A vault is a folder 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 from the [[Vault switcher]].

## Create empty vault

To create a new empty vault from the vault switcher:

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]].
