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Backlinks Navigator

by bwat47
productivity editor
Install Plugin
Backlinks Navigator screenshot 1 Backlinks Navigator screenshot 2 Backlinks Navigator screenshot 3

Description

View and navigate backlinks and outgoing links in the markdown editor

Additional Information

Links:
Maintainers: bwat47
Version:1.2.2
Minimum app version:3.5
Downloads: This version:34
Last updated:2026-06-26T21:27:57Z

[!note] This plugin was created entirely with AI tools.

[!important] This plugin only works in the markdown editor (editor view or split view). It does not work in the reading view or in the rich text editor. Codemirror 6 only, legacy editor is not supported.

Backlinks Navigator

A Joplin plugin for viewing and navigating backlinks and outgoing links in the Markdown editor.

backlinks-navigator-demo

Features

  • Shows notes that link to the current note
  • Shows notes linked from the current note
  • (Backlinks only) Can show each link occurrence when a note links more than once
  • Opens related notes from a compact floating panel in the markdown editor
  • Filters links by note title
  • Shows notebook, section, and link context when available
  • Optionally shows a link count indicator in the editor (which can also be used to open the panel)
  • Works on desktop and mobile

Usage

Open the links panel from the editor toolbar, editor indicator icon (if enabled in settings), the Edit menu, or the Show Links command.

[!note] There isn't a default keyboard shortcut, you can assign one under Tools | Options | Keyboard Shortcuts | "Show Links" command.

Click a backlink to open the note that links to the current note, or click an outgoing link to open the note linked from the current note.

If backlink context preview is enabled, it will show each link occurrence when a note links more than once, and clicking a backlink will scroll to the specific link occurance after switching notes. If backlink context preview is set to Note title only, it will only show one occurance for each backlink, and will not scroll after switching notes.

Settings

  • Panel width
  • Panel max height
  • Show link indicator - recommend using with a max editor width set in joplin settings | editor tab to avoid overlapping content
  • Ignored note IDs - comma-separated note IDs to exclude from link results and counts
  • Ctrl-click link behavior - open in a new window or in a Note Tabs tab (requires the Note Tabs plugin)
  • Ctrl-Enter link behavior - open the selected link in a new window or in a Note Tabs tab (requires the Note Tabs plugin)
  • Backlink context preview
    • Snippet shows preview text from the line containing the backlink. Nearest heading displays the heading nearest to the backlink.
  • Outgoing link context preview
    • Snippet shows preview text from the beginning of the linked note.
  • Enable debug logging

Limitations

  • Scrolling to backlink occurrence after note switch only works on desktop and only applies to backlinks (not outgoing links). It does not work when opening the note in a new window or pinning with Note Tabs.

Development

npm test
npm run lint
npm run format
npm install
npm run dist

The built plugin archive is created in publish/.