Supported Formats
Media file formats, codecs, and subtitle formats that Media Extended can play
Media Extended plays local and remote media using Obsidian's built-in Chromium engine. The exact formats and codecs available depend on your Obsidian installer version and operating system.
For hosted services like YouTube and Bilibili, the service handles format decoding. The tables below apply to local files and direct URLs only.
Video formats
| Format | Extension | Common codecs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| MPEG-4 | .mp4 | H.264, H.265/HEVC, AV1 | Most widely compatible |
| WebM | .webm | VP8, VP9, AV1 | Open format |
| Matroska | .mkv | H.264, H.265/HEVC, VP9, AV1 | Supported in Obsidian's Chromium engine |
| QuickTime | .mov | H.264, H.265/HEVC | Common on macOS |
| Ogg Video | .ogv | Theora | Older open format |
Audio formats
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MP3 | .mp3 | Universal support |
| MPEG-4 Audio | .m4a | AAC codec, common for music and podcasts |
| WAV | .wav | Uncompressed, large file sizes |
| FLAC | .flac | Lossless compression |
| Ogg Vorbis | .ogg, .oga | Open format |
| Opus | .opus | Efficient, modern codec |
| 3GPP | .3gp | Mobile recording format |
Codec support
Codec availability depends on the Chromium version bundled with your Obsidian installer. Updating the installer gives you access to newer codecs.
| Codec | Type | Support |
|---|---|---|
| H.264 (AVC) | Video | All platforms |
| VP8 | Video | All platforms |
| VP9 | Video | All platforms |
| H.265 (HEVC) | Video | Recent Obsidian installer required |
| AV1 | Video | Recent Obsidian installer required |
| AAC | Audio | All platforms |
| MP3 (MPEG-1 Layer III) | Audio | All platforms |
| Opus | Audio | All platforms |
| Vorbis | Audio | All platforms |
| Theora | Video | All platforms |
| FLAC | Audio | All platforms |
Subtitle formats
These subtitle file formats work in the transcript panel:
| Format | Extension |
|---|---|
| WebVTT | .vtt |
| SubRip | .srt |
| SubStation Alpha | .ssa |
| Advanced SubStation Alpha | .ass |
Playback methods
How Media Extended plays media depends on where the media comes from.
| Source | Playback method | Format handling |
|---|---|---|
| Vault files, local files | Native HTML5 player | Limited to codecs in your Obsidian installer |
| Direct URLs (WebDAV, static servers) | Native HTML5 player | Limited to codecs in your Obsidian installer |
| YouTube, Vimeo | Local player (iframe embed) or web viewer | Handled by the service |
| Google Drive | Iframe embed | Handled by Google |
| Bilibili, Coursera, Baidu Pan | Web viewer only | Handled by the service |
Format compatibility notes
MP4 with H.264 and MP3 are supported on every Obsidian version and platform.
H.265/HEVC and AV1 require a recent Obsidian installer. Updating the installer — not just Obsidian itself — changes the available codec set.
See also
- Web Viewer Integration — supported hosting services and their features
- Hash Properties — control playback behavior with hash properties on media links