A clean page, not code
Headings, lists, task lists, tables, quotes, code blocks, footnotes, links and images, laid out as a page you can read.
Markdown,
the way it should read.
MdDesk is a native Markdown viewer and editor for macOS. It shows your .md files as clean, readable pages instead of a screen of symbols, with the source one keystroke away when you want to change something.
Coming soon to the Mac App Store
See what it does
Features
Read first, edit when you need to
Notes, READMEs and documentation open as proper pages. It looks and works like its companion apps, MysqlDesk and GitDesk.
Three views
Preview, Editor, or Split with the source on the left and a live preview on the right. ⌘E flips between reading and editing.
Your font, your size
Pick a reading font from the toolbar and resize with ⌘+ and ⌘−. Headings, code and tables all scale together.
Edit and save
The editor styles Markdown as you type, with larger bold headings and coloured code and links. ⌘S saves.
Drop to open
Drop Markdown files on the window or the Dock icon, or open them from Finder. Several files open as tabs.
Outline
The document's headings in a sidebar. Click one to jump straight to it, in the preview and the editor.
Live reload
If another app changes the file you're reading, the page updates by itself. Unsaved edits are never overwritten.
Tabs that come back
Keep several documents open in tabs. They reopen next time, and recent files are one click away.
Find and replace
⌘F finds in the page or the source. ⌥⌘F replaces in the editor.
Light or dark
Follow the system, or choose light or dark yourself, with a choice of reading widths.
Lists that continue
Press Return in a list and the next bullet, number or task box is there for you. Return again ends the list.
Safe by design
Scripts in a document never run, and MdDesk only writes to a file when you save it.
Split view
Source and page, side by side
Type on the left and the page on the right keeps up. The two scroll together, so you always see what you're working on.
- Styled as you type: headings are larger and bold, and code, links and list markers are coloured.
- Formatting shortcuts for bold, italic, strikethrough, code and links.
- Nothing is lost: unsaved tabs are marked, and you're asked before closing one.
Your way
Pick the font and size that suit you
Choose System, Serif, Rounded, Monospaced or any font installed on your Mac, then make everything larger or smaller in one step.
- Everything scales together: body text, headings, code and tables keep their proportions.
- Light, dark or automatic, following your Mac's appearance.
- Reading widths from narrow to full window.
GitHub Flavored Markdown
Looks the way it does on GitHub
MdDesk uses GitHub's own Markdown parser, so tables, task lists, strikethrough, footnotes and automatic links all render as you'd expect.
- Images from the document's folder or the web.
- Links behave sensibly: web links open in your browser, and links to other Markdown files open in a new tab.
- Front matter is set apart in its own box, not mixed into the text.
Keyboard shortcuts
Built for the keyboard
Everything in the toolbar has a shortcut.
Open file / new document⌘O ⌘N
Save / Save As⌘S ⇧⌘S
Reload from disk⌘R
Close tab⌘W
Preview / Split / Editor⌥⌘1 ⌥⌘2 ⌥⌘3
Switch between reading and editing⌘E
Larger / smaller text⌘+ ⌘−
Actual size⌘0
Show or hide the outline⇧⌘L
Find / find and replace⌘F ⌥⌘F
Find next / previous⌘G ⇧⌘G
Bold / italic⌘B ⌘I
Strikethrough⇧⌘X
Inline code / link⇧⌘K ⌘K
Go to tab⌘1–9
Previous / next tab⇧⌘[ ⇧⌘]
Get it
Reading in a minute
Get MdDesk
MdDesk is coming soon to the Mac App Store for £1.99. It's a one-off purchase, with no subscription.
Open a file
Press ⌘O, or drop a Markdown file on the window or the Dock icon.
Make it the default
In Finder, select a .md file, choose File → Get Info → Open with → MdDesk and click Change All…
Images beside your file: App Store apps can only read the files you open. The first time a document shows an image stored
in its own folder, MdDesk asks for access to that folder. Click Allow Access… and it won't ask again for that folder.
macOS 14 Sonoma or later
Apple Silicon or Intel
.md, .markdown and plain text files
Nothing else to install
Support
Help with MdDesk
Most questions are answered here. For anything else, send an email and you'll get a reply from the developer.
An image isn't showing
If a bar at the top asks for permission, click Allow Access… and choose the folder the document is in. Otherwise check the image's path in the source.
Changing the font or size
Use the Aa menu in the toolbar for the font, and ⌘+ or ⌘− for the size. ⌘0 goes back to actual size.
Light or dark
Open MdDesk → Settings (⌘,) and choose System, Light or Dark. The reading width is there too.
The file changed elsewhere
MdDesk reloads it for you. If you have unsaved edits, it asks whether to reload from disk or keep your version.