Bases Manual Order lets you drag notes into your own order

Name: Bases Manual Order
Author: theluckystrike

Drag rows in a Bases view and keep the order as a number in each note.

Install in Obsidian

Directory page Source on GitHub

MIT · no telemetry · core features free

A writing queue in a Manual order table is grouped by status and shows a numeric rank for each note. — Open larger

version: 1.2.0
released: 2026-10-21
downloads: 26
review: Passed
health: Excellent
license: MIT
listed for: Desktop, Mobile
obsidian: 1.13.4 or later

The directory takes these platforms from the plugin manifest. The automated tests run in the desktop app only.

Directory facts fetched 2026-10-23 07:28 UTC from community.obsidian.md/users/theluckystrike.

About Bases Manual Order

You plan a queue in Bases and need an order that no date or title can express.

Add a Manual order view to a base and drag a row handle or press a move button. The plugin saves the result as a number in a note property. Other Bases views can sort by that number.

Drag a chapter before a research note and see its rank change

Free features

Drag rows in a table

Drop a row handle onto another row to put the note before it. The view follows your base filters and groups. Rows move within their group, so a move never changes a status or project value.

A compact list and move buttons

Set Layout to List when you only need titles. Both layouts use the same saved ranks. The up and down buttons work with a keyboard and on a touch screen.

The compact list layout shows up and down buttons for each note. — Open larger

Ranks that stay in your notes

A normal move writes one note, for example rank 1536 between 1024 and 2048. A move that writes more than ten notes asks for confirmation first. A text value in the rank field stops the move with an explanation.

The free version saves every order to the manual_order property, with no row limit.

Pro features

Pro costs $5 a month or $15 one time through GitHub Sponsors. One sponsorship turns on Pro in every plugin that has it.

Separate orders Pro

Pro adds custom rank properties, so each view can keep a separate ordering. Use reading_order for one queue and draft_order for another. The saved numbers stay in your notes when Pro is off.

See how Pro works

Set up Bases Manual Order

needs

Obsidian 1.13.4 or later
The core plugin Bases, turned on

steps

Open a base that shows Markdown notes and add a view of the type Manual order.
Select the properties you want to see through the Properties menu.
Choose Table or List in the view options.
Drag a handle onto the row that should follow it, or use the arrow buttons.

If the app can't find a new plugin yet, try again later. Obsidian says a plugin that passes the review shows in the app within 24 hours.

Why this exists

Two forum topics ask how to sort Bases entries by hand. The request for drag and drop that is saved to a property has 28 likes on its first post.

Bases Kanban: manual card ordering within a column / drag and drop (persisted to a property)opened 2026-10-06
How to manually sort entries in the new Kanban Base View?opened 2026-09-03

Questions about Bases Manual Order

Can I undo a move?

Use the opposite move button to put the row back. The plugin has no undo history. Keep normal vault backups to recover earlier values.

How do I show the same order in a normal Bases table?

Sort that table ascending by manual_order. The plugin does not add handles to the built-in table or list.

Does this replace a Kanban board?

No. It arranges rows in tables and lists. It does not move cards between status columns or edit status properties.

Does a move change the YAML of my note?

Obsidian writes the frontmatter again, so YAML comments and formatting can change. The note body stays the same.

Can two devices arrange the same queue at once?

Avoid it. The plugin checks the previous rank before each write, but it cannot resolve conflicting sync writes from another device.

Network use

Until you select Sign in with GitHub, Bases Manual Order makes no network requests. Sign in and the sponsorship check contact github.com and api.github.com with the scope read:user, and a successful check is reused for 7 days. The plugin sends no note content, file names or other vault data.

Read the full network disclosure