mdview

Read Markdown files like webpages — a 3 MB viewer & editor. Double-click any .md file to open it instantly, press F2 to edit in place.
Windows · macOS · Linux · Android  |  Built with Rust + WebView2, no Electron

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Most of the time you open a .md file, you just want to read it — a README, some notes, an AI-generated answer. Booting a full editor for that is overkill. mdview opens it instantly like a webpage, and when you do need to edit, F2 gives you Obsidian-style WYSIWYG right inside the same window — no mode switch to another app.

• Tiny app. 3 MB installer, opens in under a second, zero configuration
• Tabbed preview (2.0). Every document in one window — Ctrl+Tab to switch, scroll & edit state preserved
• Zero clutter. Clean full-page reading — no toolbars, no sidebars you didn't ask for
• Edit in place. F2 Obsidian-style WYSIWYG, F3 dual-column with live preview
• 100% local — no account, no ads, your files never leave your computer

Download

Platform	Community (free forever)	Pro ($9.99 lifetime)
Windows 10/11	mdview-setup-en-latest.exe	mdview-setup-pro-en-latest.exe
macOS 11+	mdview-macos-en-latest.dmg	mdview-macos-pro-en-latest.dmg
Linux x86_64	mdview-linux-en-latest.tar.gz	mdview-linux-pro-en-latest.tar.gz
Android 7.0+	mdview.apk	—

Both editions are the same product and overwrite each other on install — switch anytime. Android is Community only.

In mainland China? Use the domestic edition instead — same app, distributed by www.mdview.cn with WeChat Pay (¥5 Pro lifetime unlock): download page.

SmartScreen warning? Windows flags apps without an expensive code-signing certificate. Click More info → Run anyway. mdview runs entirely locally and uploads nothing.

Why mdview

You double-click a .md file to read it — not to boot an IDE. Think Quick Look for Markdown:

	mdview	Typora / VS Code	Browser extension
Install size	3 MB	100–400 MB	— (but needs a browser)
Double-click a .md file	Instant	3–5 s of editor startup	Drag or copy-paste each time
Reading-first UI	Zero chrome	Toolbars, panels, tabs	Browser UI around it
Built for	Reading	Writing code / docs	Occasional preview

They complement each other — keep your editor for writing, use mdview for the 90% of times you just read.

What's new in 2.0

Tabbed preview — every document, one window (Community & Pro)

Specs, API notes, meeting minutes and AI drafts stop piling up in the taskbar. Each tab is its own WebView, so switching never re-renders — scroll position and F2/F3 editing state stay exactly where you left them.

• Ctrl+Tab cycles, Alt+1–9 jumps straight to a tab; drag to reorder, pin a tab, or close in bulk
• Double-click a file that's already open and mdview activates its tab instead of opening a second window
• Tabs, order and pinned state come back after a restart; background tabs are not pre-rendered, so cold start stays fast

Version history — undo that survives the window (Pro)

mdview records a snapshot on every save, external change, entering/leaving edit mode and window close. Browse the timeline, name important versions, hide the noise, restore with one click, and diff any two versions side-by-side or inline. History lives in a local SQLite file and is never uploaded.

Features

Preview

• Double-click to open — installer auto-associates .md files; also Ctrl+O, drag-and-drop, and Explorer context menu
• Live refresh — save in any editor and the page re-renders instantly (SSE push), keeping your scroll position
• Outline panel — floating TOC with click-to-jump and scroll sync, plus History (grouped by day), Favorites and Files (browse sibling .md files like an explorer) tabs
• Reading position memory — reopens where you left off; single window per file
• 9 color themes + dark/light mode — Glacier, Forest, Sunset, Typewriter… one right-click to switch
• Type controls — pick any installed font; Ctrl+scroll for font size, Alt+scroll for column width (real reflow, not bitmap zoom)
• Customizable shortcuts — preset key schemes to switch in one click; almost every action can be rebound
• Full rendering — tables with alignment, footnotes with back-links, local images, syntax-highlighted code blocks (copy / wrap / line numbers)
• Export to PDF and single-file HTML (images embedded, works offline), single-newline-as-break toggle, GBK/GB18030 encoding fallback, auto update checks

Outline tracks your scroll position	History & favorites, grouped by day

9 color themes + dark mode, one right-click to switch:

