The Markdown viewer
Windows never shipped
Windows can preview photos, PDFs and videos — but double-click a .md file and you get raw # symbols in Notepad. mdpeek is the missing piece: a 2 MB Markdown viewer that opens any .md file rendered like a webpage.
2 MB installer · Zero config · 100% offline, files never leave your PC
Why reading Markdown on Windows is still awkward
Markdown won. READMEs, documentation, AI answers from ChatGPT and Claude, exported notes — they all arrive as .md files. Yet two decades later, Windows still can't display one:
- ·File Explorer shows no preview for .md at all.
- ·Notepad opens it — as raw source. Headings stay
#, bold stays**. - ·PowerToys adds a narrow preview pane with minimal styling; Peek shows highlighted source, not a rendered document.
- ·VS Code / Typora render beautifully — but they're editors that take seconds to boot and hundreds of MB to install, just to read a file.
mdpeek is built for the 90% of times you just want to read. Install it once and .md files get a real default app: double-click, read, Esc to close. Think of it as Quick Look for Markdown, on Windows.
New to the format? Learn Markdown in 3 minutes · All the methods compared: 3 ways to open .md files on Windows
Every Windows option, side by side
| mdpeek | Notepad | PowerToys pane | VS Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rendered reading | ✓ Full page | ✕ Raw source | ~ Narrow side pane | ✓ Manual preview |
| Double-click a .md file | ✓ Instant | Unreadable | ✕ Select + peek | 3–5 s startup |
| Install size | 2 MB | Built in | ~90 MB (PowerToys) | ~100 MB |
| Outline / history / themes | ✓ Built in | ✕ | ✕ | ~ Via extensions |
| Works offline | ✓ 100% local | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Best for | Daily .md reading | Glancing at source | Quick peeks | Writing code |
They complement each other — keep your editor for writing, use mdpeek for reading. On a Mac? See the macOS version.
A real reading experience, not a preview pane
Reads like a webpage
Headings, tables with alignment, footnotes with back-links, local images and syntax-highlighted code blocks — rendered full-window, with a floating outline that tracks your scroll.
Live refresh while AI writes
Claude, Cursor and Copilot all save Markdown. mdpeek watches the file and re-renders the moment anything saves it — scroll position intact. Reading what your agent just wrote becomes a glance.
Easy on the eyes
9 color themes plus dark mode, any installed font, Ctrl+scroll for font size, Alt+scroll for column width. Text truly reflows — no blurry bitmap zoom.
Export & share
One right-click exports a PDF exactly as styled on screen, or a single-file HTML that opens in any browser. Pro adds Mermaid diagrams, KaTeX math and two editing modes.
Three steps, ten seconds
Install
Download the 2 MB installer. One click, nothing to configure.
Files associate themselves
mdpeek registers as the default app for .md during setup. No account, no settings.
Double-click & read
Any Markdown file now opens rendered, like a webpage. Esc closes it.
Seeing a SmartScreen prompt? That's Windows flagging apps without a costly code-signing certificate. Click "More info" → "Run anyway" — mdpeek runs entirely locally.
Markdown on Windows, answered
Does Windows 11 have a built-in Markdown viewer?
Can File Explorer preview Markdown files?
Is mdpeek free on Windows?
What about the Windows SmartScreen warning?
What are the system requirements?
Give your .md files a real default app
2 MB installer, one-click setup, zero configuration, 100% offline. Community Edition free forever, no ads.
Windows 10 / 11 · Prefer not to install anything? View Markdown online · Back to mdpeek home