MacMDA native Markdown editor for Mac
MacMD is a free, open-source Markdown editor and reader built for macOS on Apple silicon. It is a real Mac app written with AppKit, SwiftUI and TextKit 2, not a web page in a wrapper.
What makes a good Markdown editor on a Mac
A Markdown editor should open fast, stay out of the way and leave your files alone. On a Mac that also means behaving like the other apps you use: autosave and versions, tabs and windows, system spell checking, Find, Services, and your own accent color and appearance.
Live styling without hiding your Markdown
Headings, emphasis, code, quotes, lists, task lists, tables, links and math are styled as you type. The Markdown punctuation stays visible but quiet, so the text on screen is exactly the text in the file. Nothing is converted, and styling never changes your characters.
Read mode
Press ⌘E to switch to a typeset page with code highlighting, TeX math (KaTeX) and Mermaid diagrams, all rendered offline. Press it again to go back to editing at the same place.
Built for writing and for developers
- Outline sidebar and a Files sidebar for folders of notes or documentation.
- Focus mode and typewriter mode for long writing sessions.
- Smart lists, quotes and task lists that continue when you press Return.
- Optional Vim mode, off until you turn it on.
- Paste or drop images and MacMD saves them next to your document with a relative link.
- Export to HTML or PDF, print, or copy as HTML.
Light and private
MacMD uses about 50 MB of memory with a document open and is about a 5 MB download. There are no accounts, analytics or telemetry, and it only goes online when you ask it to, for example to check for updates.
Requirements
macOS 26 Tahoe or later on an Apple silicon Mac. See the install steps, the Markdown cheat sheet and how MacMD compares with Typora and Obsidian.