How to clip web pages into Obsidian
Updated
To clip web pages into Obsidian, install Pocketdown, clip a page and choose Save to Obsidian. Pocketdown opens Obsidian through its obsidian:// link and creates a new note in your vault, with the page's title, source address, author and dates as Obsidian properties. After the first time, the clip button sends straight to Obsidian in one click. No Obsidian plugin is needed.
Step by step
- Install Pocketdown. Add it from the Chrome Web Store. Obsidian needs to be installed on the same computer.
- Choose a vault and folder (optional). In Pocketdown's Settings → Send to → Obsidian, enter a vault name — leave it blank to use the vault you had open last — and a folder such as
Clippings. - Clip something. A web page, a YouTube or Bilibili transcript, or a PDF.
- Press Save to Obsidian. Open Edit, or send somewhere else under the result and press Save to Obsidian. The first time, your browser asks whether to open Obsidian — allow it.
- Clip in one click from now on. The button now reads Clip as Markdown → Obsidian and sends each clip straight to your vault.
Properties Obsidian understands
The YAML block at the top of every clip becomes Obsidian properties:
| Property | What it holds |
|---|---|
title | Page or video title |
source | Address of the original page |
author | Author, when the page names one |
site | Site name |
published | Publication date, when the page gives one |
clipped | The day you clipped it |
type, captions, pages |
Extra details for video transcripts and PDFs |
Folders and file names
Notes go into the folder you set in Settings. The file name comes from a template —
{{title}} by default — and a / in it makes subfolders, so
{{site}}/{{title}} files each clip under the site it came from.
Long clips
Links that open apps have a length limit, so notes longer than about 15,000 characters are handed to Obsidian through the clipboard instead. The note arrives the same way, but whatever was on your clipboard is replaced.
Other apps
The same Send to menu reaches Logseq with no setup, and Joplin, Notion and Readwise Reader once you add a token in Settings. Everything goes directly from your browser to the app; nothing passes through Pocketdown's servers.
Obsidian, Logseq, Joplin, Notion and Readwise are trademarks of their owners. Pocketdown is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
Questions
Do I need an Obsidian plugin?
No. Pocketdown uses Obsidian's built-in obsidian:// link to create the note, so there is nothing to install inside Obsidian.
Which vault does the note go into?
The vault named in Settings → Send to → Obsidian. If you leave it blank, the note goes into the vault you had open most recently.
Can I send YouTube transcripts to Obsidian?
Yes. Video transcripts, web pages and PDFs can all be sent to Obsidian the same way.
Does my content go through Pocketdown's servers?
No. The note goes directly from your browser to Obsidian on your computer.
More guides
- Save a YouTube transcript as Markdown — Captions to a timestamped transcript, including videos with no caption file.
- Save Bilibili subtitles as Markdown — Human-made and AI subtitles from 哔哩哔哩, with links back to each moment.
- Convert a web page to Markdown — The article without the ads and menus — or just a selection, or one element.
- Convert a PDF to Markdown in your browser — Headings and paragraphs rebuilt from the text layer, with no upload.