MacMD Viewer: a native Markdown viewer for Mac

MacMD Viewer opens .md files on macOS as formatted documents, with Mermaid diagrams, highlighted code, and a Finder Quick Look preview. It is read-only: it shows the file, your editor stays your editor. One-time purchase, $19.99.

Download the latest release → · Website →

About this repository. MacMD Viewer is a commercial, closed-source app, so there is no source code here by design. This repository is its release channel: every version ships as a signed, notarized DMG attached to a GitHub Release, which is also what the Homebrew cask and the app's Sparkle updater download. Bug reports and feature requests are welcome in Issues.

How to open a Markdown file on Mac

macOS has no built-in way to read a .md file as formatted text. Double-clicking one opens raw text in TextEdit or launches a full editor. With MacMD Viewer installed:

• Double-click a .md file: it opens rendered, with headings, tables, task lists, code, and diagrams.
• Press Space on a .md file in Finder: Quick Look shows the rendered document without opening any app.
• Leave it open while another app writes the file: the view reloads by itself when the file changes on disk.

What it does

• Renders GitHub-Flavored Markdown: tables, task lists, fenced code, strikethrough
• Mermaid diagrams: flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and more, rendered offline
• Syntax highlighting for fenced code blocks
• Quick Look extension for Finder previews
• Live reload when an editor or an AI agent saves the file
• Document outline that follows the heading you are reading
• 12 document themes, with code colours that follow the theme
• PDF export (⇧⌘P) that keeps Mermaid diagrams and highlighted code
• Copy the Markdown source (⌥⌘C) or open the file in your editor (⇧⌘E)
• Word count and reading time
• Works offline: nothing is uploaded to render a file

Who it is for

• Developers using AI coding agents. Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf write plans, specs, and READMEs in Markdown. MacMD Viewer can open each file the agent writes, automatically, and reload it as the agent edits it (setup).
• People who read more Markdown than they write. Documentation, notes, exported wikis, README.md files from cloned repositories.
• Anyone who wants Finder previews of .md files with diagrams and highlighted code.

When you need something else

MacMD Viewer does not edit files and does not render math (LaTeX/KaTeX). If you want to write in the same window you read, use an editor: Typora, or MacDown 3000, the free, universal continuation of MacDown. MacMD Viewer pairs with any editor rather than replacing it. Detailed comparisons: MacMD Viewer vs MacDown, vs Typora, all comparisons.

Install

Homebrew

brew install --cask macmd-viewer

Direct download

Download the notarized DMG from Releases or from macmdviewer.com. Direct builds update themselves through Sparkle.

Setapp

MacMD Viewer is available on Setapp as part of the subscription catalog.

Requirements

• macOS 14 Sonoma or later
• Universal binary: Apple Silicon and Intel
• 5.4 MB download, 16 MB installed

Pricing

$19.99, one-time purchase, one license for one Mac at a time. No subscription. Refunds within 14 days. Setapp members get it with their subscription.

About

MacMD Viewer is built and maintained by Arthur Teboul, an independent developer.