AI writes Markdown.
Your Mac can't read it.

The native Markdown viewer for Mac — built for the .md files Claude, ChatGPT, and Copilot keep generating. Renders Mermaid, code, tables. $19.99, one-time.

Preview.app opens your PDFs. MacMD opens your Markdown.

See pricing details

$19.99 one-time · 14-day money-back · No subscription

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What your editor can't do

Read it like a document.
Not like code.

Your editor is for writing. MacMD Viewer is for reading.
Like Preview.app for PDFs, but for Markdown. See how it compares to other markdown viewers for Mac →

QuickLook

Press Space. See it rendered.

Hit Space on any .md file in Finder. Rendered with headings, tables, diagrams. No app to open. Works in Spotlight too. Read the QuickLook setup guide →

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Mermaid

Diagrams without pushing to GitHub

Flowcharts, sequence diagrams, Gantt charts, all rendered inline. No more committing just to check if your diagram looks right. Complete Mermaid guide →

User Request
Auth
Validate
Response ✓
Syntax

Code blocks that don't look like Notepad

common languages, proper highlighting, follows your system theme. AI-generated code finally looks the way it should.

async function deploy(config) {
const result = await build(config)
return result.publish()
}
Live Reload

AI writes, you watch it render

MacMD Viewer watches the file. When Claude or your editor saves, the preview updates in ~50ms. No refresh. No copy-paste.

VS Code
MacMD Viewer
Changes appear in ~50ms
Zoom

Pinch to zoom on any diagram

Tables, flowcharts, code blocks: pinch or ⌘+ to zoom in.
Retina-sharp at every level.

Fullscreen

$19.99 one-time · 14-day money-back · No subscription

Simple pricing

Less than one month of ChatGPT Plus.

You pay $20/month for AI that writes Markdown.
Pay $19.99 once to actually read it.

Single
$19.99
one-time
1 active Mac. Move it anytime — no support ticket.
  • Renders any .md file in seconds
  • Mermaid diagrams: no plugins, no config
  • QuickLook: press Space in Finder
  • Syntax highlighting for common languages
  • 12 document themes: GitHub, Dracula, Nord & more
  • Table of contents sidebar
  • Live reload: edit anywhere, see it here
  • Zoom for diagrams, tables & code

14-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked. Email support@macmdviewer.com.

One-time purchase. No subscription. No account needed.

Secure checkout via Stripe.

Most popular
Family Pack
$39.99
one-time, 3 keys
3 license keys, 1 Mac per key. Fully transferable.
  • Renders any .md file in seconds
  • Mermaid diagrams: no plugins, no config
  • QuickLook: press Space in Finder
  • Syntax highlighting for common languages
  • 12 document themes: GitHub, Dracula, Nord & more
  • Table of contents sidebar
  • Live reload: edit anywhere, see it here
  • Zoom for diagrams, tables & code

14-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked. Email support@macmdviewer.com.

One-time purchase. No subscription. No account needed.

Secure checkout via Stripe.

Team & beyond
$129
one-time, 10 keys
$12.90 per Mac. Independent license keys, fully transferable between Macs.
How many Macs?

14-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked. Email support@macmdviewer.com.

One-time purchase. No subscription. No account needed.

Excl. taxes — VAT or sales tax may apply at checkout based on your billing country.

What people say

Read by people who live in Markdown.

I tried at least 5 similar Apps from the App Store and I was really upset about the poor output quality they produced. So when I came across MacMD I was hesitant at first, but I am so glad I went for it.
5/5
Christian TroemerVerified on Trustpilot
I spend most of my day working with AI agents, and MacMD Viewer lets me quickly scan the many operational files we use, at a glance.
5/5
Andrew
Simple, fast, and exactly what you want when you double click on a .md file.
5/5
Curtis TompkinsVerified on Trustpilot
I use MacMD Viewer to look at all the MD files Claude Code generates.
4/5
Gautam
In plain words

What is MacMD Viewer?

MacMD Viewer is a native macOS application for reading Markdown files. It opens any .md file as a formatted document — headings, tables, syntax-highlighted code blocks and Mermaid diagrams — without editing it: the app is read-only by design, so the source file is never modified. It ships with a Finder Quick Look extension that renders Markdown when you press Space on a file, and twelve document themes that apply to both the app window and the Finder preview. The download is a 5.4 MB DMG that installs to about 16 MB on disk, runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel, and requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later. It costs $19.99 as a one-time purchase — no subscription, no trial, no free tier — and is distributed as a direct download, through Homebrew and on Setapp.

