A vault <u>is a folder</u> on your local file system where Obsidian stores your notes. You can keep all your notes in one vault, or create several vaults for each of your different projects. The first time you open Obsidian, you'll be asked to add a new vault. You have two options, either create a new empty vault, or use an existing folder. ## Create empty vault To create a new empty vault: 1. To the right of **Create new vault**, click **Create**. 2. In **Vault name**, enter the name of your vault. 3. Click **Browse** to select where your new vault will be created. 4. Click **Create**. ## Open existing folder If you already have a folder that you want to use as your vault: 1. To the right of **Open folder as vault**, click **Open**. 2. In the file browser, select the folder you want to use as your vault. 3. Click **Open**. If you want to know more about how vaults work, learn how [[How Obsidian stores data]]. Now that you've set up your vault, you're ready to [[Create your first note]].