An alternative Obsidian side-pane file explorer with custom sorting, grouping, filtering, and lightweight previews.
Designed for users with large vaults who need faster, more flexible navigation than the default file tree.
Sorting — Sort files by:
- Name (A-Z / Z-A)
- Modified date (newest / oldest)
- Created date (newest / oldest)
- File extension
- File size
Grouping — Group files by:
- Folder
- File extension
- Modified month
- Top-level folder
Filtering — Narrow results with:
- Search by file name or path
- Markdown-only toggle
- Attachments-only toggle
- Modified within last day / 7 days / 30 days
Preview Panel — See file context without opening:
- Markdown: first heading and tags
- Images: thumbnail preview
- Other files: type, size, and modified date
Settings — Persist defaults:
- Default sort and group mode
- Preview panel on/off
- Hidden file extensions
- Download
main.js,manifest.json, andstyles.cssfrom the latest release - Create a folder named
smart-explorerin your vault's.obsidian/plugins/directory - Copy the three files into that folder
- Enable the plugin in Obsidian Settings → Community Plugins
git clone https://github.com/rogerdigital/smart-explorer.git
cd smart-explorer
npm install
npm run buildThen copy main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css to your vault's plugin folder.
- Open via the ribbon icon (compass icon) or Command Palette →
Smart Explorer: Open - Use the toolbar to sort, group, and filter files
- Click a file to open it; the preview panel updates with file context
- Configure defaults in Settings → Community Plugins → Smart Explorer
This plugin does not make any network requests. All data stays local in your vault.
- Read-only: no file rename, move, or delete operations
- No drag-and-drop support
- No custom manual ordering
- No full-text content search
npm install # install dependencies
npm run dev # watch mode for development
npm run build # production build
npm test # run unit tests