A quiet place to read markdown

Open folders, browse with a file tree, and read beautifully rendered markdown, with Shiki syntax highlighting, Mermaid diagrams, and a calm interface that stays out of your way.

Download for macOS Read the docs

Free for macOS, Windows, and Linux · All download options

Mdow rendering a markdown document with syntax highlighting and a Mermaid diagram in dark mode

Just drop a file in

Open a file, open a folder, or drag and drop. No setup, no accounts, no configuration. Mdow gets out of your way and lets you read.

Mdow welcome screen with open file and open folder actions

Browse folders like a project

Open a directory and navigate your markdown files in a collapsible tree. Switch between Recents, Outline, and Folder views from the sidebar.

Mdow folder sidebar with a file tree and tabbed documents

Editor-quality syntax highlighting

example.ts

import { render } from 'mdow'

const html = render('# Hello')

// Editor-quality highlighting via Shiki

Mermaid diagrams, rendered inline

Flowcharts, sequence diagrams, state machines — write them in plain text and watch them render where you'd expect.

diagram.md

Idea

Draft

Publish

Light and dark, just right

Clean white in light mode, cool blue-gray in dark. Follows your system, switches instantly, never fights your eyes.

Everything you need for serious reading

Mdow is a viewer, not an editor, built for people who write in their editor and read in mdow.

Tabbed reading: Keep multiple documents open and switch between them instantly.
Command palette: Jump to any file or action with K — fast navigation without leaving the keyboard.
Find in document: Search within the current file with F and highlighted matches.
Live file watching: Edits on disk show up automatically while you read.
Document outline: Jump between headings with a sidebar outline for long reads.
Wide reading mode: Hide chrome and focus on the content when you need more space.

Built for long reading sessions

Whether you're skimming notes or diving into a long document, mdow keeps things comfortable at any time of day, with tabs, outline navigation, and typography tuned for reading.

Mdow in light mode with clean white background

Mdow in dark mode with folder sidebar and tabbed documents

Free and open source

.md.markdown.mdx

macOS

Windows

Linux

Get the latest releaseStar on GitHub

Ready to read markdown beautifully?

Download mdow and turn any folder of markdown into a calm reading experience.

Download for macOS View on GitHub

Available for macOS, Windows, and Linux · MIT licensed