Short answer: a Markdown viewer is an app that opens a .md file as a formatted document, with headings, lists, tables and checklists, instead of the raw text with its # and ** symbols. macOS does not include one. For quick previews in Finder, install a Markdown Quick Look extension. For reading in a proper window, use a Markdown viewer app such as nicemd, which does both and is free to read with.
If an AI tool is handing you plans, specs and notes as .md files, a viewer makes them behave like PDFs: double-click, read, done. Here is what is available, including the free routes.
What a good Markdown viewer does
- Opens on double-click. It can be set as the default app for
.mdfiles, so you never see the raw text unless you ask for it. - Previews with Space. A Quick Look extension, so pressing
Spacein Finder shows the formatted page without opening anything. - Renders everything in the file. Tables, task lists, code blocks, and diagrams and math if your files have them. AI tools use all of these.
- Keeps up with changes. If an AI tool is still rewriting the file, the window should update, not show you an old copy.
- Has an outline. Long plans and specs are easier to read when you can jump between headings.
- Gets the document out. Print, Save as PDF, and a way to paste the formatted text into an email or a doc.
Free options
TextEdit (built in)
Opens any .md file, but as plain text. You can read the words; you cannot see the formatting. Good enough for a three-line note.
QLMarkdown (free, Quick Look only)
A free, open-source Quick Look extension. Press Space in Finder and the file shows formatted. There is no reading window, so double-clicking still opens whatever app you had before. Distributed through GitHub releases and Homebrew cask. A good choice if previews in Finder are all you want; see nicemd vs QLMarkdown.
VS Code (free, a code editor)
Open the file and press ⇧⌘V for a rendered preview next to the text. Reliable, and free, but it is a programming tool and opens every file inside a workspace. Worth it if you already use it; a lot to install just to read. See reading Markdown without VS Code.
Online previewers
Paste Markdown into a website and it shows the result. Works anywhere, but your file's contents go to someone else's server, which is a poor default for anything from work.
Markdown viewer apps
nicemd (free to read, $4.99 once to edit)
A Markdown viewer and editor for Mac, built for people who did not choose Markdown and just want the file to open like a document. Double-click a .md file and it opens as a clean page, with an outline sidebar, tabs and themes. Its Quick Look extension shows the same page when you press Space in Finder. It reloads live when an AI tool rewrites the file, and renders tables, task lists, code, Mermaid diagrams and math offline.
Reading, Quick Look, Save as PDF and Copy as HTML are free; edit mode, split view and export to HTML and Word are a one-time unlock. The editor shows formatting and hides the Markdown, like a word processor, and you can try it free for 3 days. Requires macOS 14 or later. Get it on the Mac App Store.
Glance
A reader with Quick Look, close in spirit to nicemd. Reading is free. Paid: $9.99 once after a 14-day trial — editing (Glance Pro). Runs on macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon, and is sold outside the App Store (Direct download (DMG)). See nicemd vs Glance.
Typora
A full Markdown editor rather than a viewer, with live formatting as you type. 15-day trial, then $14.99 once, up to three devices. No Quick Look extension. The right pick if you write Markdown all day; more than you need if you mostly read it. See nicemd vs Typora.
Prices and details for these apps were checked in September 2026. We make nicemd, so weigh that. The full comparison of Markdown Quick Look options lays them side by side.
How to set a Markdown viewer as the default
- Select any
.mdfile in Finder. - Press
⌘Ito open Get Info. - Under Open with, choose the viewer.
- Click Change All… and confirm. Without this step only that one file changes.
nicemd can also set itself as the default from its settings. If Space still shows raw text after installing a viewer, see Quick Look Markdown not working.
Questions
Does macOS have a built-in Markdown viewer?
No. TextEdit and Quick Look show .md files as plain text. You need an app or a Quick Look extension to see them formatted.
What is the best free Markdown viewer for Mac?
For previews in Finder only, QLMarkdown is free and open source. For a reading window plus Quick Look, nicemd's reader is free, with no time limit and no account. If you already have VS Code, its preview works too.
Can a Markdown viewer edit files too?
Some can. nicemd has a live editor where formatting shows and the Markdown hides, a split view, and [[note]] links between files. Editing is free for 3 days, then a one-time $4.99 unlock.
What is a .md file, anyway?
A plain-text document with a few symbols for formatting. See what is a .md file?