How to open a .md file on Windows, Mac and iPhone

What is a .md file?

Markdown is the plain-text format used by GitHub READMEs, documentation sites and note-taking apps. The .md extension means the file contains Markdown source, not a finished document, so a text editor shows the syntax while a Markdown viewer shows the result. New to the syntax? The Markdown guide covers every element with live examples.

How to open a .md file on Windows

1. Double-click the file. Windows usually opens .md files in Notepad, which shows the raw Markdown text.
2. Right-click and choose Open with to pick another app: Notepad, Visual Studio Code or a browser.
3. To see it rendered, open this page in Edge, Chrome or Firefox and drag the file into the window.
4. Or use an app with a preview: press Ctrl + Shift + V in Visual Studio Code, or open the file in Obsidian or Typora.
5. If the file came from an email or a download, Windows may block it: right-click it, open Properties, tick Unblock and open it again.

Windows has no built-in Markdown viewer, so double-clicking always gives you the source text unless you install an app or use a browser.

How to open a .md file on Mac

1. Select the file in Finder and press Space. Quick Look shows a preview, usually as plain text.
2. Double-click to open it in your default app. If that is TextEdit, it opens as plain text and does not render the Markdown.
3. To see it rendered, open this page in Safari or Chrome and drag the file onto the window.
4. Or press Cmd + Shift + V in Visual Studio Code, or open the file in MacDown or Obsidian.

Quick Look does not render Markdown by itself, so the space-bar preview shows the symbols rather than headings and tables.

How to open a .md file on iPhone and iPad

1. Save the file first if it arrived by email or Messages: tap the attachment, then Share → Save to Files.
2. Open the Files app, browse to the file (often in Downloads or On My iPhone) and tap it. iOS shows the raw text.
3. To see it rendered, open Safari, go to this page, tap Open, then Open file… and choose the file from Files or iCloud Drive.
4. To edit Markdown on iOS, use an app such as Textastic, Obsidian or Working Copy. Apple Notes and Pages do not read .md files as Markdown.

On iPhone and iPad the file stays on your device: the browser reads it locally and nothing is uploaded.

Reading a .md file vs editing it

A viewer only displays the document. If you need to change it, this tool is also a Markdown editor: switch to Split or Edit, write your content, and export to PDF, Word, HTML or PNG when you are done. Changes are auto-saved in your browser, not on a server.

Common problems

Why does the file open as text with # and * characters?

That is the Markdown source, not a rendering error. A .md file is plain text and the symbols are the formatting instructions. Open it in a Markdown viewer to see headings, lists and tables as formatted output.

Windows cannot open this file, or asks which app to use

Windows has no default handler for .md, so the "how do you want to open this file?" dialog is normal. Choose Notepad to read the source, or a browser if you want it rendered.

The browser downloads the file instead of displaying it

Some servers send .md files with a content type your browser cannot display, so it downloads them. Open this page first and use Open file… to load the document from your device.

The file is inside a ZIP archive

Extract the archive first (right-click → Extract All on Windows, double-click on Mac, or the Files app on iOS), then open the .md file.

Where did my download go on iPhone?

Open the Files app and check Downloads under iCloud Drive or On My iPhone. If you opened it from Mail, save it to Files with the share sheet first.

Is it safe to open a .md file?

A .md file is text, so it cannot run by itself. It can link to images and other sites, so treat unexpected links the way you would in an email. With this tool the file is processed locally in your browser and never uploaded: see the privacy policy.

Can I open a .md file without installing anything?

Yes. A browser is enough: drag the file onto the editor on this page, or use Open file…, and it renders immediately on Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, Android, iPhone and iPad.