How To Use Obsidian: Footnotes (plus 2 essential plug-ins)

TL;DR

Default footnote insertion in Obsidian can be slow because it forces repeated jumps between the sentence and the footnote section.

Briefing Cornell Notes

Briefing

Footnotes in Obsidian can work smoothly without constant mouse-and-keyboard switching—if they’re set up with the right shortcuts and a cleanup tool. By default, inserting footnote references means jumping down to the bottom, typing the footnote, then returning to the sentence—an awkward workflow when notes are being written in the middle of a paragraph. A faster approach flips the order: create the footnote reference first, let Obsidian autocomplete the corresponding footnote entry, and then keep typing where the reference was placed.

The transcript also highlights a key limitation of Obsidian’s footnotes: references can become out of sequence when multiple footnotes are created while editing. In reading mode, Obsidian can visually correct the numbering and navigation, but the underlying edit-mode structure may still remain jumbled. It’s a practical problem for anyone who uses footnotes for parenthetical details or “extra context” while drafting, because the footnote section can quickly become messy if new entries are added after the cursor has moved elsewhere.

To make footnotes behave more like a writer expects, two community plugins are introduced. The first, “Footnote Short Shortcut,” enables footnote insertion via hotkeys. After enabling footnote auto-suggest and optionally adding a dedicated “Footnotes” heading, users bind hotkeys for numbered and named footnotes. The workflow becomes keyboard-first: pressing the shortcut inserts the reference at the cursor, creates the matching footnote block at the bottom, and automatically returns the cursor to where writing continues—so hands stay on the home row. The plugin also surfaces hotkey conflicts (for example, a command shift combination may already be taken by another Obsidian action), and users can resolve them by choosing an unused shortcut.

Even with fast insertion, footnotes can still end up janky if the footnote section is edited out of order—especially when additional text is added later and new footnotes are created again. That’s where the second plugin, “Linter,” comes in. With options like “move footnotes to the bottom” and “reindex footnotes,” Linter can clean up the footnote section and restore correct numbering and ordering. A hotkey (shown as “command shift L” for linting the current file) triggers a reindex pass that fixes misordered references by rewriting them into a consistent sequence. The transcript notes a tradeoff: word-based footnotes don’t survive reindexing as words; Linter converts them back into numbered footnotes.

Alongside the footnote workflow, the transcript mentions an Obsidian interface change that hides important elements behind extra clicks (like the vault switcher and settings). A workaround uses the command palette shortcut (“command comma” for settings). The overall takeaway is that footnotes can be fast and reliable in Obsidian—provided users pair keyboard-driven insertion with a cleanup step that reindexes and tidies the footnote section.

Cornell Notes

Obsidian footnotes can be awkward by default because inserting a citation requires jumping to the bottom of the note and then returning to the sentence. A keyboard-first workflow solves much of that: “Footnote Short Shortcut” lets users insert numbered or named footnotes with hotkeys, auto-creating the footnote entry and returning the cursor to where they were writing. However, footnotes can still become misordered when new entries are added later. “Linter” fixes the mess by moving footnotes to the bottom and reindexing them into the correct sequence via a hotkey. One limitation: Linter’s reindexing doesn’t preserve word-based footnote keys and converts them back to numbered footnotes.

Why does the default footnote workflow feel inefficient for in-line writing?

The default approach requires typing a footnote reference, then leaving the sentence to go down to the footnote area, adding the footnote text, and finally returning to continue writing. That involves repeated cursor travel and mouse use, which slows drafting—especially when footnotes are used for frequent parenthetical details.

How does the “Footnote Short Shortcut” plugin change day-to-day footnote editing?

After enabling footnote auto-suggest and optionally adding a “Footnotes” heading, users bind hotkeys for numbered and/or named footnotes. Pressing the hotkey inserts the reference at the cursor, creates the corresponding footnote block (with the correct bracketed format), and then automatically moves the cursor back to where writing should continue. This keeps the workflow on the keyboard and avoids constant jumping.

What happens when footnote references get created out of order?

References can become mis-sequenced in edit mode (for example, footnote numbers may not match the order they appear). Reading mode can display a corrected sequence and allow navigation, but edit mode may still retain the original jumbled structure—so the underlying ordering problem persists until a cleanup step runs.

How does “Linter” repair misordered or messy footnotes?

With options like “move footnotes to the bottom” and “reindex footnotes,” Linter rewrites the footnote section into a tidy, correctly numbered order. Running lint for the current file (shown with a hotkey like command shift L) reindexes references and footnote entries so they align in sequence. It can also enforce punctuation-related placement rules if configured.

What tradeoff does Linter introduce for word-based footnotes?

When reindexing, Linter doesn’t preserve word-based footnote keys. The transcript notes that word-based footnotes get converted back into numbered footnotes during reindexing, even if the original references used words.

Review Questions

What specific workflow change reduces the need to jump to the bottom of the note when adding citations?
Which plugin is responsible for keyboard-driven footnote insertion, and what does it do with the cursor after inserting a footnote?
How does Linter’s reindexing affect word-based footnotes compared with numbered footnotes?

Key Points

1
Default footnote insertion in Obsidian can be slow because it forces repeated jumps between the sentence and the footnote section.
2
A keyboard-first workflow is achievable by using “Footnote Short Shortcut” with hotkeys for numbered and/or named footnotes.
3
Footnotes can appear corrected in reading mode while still being misordered in edit mode, so visual fixes may not be enough.
4
“Linter” can clean up footnotes by moving them to the bottom and reindexing them into the correct sequence via a hotkey.
5
Hotkey conflicts may occur when assigning shortcuts; resolving them requires choosing unused combinations.
6
Linter reindexing converts word-based footnotes back into numbered footnotes, so word keys aren’t preserved after cleanup.
7
Interface changes that hide settings or vault switching can be bypassed using the command palette shortcut (command comma).

Highlights

Footnote Short Shortcut turns footnote insertion into a home-row workflow: it inserts the reference, creates the footnote entry, and returns the cursor to where writing continues.

Reading mode can mask out-of-order footnotes; edit mode may still contain mis-sequenced references until reindexing runs.

Linter’s “move footnotes to the bottom” plus “reindex footnotes” restores a tidy, correctly numbered footnote section with one hotkey.

Word-based footnotes don’t survive Linter reindexing; they get converted into numbered footnotes.

Topics

Obsidian Footnotes
Keyboard Shortcuts
Footnote Reindexing
Community Plugins
Writing Workflow