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Markdown Reader Help

Learn all features in 3 minutes

Quick Start Shortcuts Features Themes & Appearance Diagrams & Formulas CLI Tool Quick Look Export PDF FAQ

Quick Start

Open a file, start reading — it's that simple

1. Open a File or Folder

Press ⌘O or click the toolbar open button to select a .md file or folder. You can also drag and drop files or folders directly into the window.

2. Read & Navigate

Browse directory structure in the file tree on the left, read content in the rendered view on the right. Click the outline button or press ⌘\ to toggle the sidebar.

3. Edit & Save

Switch to source mode (⇧⌘R) to edit directly, press ⌘S to save. Unsaved content is automatically preserved when switching files.

4. Quick Open Files

Press ⌘P to open the command palette. Type a filename for fuzzy search, use ↑↓ to select, and Enter to open. Faster than browsing the file tree.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Work faster with the keyboard

ShortcutFunction
⌘OOpen folder / file
⌘NNew file
⌘SSave file
⌥⌘EExport PDF
⌘,Open settings
⌘\Toggle sidebar
⇧⌘ERendered mode
⇧⌘RSource mode
⌘+Zoom in
⌘-Zoom out
⌘0Actual size
⌘FFind
⌘GFind next
⇧⌘GFind previous
⌥⌘FFind and replace
⌘PCommand palette

Feature Details

Every feature designed for the reading experience

Rendered View

cmark-gfm engine parses Markdown, WKWebView renders as rich text. Full GFM extension support including tables, task lists, strikethrough, autolinks, and more.

Source Editing

Press ⇧⌘R to edit Markdown source directly with Prism.js syntax highlighting for 30+ languages. ⌘S to save, unsaved content auto-preserved when switching.

File Tree

Recursively browse folders with keyboard navigation (arrow keys to select, Enter to open). Right-click menu for create, rename, move, and delete.

Outline Navigation

Auto-extract heading hierarchy, click to jump quickly. More efficient for reading long documents.

Find & Replace

Press ⌘F to open find bar. Supports case-sensitive, whole-word, and regex matching. ⌥⌘F for find and replace.

View Zoom

Use ⌘+ / ⌘- to zoom content, range 0.3x–3.0x. Press ⌘0 to restore actual size. Zoom level auto-persists.

Themes & Appearance

33 themes to craft your reading space

Theme Mode

In Settings → Appearance, choose Light, Dark, or Follow System mode. The app switches appearance instantly.

Color Schemes

33 preset color schemes (20 dark + 13 light) — Dracula, Catppuccin, Nord, Tokyo Night… Each mode has independent colors.

Custom Colors

In Settings → Appearance → Custom Colors, adjust background, text, accent, success, and danger colors individually.

Contrast Control

Low/High contrast options to adjust visual contrast between background and foreground layers.

Diagrams & Formulas

Perfect rendering for technical docs

Mermaid Diagrams

Use `mermaid` language identifier in code blocks to render flowcharts, sequence diagrams, Gantt charts, and more. Local rendering, no network needed.

Math Formulas (KaTeX)

Wrap inline formulas with `$...$` and block formulas with `$$...$`. LaTeX syntax rendered perfectly.

PlantUML Diagrams

Use `plantuml` language identifier in code blocks to auto-render as SVG diagrams. Requires network connection.

CLI Tool mdr

Seamless terminal workflow

Install

Open Settings → General → CLI Tool and click the Install button. Once installed, the `mdr` command is available in the terminal.

Usage

Type `mdr README.md` in the terminal to open files. Supports opening multiple files and folders simultaneously.

More Features

Discover these handy features

Quick Look Preview

Select a .md file in Finder and press Space to preview rendered content. Enable in Settings → General → Quick Look Preview.

Export PDF

Press ⌥⌘E or use File → Export PDF to export rendered content as a PDF file, preserving the current theme style.

FAQ

Having issues? Check here first

What file formats are supported?

Supports `.md`, `.markdown`, `.mdown`, `.mkd` and other Markdown format files.

What are the system requirements?

macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later.

PlantUML diagrams not rendering?

PlantUML rendering requires a network connection. Make sure you can access the PlantUML server. Mermaid diagrams still work offline (local rendering).

How to set Markdown Reader as the default app?

Open Settings → General → Default Markdown App and click Set as Default. Or right-click a .md file → Get Info → Open With → select Markdown Reader → click Change All.

How to report issues or suggestions?

Feel free to submit feedback on GitHub Issues.