Visual Studio Code
The world's most popular code editor is also a markdown powerhouse.
Visual Studio Code ships with strong markdown support out of the box: syntax highlighting, a side-by-side live preview, outline navigation, and link validation for .md files.
Its extension marketplace turns it into a full markdown workstation — linters, all-in-one markdown packs, paste-image helpers, and entire knowledge-base systems like Dendron and Foam run inside it.
Similar markdown tools
Byword
Distraction-free markdown writing app for Mac and iOS.
Deepdwn
Markdown editor with folder organization and fenced code charts.
iA Writer
The benchmark for focused markdown writing apps.
MacDown
Free open-source split-view markdown editor for macOS.
Marked 2
Live markdown previewer that pairs with any text editor.
MarkText
Free WYSIWYG markdown editor for all three desktop platforms.
Try markdown before you install anything
The free online markdown editor gives you a live side-by-side preview in the browser — a quick way to test the syntax Visual Studio Code uses, with nothing to download or sign up for.
Open the editor