MacMD Viewer is built for the read side of AI workflows. Coding agents and chat assistants — Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Copilot — write Markdown by default, so specs, plans and summaries land in project folders as .md files that macOS otherwise opens as raw text in TextEdit. MacMD Viewer renders those files as documents: point its Library at a folder and each file re-renders automatically when an agent or an editor saves it, thanks to live file watching. Roughly half of the people who buy it are not developers; they arrive holding a Markdown file that some other tool produced. Because it is a viewer rather than an editor, there is no cursor in the document and nothing to save — you read the output, and the tool that wrote it stays the only thing that writes it.

FAQ

Questions

I use ChatGPT/Claude. How does this help?

AI tools output Markdown by default. When you save or export the output, you get a .md file. MacMD Viewer lets you open it instantly, rendered with headings, code blocks, tables, and diagrams. No copy-pasting into another tool.

Why not just use VS Code's preview?

VS Code splits your workspace in half, takes 1-2 seconds to load, and doesn't render Mermaid diagrams. MacMD Viewer is a dedicated reader. Double-click a file and it opens rendered, like a PDF.

Can a Mac open Markdown files natively?

macOS opens .md files in TextEdit as raw text. MacMD Viewer registers as the default handler. Double-click any .md file and see it rendered with headings, code blocks, tables, and diagrams.

What's the difference between a viewer and an editor?

An editor lets you write Markdown. A viewer renders it for reading. Think Preview.app for PDFs, but for Markdown. You keep your favorite editor. MacMD Viewer handles the read side.

Does it support Mermaid diagrams?

Yes. Flowcharts, sequence diagrams, state diagrams, Gantt charts, all rendered inline. Standard Mermaid syntax, no plugins needed.

Is there a free trial?

You're covered either way: every purchase includes a full refund within 14 days, no questions asked. So there's no trial — you try it as an owner. At $19.99, it's less than one month of ChatGPT Plus.

How is this different from MacDown or Marked 2?

MacDown hasn't been actively maintained. Marked 3 has moved to a subscription model at $69.99 permanent or $2.99/month. MacMD Viewer is a modern SwiftUI app with Mermaid, syntax highlighting, QuickLook, and live reload, for $19.99 one-time.

Can I convert Markdown to PDF on Mac?

MacMD Viewer renders with print-quality formatting. Use macOS Print > Save as PDF to create a PDF from any rendered Markdown file. Output preserves code highlighting, diagrams, and formatting.

Free Online Tools

No download needed to get started

11 free browser tools for Markdown — convert, format, preview, generate. Everything runs locally. When you want native Mac rendering, grab MacMD Viewer.

Markdown to PDF
Convert .md to clean PDF in the browser.
Markdown to HTML
Paste Markdown, copy clean HTML.
PDF to Markdown
Extract text from PDF into Markdown.
Mermaid Viewer
Live preview and PNG/SVG export.
HTML to Markdown
Turn web HTML into clean Markdown.
Table Generator
Visual grid → Markdown table syntax.
See all 11 free Markdown tools →
From the Blog

Guides & Resources

Markdown Cheat Sheet

Every syntax shortcut in one page: headings, lists, links, images, tables, and code blocks.

Best Markdown Viewer for Mac

Native vs Electron viewers compared on app size, RAM, speed, QuickLook, and Mermaid support.

Markdown Table Syntax Guide

Create tables in Markdown: columns, alignment, formatting, multi-line cells, and generator tools.

Mermaid Live Editor Guide

Create flowcharts and diagrams free with Mermaid Live Editor: syntax examples, PNG/SVG export.

Which Mac You Actually Need to Run Claude Code (2026)

Claude Code barely touches your CPU — it is a memory problem. How much RAM you need, which chip matters, Air or Pro, and whether an M1 still holds up in 2026.

Claude Code Plan Mode: How It Works and When to Skip It

Claude Code plan mode blocks edits until you approve the plan. How to enter and exit it, what it really restricts, where plans are saved, and when to skip it.

Cursor vs Claude Code: Different Shapes of the Same Job

Cursor vs Claude Code compared on shape, pricing, extensibility and what developers running both actually say, with July 2026 prices and no fake verdict.

llms.txt Explained: The Spec, Real Adoption, and 2026 Data

llms.txt is a markdown file at your site root. What the spec actually requires, who publishes one, why Google ignores it, and how to check yours is valid.

How to Read Claude Code Plans on Mac Before You Approve Them

Plan mode blocks edits until you approve. How I read Claude Code plans on Mac before I do: Ctrl+G out of the terminal, QuickLook in Finder, live reload.

How to Convert Markdown to PDF Without Losing Images (2026)

Convert Markdown to PDF five ways — browser tool, Pandoc, VS Code, online services, macOS — and stop relative-path images vanishing from the exported file.

Stop squinting at
raw Markdown.

$19.99 one-time. 14-day money-back guarantee.

$19.99 one-time · 14-day money-back · No subscription