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Accessing Settings

To configure Quick Select:
1

Open Settings

Click the Settings icon (gear) or press Cmd/Ctrl + ,
2

Navigate to Quick Select

Scroll down to “Community plugins” section and find “Quick Select”
3

Adjust settings

Configure your preferred modifier key and transition style

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Available Settings

Quick Select provides two main configuration options:

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Modifier Key

Choose which key activates Quick Select numbering.
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modifierKey
string
default:"metaKey"
The keyboard modifier that must be held to trigger Quick Select.Options:
  • metaKey - Command (macOS) / Windows key (Windows) / Super (Linux)
  • ctrlKey - Control key (all platforms)
  • altKey - Alt/Option key (all platforms)

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Platform Behavior

  • metaKey: Command (⌘) key
  • ctrlKey: Control (⌃) key
  • altKey: Option (⌥) key
Recommended: metaKey (Command)
The default metaKey setting automatically maps to Command on macOS and Ctrl on Windows/Linux, providing a consistent cross-platform experience.

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Counter Transition Style

Control how the numbered counters appear and disappear.
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transitionStyle
string
default:"slide"
The visual transition effect for Quick Select counters.Options:
  • none - Counters appear instantly without animation
  • fade - Counters fade in/out smoothly
  • slide - Counters slide in from the right (default)
  • permanent - Counters are always visible

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Transition Styles Explained

Description: Counters appear immediately when you press the modifier key with no animation.Best for:
  • Users who prefer minimal visual effects
  • Slower computers where animations may lag
  • Accessibility needs requiring instant feedback
CSS Behavior: Sets opacity to 1 when modifier is pressed.
Description: Counters gradually fade into view over 200ms with an ease-in timing function.Best for:
  • Users who prefer subtle animations
  • Clean, professional appearance
  • Minimal distraction from modal content
CSS Behavior: Transitions opacity from 0 to 1 over 200ms.
Description: Counters slide in from off-screen (right side) with a smooth animation.
  • Slide out: 100ms ease-out when releasing modifier
  • Slide in: 200ms ease-in when pressing modifier
Best for:
  • Default experience for most users
  • Clear visual indication of activation
  • Satisfying tactile feedback
CSS Behavior: Transitions from right: -50px to right: var(--quick-select-inset) with opacity.
Description: Counters are always displayed without requiring the modifier key.Best for:
  • Users who primarily use Quick Select
  • Learning the plugin (see numbers while typing)
  • Accessibility - no need to hold modifier
  • Touch-based workflows
CSS Behavior: Counters rendered as static elements with position: relative and opacity: 1.
Permanent mode shows numbers in all modals all the time. This may feel cluttered if you don’t use Quick Select frequently.

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Default Settings

Here are the default settings as defined in the source code: 
export const DEFAULT_SETTINGS: QuickOpenSettings = {
  modifierKey: "metaKey",
  transitionStyle: "slide",
};

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Settings Interface

The settings are defined with TypeScript types: 
type modOptions = "metaKey" | "ctrlKey" | "altKey";
export type transitionOptions = "none" | "fade" | "slide" | "permanent";

export interface QuickOpenSettings {
  modifierKey: modOptions;
  transitionStyle: transitionOptions;
}

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Configuration Examples

{
  "modifierKey": "ctrlKey",
  "transitionStyle": "slide"
}

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Visual Customization

Quick Select uses CSS custom properties for spacing: 
body {
  --quick-select-initial: var(--size-4-1);
  --quick-select-inset: var(--size-4-2);
}
These control the positioning of counters within modals and can be overridden in custom CSS snippets.

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Counter Styling

The counters are styled with:
  • Color: var(--text-muted) - matches Obsidian’s muted text color
  • Background: var(--background-primary-alt) - subtle background (except permanent mode)
  • Font Size: 0.8em - slightly smaller than modal text
  • Border Radius: 4px - rounded corners
You can customize counter appearance further using CSS snippets. Target the class .suggestion-item::after in your custom CSS.

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Advanced Configuration

While Quick Select only exposes two settings in the UI, advanced users can modify behavior through CSS:

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Custom Counter Positioning

/* Adjust counter spacing */
body {
  --quick-select-initial: 10px;
  --quick-select-inset: 15px;
}

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Custom Counter Colors

/* Make counters more prominent */
.suggestion-item:nth-child(-n+9 of :not(.mod-group))::after {
  color: var(--text-accent);
  background-color: var(--interactive-accent);
  font-weight: 600;
}

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Adjust Animation Speed

/* Faster slide animation */
.quick-select-transition-slide .suggestion-item:nth-child(-n+9 of :not(.mod-group))::after {
  transition: all 50ms ease-out;
}
CSS customizations require creating a CSS snippet in Obsidian’s snippets folder and enabling it in Appearance settings.

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Troubleshooting Settings

Problem: Pressing modifier + number doesn’t select items.Solutions:
  1. Check if another plugin or system shortcut is using the same key combination
  2. Try changing to a different modifier key in settings
  3. Restart Obsidian after changing settings
  4. Check if the modal is actually a Quick Select-compatible modal type
Problem: Numbers don’t show up when holding modifier key.Solutions:
  1. Try setting transition style to “permanent” to see if counters work at all
  2. Check if custom CSS snippets are interfering
  3. Disable other plugins to check for conflicts
  4. Try in a different modal (Quick Switcher is most reliable for testing)
Problem: Transition animations are laggy or choppy.Solutions:
  1. Change transition style to “none” for instant appearance
  2. Check system performance and close resource-heavy apps
  3. Try a different transition style (fade is lighter than slide)

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Resetting to Defaults

To reset Quick Select settings to defaults:
  1. Open Settings → Quick Select
  2. Set Modifier key to Meta
  3. Set Counter transition style to Slide
Alternatively, you can manually edit the plugin data file (advanced users only): 
# Location: .obsidian/plugins/quick-open/data.json
{
  "modifierKey": "metaKey",
  "transitionStyle": "slide"
}