FAQ & Troubleshooting

Last reviewed: 2026-07-07

Answers to the most common questions — from Obsidian compatibility to conflict files and backups.

Fundamentals

Where does my data live?

Exclusively with you: a vault is a plain folder of Markdown files on your computer. Plainva runs no server of its own and keeps no copies anywhere. If you sync, it goes directly between your computer and your storage (your Nextcloud, your OneDrive, your bucket …). Credentials live in the operating system’s keychain.

Can I use Plainva and Obsidian side by side?

Yes — that is a core promise, with one honest caveat. Plainva writes plain Markdown with standard frontmatter; everything Plainva-specific is bundled under plainva: keys (in notes and .base files), which Obsidian simply ignores when opening files. Obsidian shows the plainva key as a non-editable object in its properties — that is harmless. Plainva-only views such as Board or Calendar appear in Obsidian as a plain table.

The caveat: opening is always safe, editing is not always. An existing Obsidian vault can be opened and edited in Plainva without risk — nothing is migrated or reformatted. But once a vault uses Plainva features (database extensions such as boards, relations or reverse columns, managed index.md files), editing those specific files in Obsidian can break the Plainva functionality, because Obsidian does not know the plainva: extensions. Notes without Plainva extensions can be edited anywhere, anytime. The first time you use such an extension, a reminder dialog (Plainva extension) points it out; it can be disabled under Settings → Warnings.

Does Plainva modify my existing vault?

Not unasked. Existing files are only touched when you explicitly start an action (e.g. the OKF conversion — with preview and backups). Only newly created files automatically get the small OKF frontmatter header.

Files & editing

I deleted something — is it gone?

No, twice over: before every deletion Plainva saves the file as a snapshot — right-click the vault name → Restore deleted files… brings it back inside the app. In addition, deleted files and folders go to the operating system’s trash (for whole folders the trash is the primary way back). Details: Backups & Version History.

Are there older versions of my notes?

Yes: Plainva automatically creates file versions as you edit. Right-click a file → Version history… shows all snapshots with a comparison view and Restore. In addition, Plainva backs up the whole vault daily as a ZIP outside the vault folder. Details: Backups & Version History.

Why is my index.md read-only?

It was generated by Plainva and is kept up to date automatically (recognizable by the banner “This index.md is managed by Plainva…”). Edit anyway hands it over to your manual care permanently — it will no longer update automatically. Details: OKF.

What happens when I rename a property in a database?

The new name is written into the frontmatter of every matching note (after confirmation, with a progress indicator). The same principle applies to deleting: the checkbox Also remove it from the notes’ frontmatter cleans up the source notes as well. Both act on your files — that is exactly what they are for.

Can I undo the OKF conversion?

Before any change, the wizard backs the file up to .plainva/backups/okf-conversion-<timestamp>/. The final report names the exact folder; you can copy individual files back from there. Also use Preview (no changes) before converting.

Sync

What is a .CONFLICT file?

If the same file was changed here and on another device at the same time, Plainva first tries to merge both versions automatically. If that is not possible, your version is safely saved as a .CONFLICT file next to the original — nothing is ever lost. Conflict files are marked in the file tree; right-click to choose Keep this Version (the conflict version replaces the original) or Discard Conflict.

With the “Bring Your Own” setup, your Google project stays in testing mode; Google then ends the session after 7 days. Plainva renews tokens automatically in the background, but once expired, use Reconnect in the sync settings. Details: Google Drive (BYO).

My vault lives in a OneDrive/Dropbox/iCloud folder and Plainva behaves strangely

Set the vault folder to “always keep on this device” / “available offline” in the provider’s sync client. Online-only placeholder files (Files On-Demand, “online-only”) interfere with indexing and sync. Details: Sync Compatibility.

I am offline — what happens to my changes?

They are saved locally as usual and collected in a queue; as soon as the connection returns, Plainva transfers them automatically. The status bar shows Online/Offline.

The status bar says Offline even though I have internet

Then the sync connection itself is broken — often because the sign-in expired or the credentials changed (e.g. with Google Drive). Click Offline in the status bar or the warning triangle next to the vault name: the dialog shows the exact error message, and Open sync settings takes you straight to the matching provider form where you reconnect (e.g. Reconnect). Every click also triggers an immediate sync retry.

App

How do I change the language?

Settings → General → Language (currently German and English).

”Check for Updates” finds nothing

As long as there are no public releases yet, the update check reports: “No public updates (releases) are available yet.” That is not an error.

Are there hidden features?

Starfleet does not comment on rumors. But word is the logo in the title bar responds to persistent knocking — and whoever knows the right words afterwards will see Plainva in a whole new light. Some say: four of them.