How to open a Markdown file on Mac

To open a Markdown file on Mac, double-click it in Finder, or in Unmarked press ⌘O and pick the file, or drag the file onto the app. Markdown files usually end in .md. Unmarked opens them in place, so there's nothing to import and no copy is made.

Double-click it in Finder

1. Find the file in Finder.
2. Double-click it.

If Unmarked is your default Markdown app, the file opens straight into the rendered view. If it opens in a different app instead, the default is set somewhere else on your Mac. See Make Unmarked your default Markdown app to change it.

Open from inside Unmarked (⌘O)

1. Open Unmarked.
2. Press ⌘O, or choose File ▸ Open.
3. Select the file and click Open.

This always uses Unmarked, regardless of your default app. Good for a one-off when you don't want to change any settings.

Drag the file onto Unmarked

Drag the file from Finder onto the Unmarked icon in the Dock, or onto an open Unmarked window. It opens immediately.

Reopen something recent

The home screen lists your recent files. Click one to jump back in. No need to dig through Finder for a file you had open yesterday.

Which files Unmarked opens

Markdown files come with a few different extensions, and Unmarked opens all the common ones: .md, .markdown, .mdown, .mkd, and plain .txt. If your file is plain text with Markdown inside it, Unmarked reads it as Markdown.

No library, no second copy. There's nothing to add files to and nothing duplicated on disk. If the file sits in iCloud Drive or Dropbox, it stays there and keeps syncing, and Unmarked just points at it where it lives.