How to delete your Obsidian account

About deleting your Obsidian account

Obsidian is a powerful knowledge base that operates on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files. Unlike cloud-based note-taking apps, Obsidian functions primarily as a local-first application, meaning your vault remains on your device unless you explicitly enable third-party plugins or sync services. Because the core software does not require an account, the concept of "deleting an account" is largely confined to users who have registered for Obsidian Sync or Obsidian Publish.

Users typically consider account deletion for these paid services when migrating their workflow to a different platform or opting for self-hosted alternatives like LiveSync or self-managed Git repositories. Common reasons include:

• Transitioning away from Obsidian Sync to a local-only setup.
• Simplifying digital subscriptions to reduce recurring monthly costs.
• Moving from Obsidian Publish to a static site generator or different hosting provider.

What happens to your data

Deleting your Obsidian account specifically impacts the remote data stored on their servers related to Sync and Publish. It is critical to understand that this action does not touch your local files. Your Markdown vaults, images, and attachments remain safely stored on your local hard drive or cloud storage provider of choice (like iCloud or Dropbox).

When you delete your account, the following occurs:

• Remote encrypted vaults used for Obsidian Sync are permanently purged from Obsidian's servers.
• Websites hosted via Obsidian Publish are taken offline and their content removed from the Obsidian infrastructure.
• Billing history and subscription metadata are removed from the payment processor.

Obsidian generally does not retain your private notes after an account deletion, as they never held the unencrypted copies of your data to begin with, thanks to their end-to-end encryption protocols for Sync.

Privacy considerations

Obsidian is widely regarded for its privacy-first architecture. Because the application is a local-first desktop client, it does not collect user metrics or telemetry in the way traditional SaaS products do. However, if you use paid services, some metadata is inevitably exchanged.

Key privacy tips for Obsidian users:

• Audit your third-party plugins: Community plugins can sometimes send data to external servers; always review the permissions requested during installation.
• Use end-to-end encryption: Always enable the E2EE feature in Obsidian Sync settings so that the service provider cannot read your vault contents.
• Manage your local backups: Since Obsidian is local-first, the responsibility for data security rests on you. Use tools like Time Machine, Backblaze, or encrypted Git repositories to protect your vault.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to delete my account to keep my notes private?

No. Obsidian notes are stored locally on your machine. Deleting your account only impacts Sync and Publish features.

If I delete my account, will my local Markdown files be erased?

No, Obsidian cannot touch your local filesystem when you close your account. Your vaults will remain exactly where you saved them.

How do I stop my paid subscription before deleting the account?

You must visit the billing settings in your Obsidian account dashboard and cancel the subscription for Sync or Publish before the removal of the account profile.

Does Obsidian track my activity in the editor?

No. The core Obsidian application operates locally and does not perform any phone-home activity for analytics or advertising purposes.

Can I recover my synced data after deleting my account?

No. Once you delete your account, the remote encrypted blobs on Obsidian’s servers are permanently purged and cannot be restored.

Is it possible to use Obsidian without ever creating an account?

Yes. Obsidian is designed to work as a completely offline local-first tool. Creating an account is strictly optional for users who want premium cloud synchronization or web publishing features.