Ever accidentally deleted a paragraph, overwrote a section, or wished you could see what your note looked like an hour ago? Time Machine gives you instant access to every snapshot Obsidian has silently saved for you -- plus your git history if your vault is in a repository.
Time Machine turns Obsidian's built-in File Recovery snapshots and git commits into a visual, interactive timeline. Scrub through your note's history with a slider, see exactly what changed, and restore anything -- an entire version or just a single paragraph.
- Timeline slider -- drag through your note's history to see how it evolved over time
- Colored diff view -- additions in green, deletions in red, so you can instantly spot what changed
- Full version restore -- roll back your entire note to any previous snapshot
- Selective restore -- restore just the specific changes you want, leaving the rest untouched
- Git integration -- automatically shows git commits alongside File Recovery snapshots on the same timeline (desktop only)
- Source indicators -- each snapshot shows whether it comes from File Recovery or a git commit
- On-demand snapshots -- force-create a File Recovery snapshot whenever you want, without waiting for the timer
- Auto-sync -- the view updates automatically when you switch between files
- Smart filtering -- only shows snapshots that actually differ from your current content, with duplicates removed
- Desktop and mobile -- works wherever Obsidian runs (git features are desktop-only)
- Enable the File Recovery core plugin in Settings -> Core plugins (it's usually on by default)
- Install Time Machine from the Community Plugins browser
- Open the command palette (
Ctrl/Cmd + P) and run Time Machine: Open view - Start browsing your note's history
If your vault is a git repository, Time Machine will automatically include git commits on the timeline -- no extra setup needed.
Time Machine reads snapshots from two sources:
- File Recovery (always) -- Obsidian's core plugin that automatically saves snapshots at regular intervals (every 2 minutes by default)
- Git (desktop, optional) -- if your vault lives in a git repository, Time Machine fetches the commit history for each file
Both sources are merged into a single chronological timeline. Snapshots with identical content are deduplicated, keeping only the most recent one.
You don't need to do anything special -- just write your notes as usual. Time Machine will always have your history ready when you need it.
- Usage guide -- how to browse, compare, and restore snapshots
- Configuration -- plugin settings and File Recovery configuration
- Tips and troubleshooting -- common questions and solutions
Created by Sebastien Dubois.
If you find this plugin useful, consider buying me a coffee to support development.
MIT
