How to Open .md Files on Mac

5 easy ways to view Markdown files on macOS

You've downloaded a project from GitHub, cloned a repo, or received a file ending in .md — and macOS doesn't know how to open it properly. If you need to open md file on a Mac, here are five ways to do it, from the quickest to the most powerful.

1. Use a Dedicated Markdown Viewer (Recommended)

The fastest way to read .md files on macOS is with a dedicated md reader like MDViewer.

  1. Download and install MDViewer
  2. Right-click any .md file in Finder
  3. Choose Get Info
  4. Under "Open with", select MDViewer
  5. Click Change All to set it as your default for all .md files

After this, every .md file opens with a double-click — rendered with headings, code blocks, tables, and links, just like on GitHub. MDViewer also gives you a table of contents, tabs for multiple files, and built-in Git history.

2. Open from Terminal

If you work in the terminal, you can open .md files directly:

  • open README.md — opens in your default .md app
  • open -a MDViewer README.md — opens in MDViewer specifically
  • open -a "TextEdit" README.md — opens in TextEdit (raw text, no rendering)

Once you set MDViewer as your default, open README.md is all you need.

3. Quick Look Preview in Finder

Select any .md file in Finder and press Space to see a formatted preview instantly — no app launch needed. By default, macOS shows raw Markdown source, but MDViewer includes a built-in QuickLook extension that renders headings, code blocks, tables, and even Mermaid diagrams right in the preview panel.

This is the fastest way to open md file contents without leaving Finder. Works in column view, Cover Flow, and full-screen Quick Look. The extension installs automatically with MDViewer — no plugins or extra setup.

4. Open in TextEdit

macOS includes TextEdit, which can open .md files:

  1. Right-click the .md file in Finder
  2. Choose Open With → TextEdit

TextEdit shows the raw Markdown syntax — you'll see # Heading instead of a formatted heading, and **bold** instead of bold text. Fine for quick edits, but not for reading.

5. Open in VS Code or Xcode

Both VS Code and Xcode can render Markdown files:

  • VS Code: Open the file, then press ⌘⇧V to open the Markdown preview pane
  • Xcode: Simply open the file — Xcode renders basic Markdown automatically

These work, but they're heavy applications designed for coding — not for reading documentation. Launching a 300 MB+ app to read a README is slower than using a lightweight, dedicated viewer.

Why Use a Dedicated .md Reader?

  • Speed — MDViewer launches instantly; VS Code and Xcode take seconds
  • Rendering — full GitHub Flavored Markdown: tables, task lists, code highlighting
  • Navigation — table of contents for long documents, tabs for multiple files
  • Git integration — browse file history and diffs without the terminal
  • Finder integration — set as default and double-click to open, just like Preview handles PDFs

Get MDViewer

Free, native, and built specifically for reading Markdown on macOS. Need a quick look without installing anything? Use the online Markdown viewer right in your browser.

Download MDViewer for Free

Requires macOS 13.0 or later. Intel and Apple Silicon.