ReaddownMarkdown reader & Quick Look preview for Mac

Stop opening .md files in Xcode, VS Code, or whatever your Mac defaults to. Double-click to read, spacebar to preview. Nothing more.

Download for Mac

Version 1.19 · What's new · macOS 13 Ventura or later

$ brew install --cask nataliarsand/tap/readdown

Everything you need to read Markdown.

Double-click to read

Opens .md files as rendered documents. Read-only by design. No edits, no auto-formatting, your files stay untouched.
Spacebar to preview

Quick Look extension for Finder. Select any .md, press spacebar. Rendered markdown, not raw text.

Clean typography
Syntax highlighting
Math equations
Mermaid diagrams
Collapsible headings
Copy with formatting
Code copy button
Light & Dark modes
Live refresh
Find in document
Adjustable zoom
Print & PDF export
Links to your apps
Front matter
Auto-updates

“Let’s be real, with Claude it’s Markdown all day long… and Readdown is hands down the best Markdown in town! I am always exploring docs, code snippets, mermaid diagrams, and it has everything blazing fast and beautiful.”

Rafael Bandeira @rafb43

Setup

Get started in three clicks.

Install and open any .md file

Drag Readdown to Applications. On first launch, it offers to become your default Markdown reader. If .md files still open elsewhere, right-click one in Finder → Get Info → Open With → Readdown → Change All.
Enable Quick Look

Readdown prompts you to enable Quick Look so you can preview .md files with spacebar in Finder. Click Enable Quick Look to jump straight to Login Items & Extensions, then click ℹ︎ next to Quick Look.
Toggle Readdown on

Switch Readdown on and click Done. Select any .md in Finder, press spacebar. Rendered.