Read, Write, and Split modes

Short answer: Read mode shows the finished document with no Markdown syntax, Write mode shows clean source that dims and reveals as you move the cursor, and Split mode shows both side by side, scroll-synced. Press ⌘E to toggle between Read and Write.

Unmarked shows the document the way it's meant to look. Headings are headings, tables are real tables, a bullet list is a list. No stray # at the start of a line, no * wrapped around a word you have to strip out in your head. The rendering is native, so a long document reads like a finished page.

That finished view is Read mode. Write mode and Split mode each handle a different job.

Read mode: the finished document

Read mode is the rendered document, nothing else. This is where you go to actually read.

• Links are clickable.
• Task checkboxes are clickable, and toggling one saves the change straight to the file.
• Code blocks carry a copy button, with the language labeled.
• Images zoom, and Live Text means you can select the text inside them.

Use it when you're reviewing, reading something long, or handing the screen to someone who shouldn't have to look at raw Markdown.

Write mode: clean source, syntax that gets out of the way

Write mode is a source editor, but a quiet one. The Markdown syntax dims so the prose stays in front of you, and it reveals at the cursor when you're on a line that has it. So you see ## Heading as a heading most of the time, and you see the ## when you land there to edit it.

What's in Write mode:

• Smart continuation. Press Enter inside a list or a quote and the next line keeps it going.
• Tab to indent, ⇧Tab to outdent.
• A floating format toolbar when you select text.
• An "+ Insert" menu for headings, lists, tasks, quotes, code blocks, tables, dividers, and images.
• Find with ⌘F, full undo and redo, and spell and grammar check (on by default, toggle it off in Settings if you'd rather).

Use it when you're writing or editing and want the source under your hands without the noise.

Split mode: both, scroll-synced

Split mode puts the editor and the rendered view next to each other, and scrolling one scrolls the other. Edit on the left, watch it land on the right.

It's the mode for fiddly formatting: a table where you're lining up the columns, a block of nested lists, anything where you want to see the rendered result without breaking flow to switch. The tradeoff is screen width. Two panes get tight on a smaller display, so most people live in Write or Read and reach for Split when they need it.

Switching modes

⌘E toggles between Read and Write. That's the one to remember, since it's the switch you'll make most.

Split is available from the toolbar and the View menu alongside the other two. Pick a mode and the document stays exactly where you are in it.

Note: Read and Write keep their own typography, so you can tune each one to the job. Set them both under Typography in Settings.