I’ve been using Obsidian for several years now, and while the native dual-pane functionality seemed promising, it always felt frustratingly incomplete. Opening a second pane was easy enough, but managing multiple tabs across different panes became a nightmare. The tab history would jump between panes unpredictably, I’d lose my place when switching between notes, and, worst of all, sidebar panes would keep stealing focus while I was typing. The cramped vertical splits made multi-document research sessions hard, forcing me to choose between having multiple references open or being able to actually read them comfortably.
After countless hours of frustration and testing several community plugins, I settled on Pane Relief. This plugin not only solved my dual-pane problems but also transformed how I work with multiple notes entirely. The difference was immediate and dramatic. What started as a simple search for better pane management turned into discovering an essential productivity plugin I’ll keep on my Obsidian setup.
Pane Relief maximizes my Obsidian workflow
Browser-style tab management that works
Pane Relief delivers everything I wanted from Obsidian’s native dual-pane workflow and so much more. The plugin brings browser-style tab management directly into Obsidian, complete with persistent per-tab navigation history that survives restarts. Instead of Obsidian’s confusing global history that jumps between panes randomly, each tab now maintains its own independent navigation stack.
The enhanced history arrows in the tab title bar display actual counts and hover previews, allowing me to see exactly where I’m going before navigating. Right-clicking these arrows reveals draggable history lists that function similarly to those in Chrome or Firefox. Tab movement becomes effortless with keyboard commands. Ctrl + PageUp and PageDown cycle between panes, while adding Shift swaps the tabs themselves. Alt + 1 through Alt + 8 jump to numbered tab positions, and Alt + 9 takes me to the last pane.
The intelligent tab maximizing command works seamlessly with Hover Editors and pop-up windows. Most importantly, the Simple Sliding Panes mode creates horizontally scrollable workspaces with fixed-width panes, rather than cramped, divided spaces. Every feature works together to create that browser-like experience I’d been craving. With so many improvements to pane management, Pane Relief has become one of the several Obsidian Plugins I can’t live without.
How I use Pane Relief
Pane Relief in action
I like working on my 13-inch laptop for all the flexibility that it provides. The problem is that the screen is just a bit small for implementing a dual-pane setup, forcing me to use skip panes altogether. However, with Pane Relief, managing panes has become significantly better, making a multi-pane setup now usable for me. Let me demonstrate how with my current setup:
I begin by setting up my core workspace with two distinct panes. My right pane serves as my writing hub with two other tabs for my style guide and a checklist I follow. My left pane becomes my dedicated source area where I organize all my research materials clipped from the web using the Obsidian Web Clipper. I can easily switch between my source tabs by using Alt + 1, Alt + 2, Alt + 3, and beyond. This simple layout allows me to quickly change source materials while still having my writing space always on the right side of my screen.
While I usually stick to a dual-pane setup, there are times when I also utilize a three-pane setup. For this task, I enable Simple Sliding Panes mode by holding Ctrl + P and searching for the command. I position my main writing pane in the center, allowing me to slide between source materials on both sides. Each pane source gets its own 700-pixel-wide pane that I can navigate through by holding Shift and using two-finger gestures up or down on my trackpad. On a laptop, this horizontal scrolling approach is important because traditional vertical splits would create unusable narrow columns that strain your eyes and break concentration.
When I need to reorganize my research materials for better logical flow, Ctrl + PageUp and PageDown cycle through panes effortlessly while Ctrl + Shift + PageDown swaps their positions without touching the trackpad.
The enhanced history arrows prove invaluable when diving deep into research rabbit holes. I can see exactly how many steps back I can go (the little “2” next to the back arrow) and hover to preview where I’m heading before navigating. When I follow a chain of linked references and need to backtrack, I know instantly whether I’m three steps deep or ten. When I find a particularly useful source during my research, I right-click the history arrow and drag that note directly into my article to create an instant citation link.
Pane Relief also has a Focus Lock feature, which prevents sidebar elements from stealing your keyboard focus while typing and ensures that accidental clicks on search boxes or tag fields don’t interrupt your writing flow by hijacking your cursor. I haven’t been able to get Focus Lock working reliably on Obsidian 1.9, possibly because I’ve been experimenting with the settings too much. I haven’t been able to use this feature yet. But if it works properly for you, then this is genuinely a great addition that can significantly reduce typing interruptions during intensive writing sessions.
After my writing session, I can simply close my laptop to save battery and move on to other tasks. When I reopen Obsidian later, everything loads exactly as I left it. My article workspace, with its sliding panes and carefully arranged tabs, remains perfectly intact. While installing too many community plugins is one of the Obsidian mistakes I always tell people to avoid, I think Pane Relief is definitely one of those plugins you can try out earlier for its general application, ease of use, and the noticeable boost it gives to your overall workflow.
Fixing Obsidian’s poor pane management with Pane Relief
Pane Relief turned Obsidian’s frustrating dual-pane experience into something that actually enhances my productivity. It doesn’t just add features, but also fixes fundamental workflow problems that I didn’t even realize were slowing me down until I discovered this plugin. The combination of browser-style navigation, sliding panes, and persistent workspace configurations transforms Obsidian from a basic note-taking app into a professional writing environment. If you’ve ever felt frustrated with Obsidian’s native pane management like me, Pane Relief is something you’ll want to try. Install it today and experience the smooth, dual-pane productivity that feels like a breeze.
