> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/obsidianmd/obsidian-help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Templates

> The Templates plugin lets you insert pre-defined content into your notes, with dynamic variables for the note title, current date, and current time.

Templates is a core plugin that lets you insert pre-defined snippets of text into the active note. Templates are plain notes stored in a folder you designate, and they can include dynamic variables that resolve when you insert the template.

## Enable templates

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings">
    Click the gear icon in the bottom-left corner, or press `Ctrl+,` (`Cmd+,` on macOS).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Go to Core plugins">
    Select **Core plugins** in the sidebar and toggle on **Templates**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Set your templates folder

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Templates settings">
    Go to **Settings → Core plugins → Templates**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the folder">
    In the **Template folder location** field, enter the path to your templates folder (for example, `Templates` or `_meta/templates`).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Template variables

Templates support three built-in variables that are replaced with live values when you insert the template:

| Variable    | Description                   | Default format |
| ----------- | ----------------------------- | -------------- |
| `{{title}}` | The title of the active note. | —              |
| `{{date}}`  | Today's date.                 | `YYYY-MM-DD`   |
| `{{time}}`  | The current time.             | `HH:mm`        |

### Custom date and time formats

Add a colon and a [Moment.js format string](https://momentjs.com/docs/#/displaying/format/) to override the default format:

```
{{date:MMMM Do, YYYY}}   → March 15th, 2024
{{date:DD/MM/YYYY}}      → 15/03/2024
{{time:h:mm A}}          → 3:45 PM
```

You can use `{{date}}` and `{{time}}` interchangeably for date and time formatting. You can also change the global default formats under **Settings → Templates → Date format** and **Time format**.

<Tip>
  The `{{date}}` and `{{time}}` variables also work in the Daily notes and Unique note creator plugins.
</Tip>

## Create a template

In your templates folder, create a note with the content you want to reuse. Use template variables for anything that should update dynamically.

Here's an example template for study notes:

```md theme={null}
---
topic: 
date: "{{date}}"
course: 
tags:
  - studies
---

# {{title}}

## Key Concepts


## Important Details


## Examples


## Questions
- 

## Summary


## Related Topics
- [[]]
```

## Insert a template

To insert a template into the active note:

* Click **Insert template** in the left ribbon.
* Or, open the Command palette and run **Templates: Insert template**.
* Or, set a hotkey for the **Templates: Insert template** command.

The template content is inserted at your current cursor position. If your cursor is not inside the note body, the content is inserted at your last cursor position.

### Insert the current date or time

Use the commands **Templates: Insert current date** and **Templates: Insert current time** to insert just the date or time at your cursor, using the formats configured in plugin settings.

## Templates vs. Templater

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Templates (core)" icon="file-text">
    Built into Obsidian. Supports `{{title}}`, `{{date}}`, and `{{time}}` variables. Simple and reliable for most use cases.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Templater (community)" icon="code">
    A community plugin with a far richer scripting language. Supports JavaScript, conditional logic, user prompts, file system access, and hundreds of built-in functions. Install it from **Settings → Community plugins**.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

If you need logic, loops, or dynamic content beyond simple variable substitution, Templater is worth exploring. For basic templates, the core plugin is sufficient.