How to Open an .md File on Windows, Mac, iPhone & Android

Any device: open it in your browser

Works the same on Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, iPhone, iPad, and Android.

1. 1Open MarkdownPreview.net.
2. 2Drag the .md file onto the editor, or click Open File and choose it (on a phone, pick it from Files or your file manager).
3. 3Read it in the preview. Use Read for a full-width view and Outline to jump between sections.
4. 4Optional: Export it as PDF or HTML, or Copy Rich Text to paste into Word or Google Docs.

The file is read by your browser and never uploaded. For more browser-based options, see 6 ways to preview Markdown in a browser.

Windows 10 & 11

Open it once

1. 1Right-click the file and choose Open with → Choose another app.
2. 2Pick Notepad (plain text), VS Code, or another Markdown app.

Always open .md files with the same app

1. 1Open Settings → Apps → Default apps.
2. 2Type .md in the search box under file types and select it.
3. 3Choose the app you want. Repeat for .markdown if you use it.

See it formatted

• Notepad (Windows 11): Microsoft has been adding Markdown formatting to Notepad — headings, bold and italic, links, lists, and later tables and strikethrough — with a toggle between the formatted view and the raw Markdown (View menu or status bar). It has rolled out through Windows Insider channels since May 2025, so it may not be on every PC yet; update Notepad from the Microsoft Store to get the latest version.
• Preview pane (Microsoft PowerToys): install PowerToys, turn on its File Explorer add-on for Markdown, then enable View → Preview pane in File Explorer to see .md files rendered when you select them. PowerToys Peek also previews Markdown — select a file and press Peek’s activation shortcut (Space by default in recent versions; check PowerToys Settings → Peek).
• VS Code: open the file and press Ctrl+Shift+V — see our VS Code guide.

Mac

Open it once

1. 1Control-click the file and choose Open With, then pick an app — or drag the file onto an app’s icon.

Always open .md files with the same app

1. 1Select an .md file in Finder and choose File → Get Info.
2. 2Expand Open with and choose the app.
3. 3Click Change All to use it for every .md file.

See it formatted

• Apple Notes (macOS Tahoe 26 and later): choose File → Import Markdown, select the .md file, and click Import. Notes converts the Markdown to formatted text in an “Imported Notes” folder. It’s an import (a copy), not a live view of the file.
• Quick Look (Space bar in Finder): Apple doesn’t document a rendered Markdown preview, and in practice Quick Look shows the raw text unless you install a third-party Quick Look extension, such as the open-source markdown-preview-quicklook.
• TextEdit isn’t a Markdown app — Apple doesn’t list Markdown among its formats — so it shows the raw text.
• For a live, formatted view, use the browser method above, VS Code, or a Markdown editor such as Obsidian or Typora.

Linux

Desktops treat Markdown as a kind of plain text, so .md files open in your default text editor (GNOME Text Editor, gedit, and Kate highlight the syntax). To see it rendered:

• Kate (KDE): enable the Document Preview plugin and open View → Tool Views → Show Preview. Markdown preview needs the KMarkdownWebView (sometimes packaged as markdownpart) or Okular part installed.
• Apostrophe (GNOME): a Markdown editor with a live preview, available from GNOME’s app catalog.
• Or use the browser method — it works in Firefox and Chromium on any distribution.

iPhone & iPad

Read it formatted in Safari (any iOS version)

1. 1Open MarkdownPreview.net in Safari.
2. 2Tap Open File, then choose the .md file from the Files picker.
3. 3The document opens in a full-width reading view; tap Edit to change it.

Save it to Apple Notes (iOS / iPadOS 26 and later)

1. 1In the Files app, touch and hold the .md file and tap Share.
2. 2Tap Notes, then save it as a new note. Notes converts the Markdown to formatted text.

Android

Android has no built-in Markdown viewer, so tapping an .md file offers whatever apps can open text. The simplest formatted option is the browser method:

1. 1Open MarkdownPreview.net in Chrome.
2. 2Tap Open File and pick the file from your downloads or file manager.

Change which app opens .md files

When Android asks which app to use, choose one and tap Always (or Just once). To undo a choice, go to Settings → Apps → the app → Open by default → Clear default preferences. Menu names can vary by manufacturer.

Microsoft Word, Google Docs & OneDrive

Microsoft Word

Word doesn’t support Markdown as a file format (it isn’t in Microsoft’s list of Word file formats). Two ways in: convert the file to .docx with MDConverter.net, or open it in MarkdownPreview.net, choose Export → Copy Rich Text, and paste into Word — headings, lists, tables, and links keep their formatting.

Google Drive & Docs

• New in October 2026: Drive previews .md files natively (right-click → Open with → Preview, then switch between Markdown and Preview), and double-clicking opens them in Docs’ “Markdown mode”, editing the .md file directly. Google began rolling this out on October 5, 2026; it can take up to about two weeks to reach every account.
• Import and export (since 2024): upload an .md file and open it with Google Docs to convert it to a Doc, or save any Doc with File → Download → Markdown (.md).

Step-by-step menus, limits, and what Google doesn’t document are in our Markdown in Google Docs guide.

OneDrive & SharePoint

Microsoft added native Markdown support to OneDrive and SharePoint on the web in 2026, with View, Edit, and Split modes — open the .md file there to read it formatted.