A small library can still contain an oversized file
Suppose an illustration-reference note needs a 12 MB image. Even if the vault is small overall, that file is above Sync Standard’s documented 5 MB maximum. Standard’s 1 GB total storage does not override the individual-file ceiling. The relevant decision is whether that exact image must travel with the note, not whether the subscription’s total capacity sounds sufficient.
The current Plus table has a 200 MB per-file ceiling. That can answer a real requirement for a larger attachment, but it is not a reason to send every working image to every device. A reduced reference copy can also be intentional when a phone only needs the visual reminder and the master belongs elsewhere.
Excluding a file is not undoing an earlier upload
Obsidian allows selective syncing of file types and folders. Its settings documentation adds a detail worth knowing before a vault is rearranged: excluding a file that has already synced does not remove the existing remote copy. Configure the intended scope before the initial sync instead of treating later exclusion as a complete reversal.
Buy for the required travelling copy
Standard is worth considering for a mainly text-and-small-reference vault that fits its exact limits. A vault that must carry larger original attachments has a different requirement; compare the necessary file against Plus’s stated ceiling or keep a deliberately smaller travelling derivative. The useful plan is the one that moves the right copy, while preserving a clear distinction between the original artwork and its reference version.
Sources & further reading
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