Obsidian Ctrl+Click Links

An Obsidian plugin that restores the traditional link opening behavior, requiring Ctrl + Click (or Cmd + Click on macOS) to follow links in edit mode. This allows you to freely click and edit link text without accidentally navigating away.

Features

This plugin provides several link opening modes using modifier keys:

• Ctrl/Cmd + Click - Open link in current tab
• Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Click - Open link in new tab
• Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + Shift + Click - Open link in new window
• Click (no modifiers) - Edit the link text (default behavior)

Works with all link types:

• Internal links ([[note]])
• External links ([text](url))
• URLs

Installation

Using BRAT (Recommended)

1. Install the BRAT plugin if you haven't already
2. Open Obsidian Settings → BRAT
3. Click "Add Beta plugin"
4. Enter: eikowagenknecht/obsidian-ctrl-click-links
5. Enable the plugin in Settings → Community Plugins

BRAT will automatically check for updates and keep the plugin up to date.

Manual Installation

1. Download main.js and manifest.json from the latest release
2. Create a folder named obsidian-ctrl-click-links in your vault's .obsidian/plugins/ directory
3. Copy the downloaded files into this folder
4. Reload Obsidian and enable the plugin in Settings → Community Plugins

Usage

Once enabled, the plugin automatically changes link behavior in edit mode:

• Click on links normally to position your cursor and edit the link text
• Hold Ctrl (or Cmd on macOS) while clicking to follow the link
• Use additional modifiers (Shift, Alt) for different opening modes

No configuration needed - it just works!

Development

Building the Plugin

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Development mode (watch for changes)
npm run dev

# Production build
npm run build

Creating a Release

1. Update version in package.json
2. Run npm run version to automatically update manifest.json and versions.json
3. Commit changes
4. Create and push a git tag (without 'v' prefix - required by Obsidian):

   git tag 2.0.2
   git push --tags
   

5. GitHub Actions will automatically create a draft release
6. Review and publish the release on GitHub

Attribution

This plugin is a fork of the original work by SmallZombie.

License

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. See LICENSE for details.

Copyright 2024 SmallZombie (original work) Copyright 2025 eikowagenknecht (modifications)