MarkdownPreview.net

Free Online Markdown Previewer, Viewer & Editor

View, edit, and preview Markdown side by side: type, paste, or drop a .md file to see it rendered instantly — GitHub Flavored Markdown, Mermaid diagrams, and math, processed entirely in your browser. No sign-up.

217 words1,241 chars54 lines

How to preview a Markdown file in 3 steps

No account, no upload, no install. It works the same in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari, on desktop and mobile.

  1. 1

    Open or paste

    Drag a .md, .markdown, or .txt file onto the editor, click Open File, or paste Markdown into the left pane. Or load a README from GitHub.

  2. 2

    Read or edit

    The preview updates as you type. Switch to Read for a full-width view with clickable links, and use Outline to jump between sections.

  3. 3

    Save, export, or share

    Your draft is autosaved. Press Ctrl+S to download the .md, use Export for HTML, PDF, or PNG, or Share to send a link.

Everything it renders

The previewer supports the Markdown you’ll find in real READMEs and docs — not just the basics.

GitHub Flavored Markdown

Tables, task lists, strikethrough, autolinks, footnotes, and all five GitHub alert types.

Syntax highlighting

Fenced code blocks in 35+ popular languages, with a copy button on every block.

Math (KaTeX)

Inline $...$ and display $$...$$ equations, plus GitHub's ```math blocks and $`...`$ syntax.

Mermaid diagrams

Flowcharts, sequence, class, state, Gantt, ER diagrams and more — download any diagram as SVG or PNG.

Outline & anchors

Jump between sections with the Outline button; heading links (#section) work like on GitHub.

Export & share

Download .md, HTML, PDF, or PNG; copy rich text for Docs/Word; share a link with no sign-up.

Specialized tools: GitHub README preview (load any public repo), Mermaid diagram editor, and LaTeX math preview.

Markdown syntax at a glance

New to Markdown, or just received a .md file? These ten patterns cover most documents. For GitHub-only features — alerts, collapsible sections, footnotes — see the complete GitHub Markdown reference.

You writeYou get
# Heading 1
## Heading 2
Section headings (levels 1–6)
**bold**  *italic*  ~~strike~~
Text styles
[link text](https://example.com)
A link
![alt text](image.png)
An image
- item
1. first
Bulleted and numbered lists
- [x] done
- [ ] to do
Task list
> quoted text
Blockquote
`code`  and  ```js
Inline code and code blocks
| A | B |
| - | - |
| 1 | 2 |
Table
---
Horizontal rule

Keyboard shortcuts

Ctrl / ⌘ + SDownload the document as .md
Ctrl / ⌘ + BBold
Ctrl / ⌘ + IItalic
Ctrl / ⌘ + KInsert a link
Ctrl / ⌘ + FFind and replace
Ctrl / ⌘ + clickOpen a link while editing
EscClose find, or leave fullscreen

What happens to your file

  • Files are read by your browser (FileReader API) and rendered in this tab — never uploaded.
  • Drafts are autosaved in your browser's local storage only; clearing the editor removes them.
  • Share links carry the document inside the URL; nothing is stored on a server.
  • Rendered HTML is sanitized, so a shared document can't run scripts.

Details in our privacy policy.

Online previewer vs. editors and extensions

Built-in features only, without add-ons. Already use VS Code? See how to preview Markdown in VS Code or in 15 other editors; for other no-install options, see 6 ways to preview Markdown in a browser, or see how six online viewers compare in our hands-on test.

FeatureMarkdownPreview.netVS CodeObsidianViewer extension
Nothing to install———
Open local .md files
GitHub tables & task listsTables onlyTasks opt-in
GitHub alerts ([!NOTE])——
Mermaid diagramsOpt-in
MathOpt-in
Share a link without an account———
Export HTML / PDF built in—PDF—

“Viewer extension” refers to the open-source Markdown Viewer browser extension with default settings.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a Markdown viewer or an editor?

Both. The left pane is a full Markdown editor (formatting shortcuts, find and replace, autosave) and the right pane is a live preview, so you can write and check formatting in one place. To only read a document, drop in a .md file and switch to Read for a full-width view — on phones it opens that way automatically.

