Read, navigate and edit your Markdown files on macOS. Workspace tree, find & replace, synced scrolling, clickable task lists, link map with broken-link detection. Works in Xcode, Finder QuickLook, and as a standalone app.
A simple, fast, and native tool. Zero configuration.
File > Import Document converts a Word document (.docx), a PDF or an RTF file into Markdown: headings with their section numbers, lists, bold, italic, plus tables and links from Word. A preview shows the result, and what could not be carried over, before you save. Everything runs on your Mac and the original is never modified.
View > Create Overview proposes an OVERVIEW.md for the open folder: the project in one sentence, its current state, a map of the documents and warning signs such as duplicates or outdated facts. Written on your Mac by Apple Intelligence, and nothing is saved until you review it section by section.
The overview is written on your Mac by Apple Intelligence, with Apple's on-device Foundation model. You can also use a local model through Ollama, oMLX or LM Studio, or an online AI service with your own API key. Keys stay in your keychain, requests go straight from your Mac, and nothing goes to an online service before you consent for each project.
Any MCP-compatible AI agent on your Mac can read the projects you choose and suggest changes you approve one by one. Off by default, no network port opened.
A status bar under the editor counts characters, characters without spaces, words and lines. Word splitting follows the language, so Japanese and Chinese count properly. It also shows the file size and an estimate of the tokens an AI model would read.
⌘F opens the native find bar in Source and Side-by-side modes, ⌥⌘F to replace. Incremental highlighting, native undo.
Click a checkbox in the preview and the file is updated: [ ] becomes [x]. The preview keeps your reading position while you edit.
The dashes block at the top of files shows as a collapsible panel or stays hidden. Dimmed in the editor, no false headings in the outline.
Front matter tags feed a filter in the workspace sidebar: per-tag counts, multiple selection, folders without matches are hidden.
Type ]( in the editor and pick a workspace .md file: the relative path is inserted with the closing parenthesis.
Menus, settings and every screen in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Simplified Chinese and Korean, following the wording of each market.
Write Markdown, see the document. Headings, bold and code are styled as you type, and the markers disappear except in the paragraph you are editing.
Cycle Rendered / Source / Side-by-side with ⌘⇧R. Markdown syntax colored as you type, synchronized scrolling, auto-save optional.
⌘B for bold, ⌘I for italic, ⌘K for links. Smart toggle: press ⌘B on bold text and the markers are removed. Native Undo/Redo.
Open a folder (⌘⇧O) and browse every .md in a tree sidebar. Tabs stay readable when many are open, ⌃Tab moves between them, and the session is restored on launch.
⌘⇧F finds the sections that hold your words, in any order and ignoring accents, even when they are split between heading, file name and text. Ranked by relevance, words highlighted. Exact lines and regex remain. New in 2.8: search by meaning, so a section that says the same thing in other words comes back too, computed on your Mac with no network. A section found only by meaning carries a "by meaning" label.
⌘⇧G opens a graph view of the links between every .md file. Broken links are flagged and listed. Click a node to open the document.
Hit Space on any .md file in Finder for an instant rendered preview. Thumbnails in Icons, Columns and Gallery views.
Integrates directly into Xcode's Editor menu. One keyboard shortcut and you're good to go.
Appearance, font sizes, default workspace folder, session restore. Toggle Mermaid and KaTeX support.
Light, dark or following macOS: the Appearance setting switches the whole app, editor included, with GitHub-style rendering in both.
Print from the standard macOS dialog or export the full preview as a clean PDF (⌘⇧E).
The preview updates automatically when you save the file or another editor changes it.
App Sandbox, Hardened Runtime, no data collected. Built natively in Swift, distributed through the Mac App Store. A document opened on its own asks once for its folder, then shows its images.
Real screenshots, in your language.
From Finder, Xcode, or as a standalone editor.
⌘⇧O on any folder to browse its .md files in the workspace sidebar. Or double-click a .md from Finder.
⌘⇧R cycles Rendered / Source / Side-by-side. Type, use ⌘B / ⌘I / ⌘K for formatting, ⌘S to save.
⌘⇧F finds the right section across files, ⌘⇧G opens the link map. Auto-refresh keeps the preview in sync with disk.
Nine shortcuts cover the core flow.
Standard file picker.
Open as a workspace.
Rendered / Source / Side-by-side.
Write your edits to disk.
Wrap the selection with Markdown markers.
In the editor (Source & Side-by-side).
Sections ranked by relevance.
Visualize document connections.
Appearance, fonts, defaults.
All the Markdown you need, faithfully rendered.
A one-off purchase at $4.99. No subscription, no in-app purchase, no paid upgrade: every feature is included and every update is free.
macOS 14.0 and later, on Apple silicon and Intel Macs alike.
None. The app runs in the App Sandbox with Hardened Runtime, collects nothing and makes no network request to open or render a file. Documents leave your Mac only if you turn on an online AI service with your own API key, and only after you consent.
Yes. Once the app has been launched a first time, the Quick Look extension and the Finder thumbnails work on their own: press Space on any .md file.
A real editor. Four view modes including an editable preview, find and replace, formatting shortcuts, workspace search and a link map. Your files stay on disk, in plain Markdown.
Yes. File > Import Document reads a .docx, a PDF or an RTF file and saves a .md file: headings, lists, bold and italic, plus tables and links from Word. Anything that cannot be carried over, such as images or a scanned PDF without text, is listed before you save. The conversion runs on your Mac, nothing is sent online.
Get Markdown Buddy 2.10 for $4.99 on the Mac App Store and preview, navigate and edit Markdown faster on macOS.
Mac App Store