Available now · v0.2.0

MarkDW: a very lightweight, beautiful markdown viewer and editor

A desktop app (via Tauri) for Windows, macOS and Linux, with an optional browser mode. View, Edit and Split modes, paste straight from your clipboard, export as HTML, PDF or plain text — and no accounts, no telemetry, no network requests at all.

Download latest release Try it in the browser Installation instructions

Free and open source under the MIT license. Source code on GitHub.

Problem & solution

Reading and editing markdown shouldn't need a whole IDE

Opening a README or a notes file often means either a plain-text editor with no preview, or firing up a full code editor for a one-line edit. MarkDW is purpose-built for exactly one job: open a markdown file or folder, read it rendered, edit it when you need to, and save it back — nothing else running, nothing phoning home.

Features

What MarkDW does

View, Edit and Split modes

Toggle View/Edit per file with Ctrl/Cmd+E, or open Split to see the rendered preview and source side by side.

Single file or a whole folder

Open one .md file, or browse a folder to see all its top-level markdown files in the sidebar.

New from clipboard

Click "New from Clipboard" to paste markdown text straight into a new, unsaved document — handy for a snippet copied from somewhere else. Nothing is read from the clipboard until you click it.

Save in place

A Save button (and Ctrl/Cmd+S) writes back to the original file, with an unsaved-changes prompt before you switch files or close. A pasted document saves as a new file, since there's nothing on disk to write back to yet.

Export as HTML, PDF or plain text

Export a self-contained HTML file, the rendered plain text, or a PDF via your browser's own print dialog — all generated locally, nothing uploaded anywhere.

GitHub-flavored markdown

Tables, task lists and fenced code blocks render with syntax highlighting, powered by marked and highlight.js.

Two designs, light and dark

Pick between Harbor (the default, teal on deep navy) and Sage (warm gold on charcoal green), each with its own light and dark mode — switched from a toolbar icon, remembered next time.

Collapsible sidebar

Shrink the file panel to a slim icon rail when you want the editor full-width, and expand it again with one click.

One codebase, two hosts

The same interface runs as a native Tauri app or entirely in the browser — no server, no build differences to worry about.

Use cases

Who MarkDW is for

Developers

Read a repo's README and docs rendered, or make a quick edit, without opening a full code editor.

Note-takers

Keep plain-text notes in markdown and get a clean, distraction-free reading and editing view.

Anyone without a code editor handy

Open the browser version at markdw.netlify.app to view or edit a markdown file with nothing to install.

How it works

Usage

Open a file or a folder from the sidebar, then switch between View, Edit and Split as you go.

Shortcut / control	Action
`Ctrl/Cmd+E`	Toggle View / Edit mode
`Ctrl/Cmd+S` or the Save button	Save the current file in place
Open File…	Open a single markdown file
Open Folder…	Browse a folder's top-level .md files in the sidebar
New from Clipboard	Paste clipboard text into a new, unsaved document
Export ▾	Export the current document as HTML, PDF (via print), or plain text
Collapse file panel	Shrink the sidebar to icons only, or expand it again
Design switcher	Toggle between the Harbor and Sage designs; a separate toggle switches light/dark

Installation

Install MarkDW

Download the installer for your OS from the latest release, or skip installing entirely and use the browser version.

Windows

Run MarkDW_<version>_x64-setup.exe (or the .msi — either works). The build is unsigned, so SmartScreen will show an "unrecognized publisher" prompt on first run: click More info, then Run anyway.

macOS

Download the .dmg for your chip — _aarch64.dmg for Apple Silicon, _x64.dmg for Intel. The app is unsigned, so Gatekeeper blocks the first launch: right-click the app and choose Open once.

Linux

Use the .deb on Debian/Ubuntu, the .rpm on Fedora/RHEL, or the .AppImage on any distro.

Browser (no install)

Open markdw.netlify.app. In Chrome or Edge you get full folder browsing and save-in-place via the File System Access API; other browsers get single-file open/edit with save as a download.

Each release also includes a .app.tar.gz per macOS architecture — those are auto-update artifacts, not meant for manual download.

Permissions

What MarkDW accesses, and why

As a local editor, MarkDW doesn't request browser-style permissions on desktop — it reads and writes only the files and folders you point it at through native OS dialogs. See the privacy policy for the full picture.

Capability	Why it's needed
Filesystem (desktop)	Reads and writes the markdown file(s) you explicitly open via the native Open File / Open Folder dialogs. MarkDW never scans your disk on its own.
OS dialogs	Native file and folder pickers, a native "unsaved changes" confirmation prompt, and (on export) a native save dialog for HTML and plain text files.
Clipboard (read only)	Read only when you click "New from Clipboard" — never automatically, and MarkDW cannot write to the clipboard.
File System Access API (browser)	In Chromium browsers, grants the same folder-browsing and save-in-place access, scoped by the browser's own per-site, user-gesture-gated permission prompts.
Network	None. MarkDW has no HTTP client and makes no network requests — every render, export and clipboard read happens locally against content already in memory.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does MarkDW send my files anywhere?

No. MarkDW makes no network requests on desktop or in the browser. Files you open are read and written locally — through native OS dialogs on desktop, or the File System Access API in Chromium browsers — and never leave your device.

Why does the installer warn me it's from an unrecognized publisher?

MarkDW's builds aren't code-signed. On Windows, SmartScreen shows an "unrecognized publisher" prompt — click More info, then Run anyway. On macOS, Gatekeeper blocks the first launch — right-click the app and choose Open once to bypass it.

What's the difference between the desktop app and the browser version?

Both run the same interface. The desktop app (Tauri) reads and writes files directly through native OS dialogs. In a Chromium browser, the File System Access API gives the same folder-browsing and save-in-place experience; other browsers can still open and edit a single file, but save as a new download instead of saving in place.

Can MarkDW open a whole folder of markdown files?

Yes. Opening a folder lists its top-level .md files in the sidebar so you can switch between them. It doesn't recurse into subfolders.

How does "New from Clipboard" work?

Clicking it reads text from your system clipboard and opens it as a new, unsaved document — MarkDW never reads the clipboard on its own or in the background. Since the document isn't tied to a file yet, saving it prompts you to choose where to save, the same as saving any new file.

How does PDF export work?

Export ▾ → as PDF… opens your browser or OS's own print dialog with the rendered document as the page, so you choose "Save as PDF" (or a real printer) from there. There's no bundled PDF library — it's the same print pipeline behind any other page's Print command, just pointed at MarkDW's preview.

What's the difference between the Harbor and Sage designs?

They're purely cosmetic — Harbor (the default) is teal on deep navy, Sage is warm gold on charcoal green. Both come in light and dark mode. Nothing about how MarkDW works changes between them; it's the same choice as light/dark, just with two color palettes to pick from. Your choice is remembered locally the same way your light/dark preference is.

Is MarkDW free and open source?

Yes. MarkDW is released under the MIT license and the full source is available on GitHub.