Obsidian 1.15.1 Desktop adds relevance sorting and accent-insensitive search

Obsidian published version 1.15.1 of its desktop app on November 12, 2026. The release focuses on search and performance, with several smaller editor and settings changes.

Search gets the biggest update. A new Relevance sort option ranks notes by how well they match your query. Search and search filters in Backlinks, Outline, and Bookmarks now ignore accents, so “cafe” finds “café.” Search also treats letters such as ø, ł, and ß as their common equivalents, which helps users working in German, French, Polish, Turkish, Vietnamese, and other languages. For example, “lodz” finds “Łódź” and “strasse” finds “Straße.” Results appear faster when a search matches thousands of notes and update more smoothly as you type.

Performance work covers startup, reading, and large files. The workspace now appears right away at launch, with progress shown in the status bar instead of a loading screen. Reading mode renders faster, vault indexing is quicker, and large canvases open, pan, and zoom more smoothly.

Other changes include a Live Preview fix that hides Markdown syntax at the cursor until you move or type, and smart list updates that prevent over-indenting. New vaults no longer show the ribbon, which can be turned on under Settings → Interface → Show ribbon. Allow URI callbacks is now set once per device instead of syncing with the vault. Opening unrecognized file types from links now requires confirmation.

Why it matters

Accent-insensitive and multilingual matching removes a common frustration for users who write in languages with special characters. Faster search and indexing matter most in large vaults with thousands of notes. The URI callback change means the setting no longer follows a vault across devices.

What to do

If you use URI callbacks, turn the setting back on for each device. Vault owners with large collections should update and check whether search and startup feel faster. Confirm full release details and availability on Obsidian’s website.