Modal Types

Complete guide to using Quick Select across all Obsidian modal types

Supported Modals

Quick Select works seamlessly across all Obsidian modals. Here’s a comprehensive guide to using it in different contexts.

Quick Switcher

Navigate files instantly with keyboard shortcuts

Command Palette

Execute commands without scrolling

Search Modal

Jump to search results quickly

Tag Suggestions

Select tags with speed

Quick Switcher

The Quick Switcher is one of the most-used modals in Obsidian. Quick Select makes it even more powerful.

Usage

1. Open Quick Switcher: Cmd/Ctrl + O
2. Start typing to filter files (optional)
3. Hold Cmd/Ctrl to see numbered items
4. Press 1-9 to open that file

Example Workflow

Recent Files

1. Press Cmd+O
2. Recent files appear at top
3. Cmd+1 opens most recent file instantly

Filtered Search

1. Press Cmd+O
2. Type "project" to filter
3. Cmd+3 opens third matching file

Leave the search empty to quickly access your most recent files using Quick Select.

Command Palette

The Command Palette provides access to all Obsidian commands and plugin commands.

Usage

1. Open Command Palette: Cmd/Ctrl + P
2. Type to search commands
3. Hold Cmd/Ctrl + number to execute

Common Use Cases

Workspace Management

Quickly switch workspaces:

1. Cmd/Ctrl + P
2. Type “workspace”
3. Cmd/Ctrl + 1 to load first workspace

Template Insertion

Insert templates without clicking:

1. Cmd/Ctrl + P
2. Type “template”
3. Cmd/Ctrl + [number] to insert template

Plugin Commands

Execute any plugin command:

1. Cmd/Ctrl + P
2. Type plugin name
3. Select command with number key

Search Modal

The Search modal shows all occurrences of text across your vault.

Usage

1. Open Search: Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + F
2. Enter search query
3. Hold Cmd/Ctrl + number to jump to result

Example

Search results can be navigated instantly, making it easy to review multiple matches across different files.

Tags (Frontmatter/Inline)

Quick Select works with both frontmatter tags and inline tag suggestions.

Inline Tags

1. Type # in your note
2. Tag suggestions appear
3. Hold Cmd/Ctrl to see numbers
4. Press number to insert tag

Frontmatter Tags

1. In frontmatter, add tags: field
2. Start typing tag name
3. Hold Cmd/Ctrl + number to select

Example

Use Quick Select with tags to maintain consistent tagging without needing to type full tag names.

Slash Commands

Slash commands provide quick access to formatting and insertion options.

Usage

1. Type / in editor
2. Slash command menu appears
3. Hold Cmd/Ctrl + number to select

Example

Common Slash Commands

• Templates: /template → Cmd/Ctrl + 1
• Callouts: /callout → Cmd/Ctrl + [number]
• Code blocks: /code → Cmd/Ctrl + 1
• Tables: /table → Cmd/Ctrl + 1

Other Modal Types

Quick Select works in many other contexts:

File/Link Suggestions

• Internal link autocomplete ([[)
• File embed suggestions (![[)
• Alias suggestions

Plugin Modals

Quick Select automatically works with plugin modals that use Obsidian’s standard suggestion interface, including:

• Dataview query results
• Quick Switcher++ enhanced results
• Various plugin command palettes

Technical Details

Quick Select patches two Obsidian modal types:

SuggestModal

Used for full-screen modals like Quick Switcher and Command Palette.

The plugin registers hotkeys (Mod+1 through Mod+9) that select items by index.

PopoverSuggest

Used for inline popovers like tag suggestions and link autocomplete.

Handles group items specially to ensure accurate numbering.

Quick Select works with modals in both the main Obsidian window and popout windows.

General Workflow

Regardless of modal type, the pattern is always:

1. Open modal (any method)
2. Filter results (optional typing)
3. Hold modifier (see numbers appear)
4. Press number (instant selection)

This consistent behavior makes Quick Select intuitive across all Obsidian features.