Obsidian · Compatibility

Sync Left a Pile of "(conflicted copy).md" Notes
how to open both, compare, and keep the right one

Your sync service, or Obsidian Sync, made (conflicted copy) versions of some notes, and now you have two files for the same note and are afraid of deleting the wrong one. The good news: nothing is lost. Both versions are plain .md files sitting in your vault, and you can open each, read it, and keep the parts you want.

Why you have two files

A sync service like Dropbox, iCloud, or OneDrive, or Obsidian Sync, creates a conflict copy when the same note was changed in two places before it could sync. Rather than pick a winner and lose your edits, it saves both versions side by side, usually naming one something like note (conflicted copy).md. So the content is safe; you just have to sort out which lines to keep.

Open and sort them out

NoteLoom opens your vault folder in the browser and shows every .md in it, so the original and its conflict copy are both right there in the file tree.

  1. Open app.noteloom.cc in Chrome / Edge / Arc and mount your vault folder.
  2. Open the original in the reading view, then open the (conflicted copy) the same way, so you can read what is actually in each one, rendered.
  3. Edit one file to include the lines you want to keep, save it, and delete the conflict copy.
Step What you do
Find both files The original and the "(conflicted copy)" are both .md in your vault folder
Read each one Open each in the reading view to see what is actually in it, rendered
Keep the right lines Copy the parts you want into one file, save, and delete the conflict copy

The honest part: it opens, you decide

Worth being clear, because this is where notes get lost: NoteLoom is not a diff or merge tool, and it is not a sync tool. It does not automatically highlight the differences, it does not merge the two files for you, and it does not create or prevent conflict copies, that is your sync service’s job. What it does is open both local files so you can read them and decide, then save your merged version.

Since your notes stay plain .md, you can also keep the vault in version control for a safety net, and see exactly what changed. For editing vault notes safely in general, see editing Obsidian Markdown without breaking it.

Related reading

Edit Obsidian Markdown without breaking it What survives when you edit a vault note in another app. Are Obsidian notes just Markdown? Why both versions are plain, recoverable .md files. Open an Obsidian vault without Obsidian? Read and edit your vault’s .md, rendered, with no install. Edit .md files in place, without importing Merge the versions in the real files, no import step.

FAQ

Where do these "(conflicted copy)" files come from?
A sync service like Dropbox, iCloud, or OneDrive, or Obsidian Sync, makes a conflict copy when the same note was edited in two places before it could sync. Both versions are saved as separate .md files in your vault folder, so nothing is thrown away.
How do I open both versions to compare them?
Mount the vault folder in NoteLoom. Both the original and the "(conflicted copy)" are .md files sitting in it, so open each one in the reading view to see what is actually in it, then decide which parts to keep.
Does NoteLoom automatically diff or merge them?
No. It is not a diff or merge tool. It opens each file so you can read and compare them yourself, then copy the parts you want into one file. The comparing and merging is done by hand; NoteLoom just opens the files.
How do I keep the right version?
Once you have read both, edit one file to include the lines you want to keep, copying from the other where needed, save it, and delete the conflict copy. Because they are plain .md, you can also keep the vault in version control as a safety net.
Will NoteLoom stop future conflict copies?
No. It is not a sync tool and does not create or prevent conflict copies; that is your sync service’s job. NoteLoom only helps you open and sort out the ones you already have.
Which browser does it need?
A Chromium-based desktop browser: Chrome, Edge, or Arc. It uses the File System Access API, which Firefox, Safari, and mobile browsers do not support yet.

Open your conflict copies and keep the right lines

Open NoteLoom in Chrome / Edge / Arc, mount your vault, and open both the original and the (conflicted copy) in the reading view to read each one, then save the version you want and delete the copy. Nothing uploaded, no account,.

Open NoteLoom and try it

Written by Beep, the solo developer behind NoteLoom. Product claims in this guide are checked against what the app actually does.