How do I open a .md file online?

Drag the file onto the editor on this page, or click Open File and choose it. The file is read by your browser and rendered immediately — nothing is uploaded. You can also paste Markdown text straight into the left pane.

What is a .md file?

A .md file is a plain-text document written in Markdown, a lightweight formatting syntax: # for headings, ** for bold, - for lists, and so on. README files on GitHub, documentation, notes, and AI-generated text are commonly written in Markdown. Any text editor can open it, but you need a Markdown viewer like this one to see it formatted.

Is my document private?

Yes. Parsing, rendering, and export all happen inside your browser tab, and your text is never uploaded to our servers. Drafts are autosaved only in your own browser. The site uses Google Analytics to count visits, but it never receives document content, and it is not loaded at all when you open a share link.

Does it support GitHub Flavored Markdown?

Yes: tables with alignment, task lists, strikethrough, autolinks, fenced code with syntax highlighting, footnotes, and GitHub alerts ([!NOTE], [!TIP], [!IMPORTANT], [!WARNING], [!CAUTION]), plus Mermaid diagrams and math. It uses the open-source marked parser, so the result is very close to GitHub but not pixel-identical — see our GitHub Markdown Preview for a full syntax reference.

Does the editor save my work?

Yes. Your document is autosaved in your browser as you type and restored when you come back. Press Ctrl+S (⌘S on Mac) to download it as a .md file. Private/incognito windows and clearing site data remove the draft.

Can I export Markdown to PDF, HTML, or Word?

Use Export to download a .md file, a standalone .html file, a print-ready PDF (through your browser's print dialog), or a PNG image, or to copy rich text for Google Docs and Word. For .docx and .pptx files, use our sister tool MDConverter.net.

How does the share link work?

Share compresses your document into the link itself (after the # sign), so no copy is stored anywhere. Anyone with the link can read the document. Very long documents produce very long links, which some chat apps may shorten or break.

Does it work on a phone or offline?

Yes. On phones the editor opens in a full-width reading view; tap Open File to pick a .md file from Files or your file manager, and Edit to change it. Once the page has loaded, previewing keeps working without a connection.

More Markdown Tools & Guides

All tools are free, run in your browser, and require no account.

GitHub Markdown PreviewTool

Load any public README, test it, and look up any GitHub syntax in the complete cheat sheet.

Open the tool
Mermaid Live EditorTool

13 diagram types with examples, live rendering, and SVG/PNG download.

Open the tool
LaTeX Math PreviewTool

Typeset equations as you type, with a copy-ready KaTeX cheat sheet of 180+ commands.

Open the tool
README Template GeneratorTool

Pick sections, fill in your project, and download a GitHub-ready README.md with badges and a TOC.

Open the tool
AI Markdown ViewerTool

Paste ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini output and read it formatted, with tables, code, and math.

Open the tool
What Is Markdown?Guide

A plain-English introduction: what Markdown and .md files are, where it came from, and where it is used.

Read the guide
Markdown in Google DocsGuide

Preview .md files in Drive, edit in Docs' Markdown mode, and paste, convert, or export Markdown.

Read the guide
Best Online Markdown ViewersGuide

Six free tools tested with the same document: rendering, privacy, and phone support compared.

Read the guide
GitHub Markdown Not Rendering?Guide

16 causes found by symptom — tables, lists, image paths, code fences, alerts, Mermaid, math — with tested fixes.

Read the guide
Markdown Preview in VS CodeGuide

Preview shortcuts, settings verified on VS Code 1.141, built-in Mermaid and math, extensions, and fixes.

Read the guide
How to Open an .md FileGuide

Open and read Markdown files formatted on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android, Word, and Google Docs.

Read the guide
Markdown Preview in Any EditorGuide

Exact preview shortcuts for Visual Studio, JetBrains, Zed, Xcode, Sublime, Neovim, Obsidian, and more.

Read the guide
Preview Markdown in a BrowserGuide

Six free ways to read .md files in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari — compared for privacy and features.

Read the guide