Ctrl/Cmd+O), or a link.
You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+Right arrow (on most desktop versions) to split right, or drag any note from the file explorer to the right edge of the editor to drop it as a new pane.
Making the Split Persistent: Workspaces
If you close Obsidian and reopen it, the split you created is lost by default. To keep it, you need to save a workspace layout:
- Arrange your panes exactly as you want them (split, resized, pinned).
- Open the Command palette (Ctrl/Cmd+P).
- Type “Manage workspace layouts� and select it.
- Click Save, give the layout a name (e.g., “Dual Pane�), and click OK.
Now you can restore that layout anytime from the same command palette (type “Load workspace layout� and pick your saved name). You can also set Obsidian to load a specific workspace on startup via Settings → Workspace → “Launch with� → choose your saved layout.
Pinning a Pane for Reference
When you split the editor, the new pane is “linked� to the original—if you navigate to a different note in one pane, the other pane follows to keep the same note in view. That is handy for following links, but annoying if you want one pane to stay fixed on a reference note while the other changes.
To fix a pane, click the pin icon (a small pushpin) in the top-right of that pane’s title bar. A pinned pane will not navigate when you click links in other panes; it only changes when you explicitly open a note in it. This is the core feature that makes a dual-pane layout useful for research, writing, or comparing two documents.
Common Problems and Fixes
- Split doesn’t appear side by side: If you split vertically (Split down), you get a top/bottom layout. Use “Split right� for side-by-side. You can also drag the divider between panes to adjust widths.
- Can’t find the split option: The three-dot menu is on the editor pane’s title bar, not the sidebar. If you don’t see it, make sure the pane is focused (click inside the note first).
- Workspace layout not saving: Make sure you’re using the command palette, not the settings menu. The “Manage workspace layouts� command is the correct one.
- Pinned pane still changes: The pin icon must be clicked on the pane you want to keep fixed. If you click it on the other pane, that one stays and the one you wanted to fix will still navigate.
What Plugins Actually Add
While plugins are not required for a basic dual pane, some community plugins enhance the experience. For example, Pane Relief adds better pane management (e.g., moving tabs between panes, closing all but the current pane). Maximise Active Pane lets you temporarily zoom a pane to full width. But if your goal is simply two notes open side by side, these are optional conveniences, not necessities.
One misconception is that Obsidian’s default layout is single-pane only. That is false—the editor has supported splitting since version 0.9.x (2020). The core features have been stable for years, so the plugin idea likely comes from older tutorials or from users who never discovered the three-dot menu.
Costs and Alternatives
Obsidian is free for personal use, and the dual-pane feature is included at no extra cost. The paid “Sync� and “Publish� services are unrelated to layout. If you prefer a different app, alternatives like Notion, Logseq, or Typora offer their own ways to view multiple notes, but none have exactly the same split-and-pin behavior. Obsidian’s approach is unique in that it treats every pane as a first-class editor, not a preview panel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have more than two panes? Yes, you can split repeatedly. Each pane can be split further, and you can drag panes to rearrange them into grids or columns. There is no hard limit in the core app.
Does the split work on mobile? Yes, but the interface is more cramped. On tablets you can split the editor; on phones it’s possible but often impractical due to screen size.
Will my split be saved automatically? No, you must save a workspace layout manually. If you don’t, Obsidian restores the last layout from the previous session, but that does not include splits you made after that.
Can I set a default dual-pane layout for all new notes? Not directly. You can save a workspace with a blank note open in both panes, then load that workspace when starting a new session. Alternatively, you can use templates to open two notes at once, but that requires a plugin like Templater.
Is there a way to see the same note in both panes and edit both? Yes, split the editor and both panes will show the same note. They are linked, so edits in one pane appear in the other immediately. This is useful for checking formatting or scrolling through a long document.
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