Default	Dark	Glacier	Typewriter
Sunset	Forest	Editorial	Violet
Lychee	Mint	Neon

Editing

Key	Mode	Edition
F2	Live Edit — Obsidian-style WYSIWYG inside the preview: formatting, links, tables (row/column ops), callouts	Pro
F3	Dual-column edit — source left, live preview right, scroll synced by section; Tab expands snippets; pasting an image/file auto-saves it to .__assets/ and inserts the Markdown	Pro
F4 / Ctrl+E	External edit — opens VS Code / Sublime / Notepad++ / Notepad (auto-detected) at the exact line of the selected text	Free
Esc / Ctrl+W	Close the window	Free

Live-preview plugins for Sublime Text & VS Code (Pro) — the preview refreshes as you type, with two-way cursor and selection sync.

Pro rendering

• Mermaid diagrams (flowcharts / sequence / Gantt) with a double-click fullscreen viewer — wheel zoom, drag pan
• KaTeX math formulas — inline $...$ and block $$...$$ LaTeX
• Mind-map fullscreen view — right-click "View as mind map": headings as branches, lists as leaves; scroll to zoom, drag to pan, click to collapse
• Rendering engines download once on first use, then work fully offline

Mermaid diagrams	KaTeX math

Pricing

	Community	Pro
Price	Free forever (optional sponsorship)	$9.99 one-time lifetime unlock (Gumroad: card / PayPal)
Core reading features	✅ everything	✅ everything
Tabbed preview (2.0)	✅	✅
Version history + diff	—	✅
Mermaid + KaTeX	—	✅
Live Edit (F2) + Dual-column edit (F3)	—	✅
Trial	—	100 free opens, then a dismissible "Maybe Later" prompt — never hard-locks

Quick start

1. Download and run the installer (or the portable mdview.exe)
2. It automatically associates .md files (unbind anytime: right-click → Settings, or mdview --unbind)
3. Double-click any Markdown file and read

Command line

mdview                     # run once: auto-associates .md files
mdview <file.md>           # preview a specific file
mdview --install           # add "Open with mdview" to the Explorer context menu
mdview --uninstall         # remove the context menu
mdview --settings          # settings window (association, recent files, editor)
mdview --unbind            # remove .md default association
mdview --help              # help

Environment variables

Variable	Description
PORT	HTTP server port (default: random free port, fallback 3456)
MD_HTML=1	Also output a rendered .html next to the .md file
MD_HTML_OUTPUT=<path>	Output the .html to a specific path
MD_EDITOR	Editor command for F4 (e.g. code --goto "{file}:{line}"); auto-detected if unset

FAQ

How do I open .md files on Windows?

Install mdview once and it associates .md files for you. From then on, double-click any Markdown file and it opens rendered like a webpage — no editor, no browser extension, no configuration.

Is mdview free?

Yes. The Community Edition is free forever with the full reading experience, including the tabbed preview added in 2.0. The Pro Edition adds built-in version history with diff, Mermaid diagrams, KaTeX math and two editing modes (F2 Live Edit, F3 dual-column) for a one-time $9.99 lifetime unlock — with 100 free trial opens first, and a dismissible "Maybe Later" prompt after that. It never hard-locks.

How is it different from Typora or VS Code?

Typora and VS Code are editors — powerful, but heavy when you only want to read. mdview is a dedicated viewer: a 3 MB installer that opens in under a second and closes with Esc. Think Quick Look for Markdown. They complement each other.

Does mdview upload my files?

No. mdview runs 100% locally. It only starts a temporary server on localhost to render the page — your Markdown never leaves your computer. No account, no ads, no tracking.

What are the system requirements?

Windows 10/11 with the WebView2 runtime (preinstalled on Windows 11 and most Windows 10 PCs) · macOS 11 Big Sur or later · Linux x86_64 (Ubuntu / Debian / Fedora / Arch; GTK3 + WebKitGTK) · Android 7.0 or later.

Tech stack

• Language: Rust (edition 2021)
• GUI: wry (WebView2) + tao
• HTTP: axum + tokio (localhost only)
• Markdown: embedded md4c
• File watching: notify + SSE live reload
• Styling: Tailwind CSS

Contact

Questions, bug reports, licensing or anything else: mdview@ml-smarttech.com