Obsidian is known for its flexibility, and one of the things I love about it is the ability to use my preferred cloud storage service to sync my vaults across all devices. As a Microsoft 365 subscriber, I already have 1TB of OneDrive storage, which is why I decided to give this combination a shot.
Not only does the seamless background sync give me peace of mind, but it also allows for an incredibly powerful organizational structure. I can now manage all my essential project files in a unified folder in OneDrive. It’s a system that truly reflects the way I work: interconnected, accessible, and ready for sharing.
Using OneDrive to store and sync Obsidian files
No need to pay for the Obsidian Sync add-on
While Obsidian offers its own paid Sync add-on, which is excellent and provides features like end-to-end encryption and version history, the beauty of Obsidian is its core philosophy: your data is yours, and you can store it wherever you choose.
Since my entire digital life is already organized within OneDrive, it was the natural and most logical choice for me. I didn’t see the point in paying for a separate service when I already have a robust, multi-platform one at my fingertips.
The process has been surprisingly smooth and reliable. I already have OneDrive running in the background on my Mac and Windows desktop. When creating a new vault, I can simply select a relevant location in OneDrive and get going in no time.
The synchronization speeds have been surprising (in a positive way). I have had no issues accessing the latest version of my files on my phone and tablet.
Any changes I make on one device are pushed to the cloud and then appear on other devices almost instantly, which has been crucial for my productivity.
OneDrive goes beyond storing my Markdown files
It’s my digital ecosystem
With graph views, backlinks, a rich plugin ecosystem, and canvases, Obsidian is brilliant for creating and connecting knowledge. But it’s only one part of my larger digital ecosystem.
This is where OneDrive comes into play. I’m a heavy user of PowerPoint presentations and Excel data analysis, and for me, the magic of this workflow is bringing everything related to a large and complex project into one single, unified space.
For example, I recently managed a marketing campaign. I created a main folder in my OneDrive called ‘Project – Spring Campaign 2025.’ Inside this folder, I have a sub-folder for my Obsidian vault, which I named ‘Campaign Notes.’
This is where I stored all the unstructured, linked information: meeting notes from brainstorms, a breakdown of key deliverables, my personal to-do lists, and quick thoughts.
But alongside that folder, I have my ‘Campaign Budget.xlsx’ file, the ‘Pitch Deck.pptx’ presentation, and a sub-folder for high-resolution images.
The beauty of this is that when I’m working on a specific Markdown note in Obsidian, I can easily open the corresponding Excel sheet to reference budget numbers without ever leaving the main project folder.
If I’m updating my pitch deck in PowerPoint, I know exactly where to find my detailed meeting notes in Obsidian vault to refresh my memory on a key decision. Everything related to the project lives in one place.
A secure collaboration experience
Another reason to choose OneDrive over others
The ability to centralize all my project materials is one thing, but sharing that entire project ecosystem with others seamlessly is a whole new level of efficiency.
When I was collaborating on that marketing project, I didn’t have to share a dozen different files via email. Instead, I simply shared the main folder directly from OneDrive.
The best part is the control it gives me over security and privacy. I was able to set a password for the shared link and ensured that only my colleagues, who had the password, could access the sensitive information within.
I also set an expiry date on the link, so I didn’t have to worry about the folder being accessible indefinitely after the project was complete.
It’s a win-win situation for everything involved in the project. My colleagues didn’t need to be heavy Obsidian users; they could still access the PowerPoint presentation and Excel files, as well as view the Markdown notes directly in their browser as text files. Overall, this combination unlocks a secure, simple, and effective collaboration in no time.
Complete your Obsidian setup
After weeks of fine-tuning my workflow, I can confidently say that the combination of Obsidian and OneDrive has been the most impactful change to my productivity in years. The seamless syncing gives me peace of mind and lets me focus on capturing and connecting ideas.
If you are looking for a simple yet powerful way to build a unified and reliable knowledge system, look no further. This is the solution that bridges the gap between powerful note-taking and practical file management. You can even take the entire setup to the next level with several useful Obsidian plugins.