Obsidian · Compatibility

Obsidian on a Chromebook
Open your vault in Chrome, no Linux container

You have a Chromebook and you want your Obsidian vault on it. You can run Obsidian on a Chromebook, through the Android app or the Linux desktop version, but both are heavier than they need to be if what you mostly want is to read and edit your notes.

Your vault is a folder of .md files, and a Chromebook’s Chrome is a full desktop browser that can open that folder directly. Here is the lighter route, and where its limits are.

The usual ways, and why they feel heavy

  • The Android app installs from Google Play, but it is shaped for a phone, which feels cramped for real editing on a laptop screen.
  • The Linux desktop version runs through the Chromebook’s Linux container, which means turning Linux on and managing a heavier setup just to open some notes.

Both are fine if you want the full app. But if you just want to read and edit the notes in your vault, there is a lighter way.

The lighter route: open the vault in Chrome

A Chromebook’s Chrome is a full desktop Chromium, and it supports the File System Access API, so a browser tool can open a local folder and read and write the files in it. NoteLoom does exactly that.

  1. Open app.noteloom.cc in Chrome on your Chromebook. No Linux container, no Android app, nothing to install.
  2. Mount your vault folder (or a subfolder).
  3. Open any .md note. NoteLoom renders Obsidian-style [[wikilinks]], ![[embeds]], and frontmatter, so your notes look right.
  4. Edit in the live or source view. It saves straight back to the same file, and because it is a web app, it keeps working offline once loaded.

No account, no install, no container. It works on the same files Obsidian would.

What works, and what does not (the honest limits)

Be clear-eyed about this: NoteLoom opens the notes in your vault, not the whole Obsidian app.

In your Obsidian vault In NoteLoom, in Chrome on your Chromebook
Your .md notes Opened, rendered, and edited, saved back to the same files
Frontmatter / properties Compatible, the same YAML block Obsidian uses
[[wikilinks]] and ![[embeds]] Rendered, including aliases, heading and block links, and image / PDF embeds
reading / live / source views All three, right in Chrome
Plugins, canvas, graph view Not available, this is not the Obsidian app
Sync, remote vault fetch Not available, it opens local files on the device
Your .obsidian config folder Not loaded, settings / plugins / themes stay with Obsidian

So it is a light way to read and edit your notes on a Chromebook, not a full replacement for the app. If you need plugins, the canvas, the graph, or sync, those are what the Android app or the Linux version are for.

Where the vault’s files come from (no cloud step)

One honest caveat: NoteLoom opens local files on the Chromebook. It does not fetch or sync a remote vault. So the vault folder has to be on the device first: a local copy, a USB drive, or a synced folder (such as a Google Drive folder) that has already downloaded. Once the folder is there, mount it in Chrome and you are set.

Related reading

Obsidian without admin rights? The other case: a locked-down work or school computer, not a Chromebook. Markdown not rendering? The common gotchas If your [[wikilinks]] show as raw text, the tool is not rendering Markdown. How do you open a .md file? The general version: opening and reading any Markdown file. Online Markdown Editor Open a local folder of .md files and read or edit them in your browser.

FAQ

Can you even run Obsidian on a Chromebook?
Yes, two ways: the Obsidian Android app from Google Play, or the Linux desktop version through the Chromebook’s Linux container. Both work. This page is about a lighter option for when you mostly want to read and edit your notes: opening the vault in the Chrome that is already there, with no Linux container and no Android app.
Do I need to turn on Linux on my Chromebook?
Not for this. The browser route uses the Chrome you already have. Turning on the Linux container is only needed if you want the full Linux desktop Obsidian app, which is the heavier setup this page helps you avoid.
Is this a browser version of Obsidian?
No. It opens and renders the .md notes in your vault, including frontmatter, [[wikilinks]], and ![[embeds]], but it is not the Obsidian app. There are no plugins, no canvas, no graph view, and no sync, and it does not read your .obsidian settings folder. It works on the notes, not the app.
Where do the vault files come from on a Chromebook?
The vault folder has to be on the Chromebook: a local copy, a USB drive, or a synced folder (like a Google Drive folder) that has already downloaded to the device. NoteLoom opens local files; it does not pull down or sync a remote vault.
Does it work offline?
Yes. NoteLoom is a progressive web app, so once it has loaded it keeps working offline on your local files, which is handy on a Chromebook with spotty Wi-Fi. It works on the files on the device, not a remote vault.
Which browser does this need?
Chrome, which is exactly what a Chromebook runs, and it also works in Edge and Arc on other machines. It uses the browser’s File System Access API, which Firefox, Safari, and mobile browsers do not support yet.

Open your vault on your Chromebook, in Chrome

Open NoteLoom in Chrome on your Chromebook, mount your vault folder, and read or edit the .md notes in it, saved straight back to the device. No Linux container, no app to install, and no account to sign up for.

Open NoteLoom and try it