Visual Line Numbers puts a number on every wrapped row of the editor

Name: Visual Line Numbers
Author: theluckystrike

Every wrapped row gets its own number, so the count in the gutter is the count you type.

Install in Obsidian

Directory page Source on GitHub

MIT · no telemetry · core features free

Relative numbers beside a note with two wrapped paragraphs, with 0 on the cursor row and a number on every wrapped row. — Open larger

version: 1.0.0
released: 2026-10-10
downloads: 0
review: Satisfactory
health: Excellent
license: MIT
platforms: Desktop, Mobile
obsidian: 1.13.4 or later

The plugin works on desktop and on mobile.

Directory facts fetched 2026-10-10 15:29 UTC from community.obsidian.md/users/theluckystrike.

About Visual Line Numbers

You use Vim key bindings in Obsidian, your long lines wrap, and you move with counted motions such as 5gj.

Core line numbers give a wrapped line one number. A paragraph that wraps onto five rows still counts as one, so the gutter can't tell you how far away a row is. Visual Line Numbers counts the rows that the editor draws.

In relative and hybrid mode the numbers count rows from the cursor. Map j and k to gj and gk, and 5j lands on the row that shows 5. The gutter, the three modes and the commands are free.

The numbers in the gutter change as the cursor moves down a note with wrapped paragraphs and back up

Free features

A number on every wrapped row

Relative mode is the default. The cursor row shows 0, and the rows above and below show how many rows away they are. A paragraph that wraps onto four rows shows four numbers.

Hybrid mode

Hybrid mode gives the same counts. The cursor row shows the line number of the cursor line instead of 0, as Vim does with both options on.

Hybrid numbers with the line number 5 on the cursor row and distances on the other rows. — Open larger

Absolute mode

Absolute mode shows the line number on the first row of each line. The rows that a long line wraps onto have no number. So the gutter matches the line numbers that other tools and error messages use.

Absolute line numbers on the first row of each line, with no number on the wrapped rows. — Open larger

Commands for the gutter and the mode

The command palette has Toggle the number gutter and Cycle number mode. Three more commands set absolute, relative or hybrid numbers directly. The settings tab has the same two choices.

The settings tab with the Pro section, the Show the gutter switch and the Number mode list set to relative. — Open larger

The free version has the gutter, the three modes, the commands and the settings tab.

Pro features

Pro costs $5 a month or $15 one time through GitHub Sponsors. One sponsorship turns on Pro in all 15 plugins.

Count folded lines Pro

Turn on Count folded lines and each line that a fold hides takes one count. The number of the row below a fold then matches the document lines between it and the cursor. With the option off, a fold counts as the one row you see.

Three folded sections with the relative numbers 2, 9 and 14, because the hidden lines are counted. — Open larger

Highlight the current row Pro

The cursor row shows its number in bold, in the accent color, on a tinted background.

The number 3 of the cursor row on a tinted background in the gutter, in hybrid mode. — Open larger

Motion hint Pro

Hover over a number to see the Vim motion that reaches that row. A row five rows below the cursor shows 5gj, and a row three rows above shows 3gk.

The hint 5gj next to the number 5 in the gutter. — Open larger

Per-note property Pro

Add visual-line-numbers: false to the properties of a note to hide the gutter in that note. Every other note keeps its gutter. Use it for notes with long prose, where numbers add noise.

A note with the property visual-line-numbers set to false and no numbers beside its text. — Open larger

A color for each mode Pro

Choose one color for absolute numbers, one for relative numbers, and one for the line number on the cursor row in hybrid mode. Without a chosen color, the numbers use the theme.

Relative numbers in blue and the hybrid cursor line number in orange. — Open larger

See how Pro works

Set up Visual Line Numbers

needs

Obsidian 1.13.4 or later
Turn off Show line numbers in Settings, Editor, or two gutters of numbers show together.
Counted motions need Vim key bindings, with j and k mapped to gj and gk.

steps

Install Visual Line Numbers from Community plugins and enable it.
Open Settings, Editor and turn off Show line numbers, so two gutters of numbers don't show together.
Open a note in Live Preview or Source mode and look at the left of the text.
For counted motions, turn on Vim key bindings in Settings, Editor and map j and k to gj and gk.
With the Vimrc Support plugin, add nmap j gj and nmap k gk to your vimrc file.

Why this exists

The request Numbering Visual Lines on the Relative Line Numbers plugin has been open since March 2023 and has 39 reactions. An older request on Vimrc Support, with 7 reactions, describes the same mismatch between counts and line numbers.

Feature Request: Numbering Visual Linesopened 2023-03-24
Vimrc Support issue 81, on j and k for visual lines and counts for logical linesopened 2022-01-05

How to get relative line numbers on wrapped lines in Obsidian

How it compares

Core line numbers: Core line numbers give a wrapped line one number. If you map j and k to gj and gk, the gutter count doesn't match the motion.

Questions about Visual Line Numbers

How do I get relative line numbers for wrapped lines in Obsidian?

Core line numbers give a wrapped line one number. Visual Line Numbers puts a number on every display row, and relative mode counts rows from the cursor. Turn off Show line numbers in Settings, Editor first.

Are the numbers exact?

On screen, yes, because the counts come from the rows that the editor draws. When the cursor is off screen, the editor has only estimated heights for lines it hasn't drawn. The relative numbers are then close, and exact again once the cursor line is back on screen. Absolute mode and the hybrid cursor line number are always exact.

Does a fold count as one row?

Yes, by default. A folded section is drawn as one row, so it counts as one. With Pro, Count folded lines counts every hidden line as well.

Does Visual Line Numbers slow down long notes?

The plugin measures only the lines on screen. It measures again when the note, the scroll position or the window width changes.

Does it work in Reading view?

No. The gutter shows in Live Preview and in Source mode. Reading view and the canvas are out of scope.

Network use

Visual Line Numbers makes no network requests until you select Sign in with GitHub in the settings. After sign in, it asks GitHub about your sponsorship at most once every 7 days, or when you select Refresh. It sends no note content, file names or other vault data, and it has no telemetry.

Read the full network disclosure

Visual Line Numbers 1.0.0, MIT license