Markdown Editors and Viewers for Windows

Windows does not render Markdown by default: a .md file opens in Notepad as plain text. Whether you only want to read a README or you write in Markdown all day, there is a good option for each case below, and one of them is already built into a free Microsoft tool you may have installed.

Just read a file

• Online viewer: open the Markdown viewer, click Open .md file or drop the file onto the editor. No install, and the file is not uploaded.
• PowerToys: the File Explorer add-ons in Microsoft PowerToys can show Markdown files formatted in the Preview pane. Turn the add-on on in PowerToys settings, then press Alt + P in File Explorer to show the Preview pane and select a .md file. PowerToys Peek (Ctrl + Space) offers a quick preview of a selected file as well.

Editors with a live preview

Visual Studio Code

Free, with a built-in preview (Ctrl + Shift + V). A good choice if you also edit code. See Markdown preview in VS Code.

Notepad++

A fast, free text editor. It highlights Markdown out of the box; to get a rendered preview you can install a Markdown viewer plugin from the Plugins Admin.

Typora

Renders as you type in a single pane. It is paid after the trial.

MarkText

An open-source editor with a similar instant-render style. Check the project page for recent releases before adopting it.

Obsidian

A notes app where every note is a Markdown file in a folder, with links between notes. Good for a personal knowledge base.

Zettlr

An open-source editor aimed at research and academic writing, with citation support and Pandoc-based export.

Markdown Monster

A Windows-only Markdown editor with a preview pane and many writing tools. It is commercial, with a trial.

Command line

If you use Windows Terminal or PowerShell, Glow renders Markdown inside the terminal. Install it with winget install charmbracelet.glow, then run glow README.md. More options are in Markdown in the terminal.

Choose the program that opens .md files

1. Open Settings, then Apps, then Default apps.
2. Search for .md.
3. Pick the app you want to use for Markdown files.

Which should you pick?

Compare editors across platforms in Best Markdown editors.