Block Drag Links turns a dragged block or heading into a link in Obsidian

Name: Block Drag Links
Author: theluckystrike

Drag a block or heading into another note to get a link, or hold Ctrl or Cmd for an embed.

Install in Obsidian

Directory page Source on GitHub

MIT · no telemetry · core features free

Two notes side by side, where the draft holds a block link and the source paragraph ends with the new block ID. — Open larger

version: 1.0.0
released: 2026-10-24
downloads: 1
review: Passed
health: Excellent
license: MIT
listed for: Desktop only
obsidian: 1.13.4 or later

End-to-end tests run on Obsidian 1.13.4 and the latest version on desktop. The plugin is desktop only.

Directory facts fetched 2026-10-24 08:49 UTC from community.obsidian.md/users/theluckystrike.

About Block Drag Links

You build outlines or essays from parts of other notes and want a link to a block, not a copy of its text.

Drag the handle of a paragraph into another note, and the drop inserts a block link such as [[Research#^k3x9qa]]. The source paragraph gets the block ID ^k3x9qa at its end if it had none. Hold Ctrl, or Cmd on macOS, when you release it to insert an embed instead.

Core Obsidian already makes a heading link when you drop an item from the Outline view. It makes a block ID only when you pick a block in the link suggestions. It cannot drag a paragraph, a list item or a callout from the editor. Block Drag Links adds that drag, and it works on desktop only.

A pointer over a paragraph shows a handle. The paragraph drops into another note as a block link, then a heading drops as a heading link.

Free features

Drag a block to link it

Drag the handle of a block into another note, and the drop inserts a block link there. The source block gets a new block ID if it had none, and a block that has an ID keeps it. A block is a paragraph, a list item, a task, a blockquote, a callout or a table.

Where the block ID goes

A paragraph, a list item and a task get a space and the ID at the end of their last line. A blockquote, a callout and a table get the ID on its own line after the block, with a blank line around it. A new ID has 6 letters and digits, and it is not used in the note yet.

How the source note changes

When the source note is open, the plugin adds the ID through its editor, so Undo in that note removes it. When the note is closed, the plugin writes only the ID with the Obsidian file API, and every other byte stays the same. If the block changed after the drag began, the plugin writes nothing, inserts no link and shows a notice.

The drag handle

The handle shows at the first line of the block under the pointer. It does not show on code blocks, math blocks, comments, HTML blocks, footnote definitions, horizontal rules, note properties or empty lines. The plugin cannot add a block ID to these safely.

A handle with six dots at the left of a paragraph. — Open larger

Drag a heading

Drop a heading to get a heading link, such as [[Research#Method sources 1]]. The plugin follows the core rule for link text, so a colon, hash, pipe, caret or backslash in the heading becomes a space. A heading needs no block ID, so the source note does not change.

A heading of the research note dropped into the draft as a heading link. — Open larger

Embed with Ctrl or Cmd

Hold Ctrl, or Cmd on macOS, when you release the block. The drop inserts an embed, and Live Preview shows the block text in the other note.

The draft shows an embed of the paragraph from the research note. — Open larger

Drop in the same note

A drop in the same note makes a link without the note name, such as [[#Method sources 1]] or [[#^k3x9qa]]. The new ID and the link are one change, so one Undo removes both.

Dragging one heading or block, links, embeds and new block IDs are free, and Pro adds selections and readable block IDs.

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.

Drag every block of a selection Pro

Select lines across several blocks, then drag the handle of one block in the selection. The drop inserts one link or embed for each block, each on its own line, and each block gets its ID. The setting Drag all blocks of a selection is on by default when Pro is on.

Readable block IDs Pro

A new ID comes from the first three words of the block, for example ^call-bob-about. When that ID is in use, the plugin adds -2, -3 and so on. The setting is off by default.

The settings tab with the two Pro settings first and the Pro section below them. — Open larger

See how Pro works

Set up Block Drag Links

needs

Obsidian 1.13.4 or later
Desktop only. The handle is in the editor, in Live Preview and Source mode, and not in Reading view.

steps

Install Block Drag Links from Community plugins and enable it on a desktop computer.
Open the source note and the target note side by side.
Move the pointer over a heading or a block in the source note. A handle shows at its left.
Drag the handle to the place in the target note where the link goes, and release it. Hold Ctrl or Cmd before you release it to insert an embed.

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

A forum request asks to create references for headers or blocks by drag and drop. The topic has 115 likes and 30 posts.

Create references for headers or blocks by drag-and-dropopened 2020-10-20

How it compares

The Outline view in core Obsidian: Core Obsidian makes a heading link when you drop an item from the Outline view. It has no drag for a paragraph, a list item or a callout from the editor, and Block Drag Links adds it.
Drag Bi-Link: Drag Bi-Link also makes block links, with an Alt drag that turns selected text into a link. Block Drag Links drags a whole block by its handle and writes the block ID into the source note.

Questions about Block Drag Links

Does Block Drag Links work on a phone or a tablet?

No. The plugin is for desktop only. On a touch screen, a long press opens the menu and selects text, and it does not start a drag.

Can I drag from Reading view, search results or a canvas?

No. The handle is in the editor, in Live Preview and Source mode. A canvas is not a note editor.

Why is there no handle on my code block?

The plugin does not write into a code block, a math block or the note properties. Put the block in a callout, or link to the heading above it.

What happens to a block that already has an ID?

The plugin uses the ID that is there. That is an ID at the end of the block or on the line after a quote, callout or table. It also reuses an ID from the Obsidian index. It adds no second ID and does not change the source note.

Network use

Until you select Sign in with GitHub in the settings, Block Drag Links makes no network requests. Sign in and the sponsorship check contact github.com and api.github.com, and a successful check is reused for 7 days. It sends no note content, file names or other vault data, and it has no telemetry.

Read the full network disclosure

Questions or ideas?

Tell me what is broken in Block Drag Links, or what it should do next.

Send feedback

Block Drag Links 1.0.0, MIT license