| Description | How to link your Objects together. |
|---|---|
| description | Creating relationships in your knowledge base |
Linking on Anytype is what turns a bunch of separate notes into a connected knowledge base. When you link a 'Task Object' to a 'Project Object', you are saying that these are related. This relationship is registered in Anytype as a link and becomes visible in your Knowledge Graph—which is a mind map of your entire space.
Over time, these connections become incredibly valuable. You can trace how ideas relate, see what's connected to a project, or discover patterns you didn't plan for.
Anytype offers multiple ways to create links, each useful in different situations:
| Method | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Block Links | Adds a visible card or text link on the Page | Prominent references you want to see |
| Property Links | Adds a property to an Object. | Subtle references used to organize |
| Date Links | Adds a date reference to an Object | Time references used for chronology |
Directly through the editor by using:
- Block Links — Type
/link. These appear as cards. - Inline Links — Type
@and the object name. These appear as rich text. - Link Alias — Highlight text,
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + K, select the link. These appear as hyperlinked text, good for alternative names.
When viewing an Object, you can add links to properties.md using:
- Object Header — Select a property from the header. If the property is not visible, add it to the header from the type settings.
- Block Menu — Add an inline property block from the menu using the plus button or slash command.
Alternatively, you can add a property from views.md. This is better when you are editing properties of multiple Objects.
You can link to a specific date by typing the @date shortcut in the editor. Alternatively, you can type @today, @tomorrow, or @specific date. You can also click into a specific date block to reveal objects related to that date.
If you want to add a link to an external Object on your desktop, use links starting with file:/// followed by the local file path. For example:
file:///Users/Name/Downloads/Protocol-Berg.pdf— to open PDFs;file:///Users/Name/Downloads/my_budget.xlsx— to open spreadsheets (Excel, Numbers).
To add such a link, select the "Link to website" in the editor just like when you add a new link to a website.
You can use the Backlinks property in the Object Header to check which Objects link to the currently opened one. If you cannot locate the Backlinks property, go to the Type settings and add it to Header section. See here for more details.
In your documents you may have multiple connections which could be attached to other objects in your space. The Graph is the best visualizer for this, showing the complete web of connections for all objects. Click on the graph icon on the top left of the editor to access the Graph.
Learn more about properties.md and the graph.md with these links.