# External Namespaces plugin for Obsidian External Namespaces, by Joseph N. Cohen, fixes the classic problem with `file:///` links: the same file lives at a different path on each computer. You register folder roots under short prefixes like `dropbox`, each mapped to its own local folder on each device. Paste a Windows path from that folder, and the plugin turns it into a link like `[smith2020.pdf](obsidian://ens?p=dropbox:papers/smith2020.pdf)`. On another computer, you only tell it where `dropbox` lives there, and your links keep working. It handles folders as well as files. It's desktop only, and Obsidian staff haven't reviewed it manually yet. If you need the same on your phone, [[External File Linker plugin for Obsidian|External File Linker]] also runs on Android and iOS. ## References - Source code: https://github.com/jncohen/obsidian-external-namespaces - Community plugin page: https://obsidian.md/plugins?id=external-namespaces ## Related - [[The Complete Guide to Obsidian Search - Find Any Note When You Need It (Article)]] - [[Search Your Obsidian Vault From Outside Obsidian (Article)]] - [[Better File Link plugin for Obsidian]] - [[External File Linker plugin for Obsidian]]