Obsidian lets you customize how to edit and preview notes with Markdown syntax using _editor views_ and _editor modes_. Markdown is a markup language that uses special syntax to format text that's mainly useful when editing your notes. Less so when reading them. Instead, Obsidian can show them in a way that's more suitable for reading. Editor views and modes lets you customize how Markdown syntax appears when you're editing and reading notes. ## Editor views You can switch between the _editing view_ and _reading view_, depending on whether you intend to make changes to the note. To switch between views, select the view switcher ( ![[lucide-book-icon.svg#icon]] or ![[lucide-edit-3.svg#icon]] ) in the upper-right corner of the editor, or press `Ctrl+E` (or `Cmd+E` on macOS) in the editor. > [!note] > You need to enable **Settings → Appearance → Show tab title bar** to see the icon for switching views. You can change the default editor view under **Settings → Editor → Default view for new tabs**. > [!tip] Side-by-side preview > To open a note in both editing and reading view side-by-side, press `Ctrl` (or `Cmd` on macOS) and select the view switcher ( ![[lucide-book-icon.svg#icon]] or ![[lucide-edit-3.svg#icon]] ) in the upper-right corner of the editor. ## Editor modes In Editing view, you can edit your notes using one of two modes, _Live Preview_ or _Source mode_. You can change the default editor mode under **Settings → Editor → Default editing mode**. ### Live Preview Live Preview is a smart editor mode that previews Markdown-formatted text while you're editing. You can reveal the syntax for any Markdown-formatted text by moving the text cursor to it. > [!tip] > Since Live Preview lets you see the formatting in the editing view, it often removes the need to switch between editor views. ### Source mode Source mode displays the Markdown syntax for the entire note. Use Source mode if you prefer to see the plain text representation of the note.