Set Up Web Viewer Integration
Enable web viewer integration so you can browse video sites inside Obsidian with playback control, screenshots, and caption fetching.
The web viewer integration lets you open YouTube, Bilibili, Coursera, and other video sites directly in Obsidian. You get playback control, screenshot capture, and caption fetching — all without leaving the app.
The web viewer requires the Obsidian desktop app with installer version 1.11.4 or later. If your installer is older, download the latest from obsidian.md and reinstall. Learn more about installer updates.
Run the setup wizard
Open the command palette (Ctrl+P / Cmd+P) and run Open web viewer integration setup wizard, or use this quick link:
Open web viewer setup wizard
The wizard walks you through five steps. Follow them in order:
- Secure installer version — If this step already shows a checkmark, move on. Otherwise, download the latest Obsidian installer from obsidian.md and reinstall.
- Enable Web viewer core plugin — Click Open core plugins. Find Web viewer in the list and toggle it on. Return to the setup wizard.
- Set up main daemon — Click Continue to open the main daemon setup wizard. Follow the steps there to install and connect the daemon module. Once all daemon steps show checkmarks, click Done to return. If you need more detail, see How to Set Up the Main Daemon.
- Enable web viewer integration — Click Enable.
- Restart Obsidian — Click Restart now. Obsidian closes and reopens.
After the restart, open the setup wizard again. All five steps should show checkmarks. Click Done.
Verify the integration is active
Open Settings → Community plugins → Media Extended and scroll to the Web viewer integration section. The Status field shows the current state:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Active | Web viewer integration is working |
| Obsidian update required | Reinstall Obsidian with a newer installer |
| Web viewer plugin not enabled | Enable the Web viewer core plugin |
| Main daemon not ready | Set up or reconnect the main daemon |
| Not enabled | Toggle Enable web viewer integration on |
| Restart required | Restart Obsidian to apply changes |
If the status is not Active, click Setup... to reopen the wizard and complete the missing step.
Choose how hosted media opens
Once web viewer integration is active, you can choose whether YouTube and Vimeo links open in the web viewer or the local embedded player.
- Open Settings → Community plugins → Media Extended
- Scroll to the Web viewer integration section
- Set Open hosted media in... to Webviewer or Local player
The local player shows a clean, ad-free embedded player. The web viewer loads the full site with comments, playlists, and recommendations — but you need YouTube Premium for ad-free playback.
See also
- Web Viewer Integration — how the web viewer works, supported sites, and local player vs web viewer tradeoffs
- Notes with the Web Viewer — tutorial for browsing YouTube inside Obsidian
- Main Daemon — why the daemon is needed and what it enables
- Open from a Hosting Service — supported platforms and how to open them