How to Save a Web Page as Markdown and Read It on Mac

Web pages are cluttered with navigation, banners and scripts. A Markdown file keeps the headings, lists, links and code and drops most of the rest. This guide covers two separate steps: capturing a page as a .md file, then reading that file on your Mac.

The two steps are worth keeping apart. Capturing is a conversion that happens online. Reading is local: once the file is on disk, MacMD Viewer renders it on your Mac, read-only, so a saved page can't be changed by accident while you read it.

Step 1: Capture the page as Markdown#

Saving as Markdown means converting the page, not just downloading it. One option is Bear. Save, a browser extension that saves the current web page as Markdown.

Before your first capture, know how it works:

• It needs an AI API. Bear. Save uses an OpenAI-compatible API and a key that you choose. A capture requires you to configure that API first.
• The page content goes through that service. The conversion step is separate from reading the file later. Check your provider's terms before you capture anything sensitive.
• You pick how images are stored. You can embed images as Base64 or keep them as linked image URLs.

Check the extension's product page for current setup details.

If you would rather convert HTML you already have yourself, the HTML to Markdown guide covers command-line and library methods.

Step 2: Choose an image mode#

Both image options have trade-offs:

Option	Benefit	Trade-off
Linked image URLs	Small .md file	Images may disappear if the source site moves or removes them
Base64 embedded images	Images travel inside the file	The file gets larger

If the page matters to you, such as a reference you'll need again, embedding is the safer choice for keeping images. For quick reading notes, links are usually enough.

Step 3: Verify against the source#

AI extraction can omit details. A table row, a code comment, a footnote or a caveat may not make it into the Markdown. For anything you plan to cite, follow or act on, keep the original URL and compare it with the saved file.

Step 4: Find the file in Finder#

Once the capture finishes, the browser saves the .md file like any other download.

1. Open Finder.
2. Go to your Downloads folder, or wherever your browser saves files.
3. Sort by Date Added and look for the newest .md file.

Move it somewhere you'll find it again, such as a Reading folder in Documents.

Step 5: Preview it with Quick Look#

If Finder shows raw Markdown rather than a formatted preview, enable MacMD Viewer's Quick Look extension.

1. Install MacMD Viewer.
2. Enable its Quick Look extension in System Settings. The Quick Look setup guide has the current steps.
3. In Finder, select your .md file and press Space.

You should now see the file as a formatted page instead of raw text.

Step 6: Open it for a longer read#

Quick Look suits a fast check. For a longer read, open the file in MacMD Viewer itself.

MacMD Viewer is read-only. It renders local Markdown files, highlights syntax in code blocks, supports Mermaid diagrams, and works offline. It doesn't edit files, which is a deliberate choice: if you want to annotate a saved page, do that in your editor of choice. See the feature overview for the full list.

"Offline" applies only to this reading step. Capturing a page with a browser extension that calls an external AI API is a separate, online step. Once the .md file is on your Mac, MacMD Viewer renders it locally. If you saved images as linked URLs, those images still need the source site to be reachable.

A simple routine#

1. Capture the page and choose an image mode that fits how long you'll keep it.
2. Skim the result against the original for anything missing.
3. File the .md somewhere you'll find it.
4. Press Space in Finder for a quick look, or open it in MacMD Viewer to read properly.

That keeps capture and reading separate. I treat the AI-generated Markdown as a convenient copy, not a replacement for the source.