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Obsidian Community Plugins Not Loading or Stuck in Restricted Mode

Workaround available Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android Updated October 21, 2026

Quick answer

When plugins fail to load after an update, a plugin is usually incompatible or community-plugins.json is broken. Update all plugins, restart, and if Obsidian won't even open, move community-plugins.json out of the .obsidian folder to start clean.

Most likely fix: Update all plugins.

Symptoms

'Failed to load plugin' notices, plugins switch themselves off, Restricted mode turns back on after every restart, or Obsidian crashes right after an update.

Why it happens

  • Plugin not yet updated for the new Obsidian version
  • Corrupted or unwritable community-plugins.json / app.json
  • Plugins conflicting with each other
  • Outdated installer (app and installer update separately)
  • Firewall blocking plugin downloads

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

  1. 1. Update all plugins

    1. Settings > Community plugins > Check for updates > Update all
    2. Restart Obsidian fully (some plugins don't unload when toggled off)

  2. 2. Reset the plugin list if Obsidian won't open

    1. Back up the vault
    2. Quit Obsidian and move .obsidian/community-plugins.json out of the vault
    3. Reopen; Obsidian creates a fresh file and you can re-enable plugins one by one

  3. 3. Isolate the bad plugin

    1. Turn on Restricted mode, restart, then enable plugins one at a time, restarting between each

  4. 4. Reinstall the latest installer

    1. Download the current installer from obsidian.md and reinstall - this does not touch your vault
    2. Run 'Show debug info' from the command palette when reporting the problem

  5. 5. Check file permissions

    1. If Restricted mode won't stay off, make sure the .obsidian folder isn't read-only or locked by a sync service

This guide also covers

  • obsidian plugins not loading
  • obsidian failed to load plugin
  • obsidian restricted mode won't turn off
  • obsidian community plugins disabled

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