MarkText is a Markdown editor that renders formatting as you type, so headings, lists, tables, and math appear styled while the underlying file stays plain Markdown. It suits writers who want a focused editor with PDF and HTML export built in.
MarkText is a Markdown editor built around a realtime preview: you type plain Markdown and the formatted result appears immediately, with syntax markers hidden until you click a line. That means headings, bold text, lists, tables, and images look like a finished document while the file on disk remains ordinary Markdown. A format pop-up appears whenever text is selected, offering bold, italics, strikethrough, inline code, links, and images without memorizing syntax, and typing a slash at the start of a line opens a quick insert menu. Files open in tabs, a sidebar tree browses an entire folder, and the same document can be exported to PDF or HTML when it is finished.
The sidebar carries three panels that matter on long projects: a filesystem tree of the opened folder, a find-in-files search that can match with regular expressions and case sensitivity, and a table of contents generated from the current tab's headings. Quick open jumps to any file in the folder by name, and tabs can be reordered or hidden entirely for a cleaner window. Beyond the editor, preferences cover fonts, line width, bracket autocompletion, and image handling, with the whole set also stored in a plain settings file. Anyone who needs encrypted storage and syncing rather than local Markdown files is better served by a tool such as Standard Notes, while MarkText remains the writing surface.
MarkText is worth using because it keeps the source and the result in the same view. Plain Markdown stays portable and readable in any text editor or version control system, yet you never have to preview in a separate pane or guess how a table will render, which removes the biggest friction of writing in Markdown. The editor's small tools carry the rest of the load: a table dialog builds rows and columns and lets them be dragged into a different order, images can be pasted straight from the clipboard and resized by dragging, and math expressions render through KaTeX as you write. Focus mode fades every line except the one being edited, and typewriter mode keeps the cursor centered, so long sessions stay comfortable. Export in MarkText handles delivery, with page size, margins, heading numbering, and header or footer options set before the document becomes a PDF or HTML file.
Markdown is rendered as it is typed, so headings, bold text, lists, links, and tables look like finished output while the file stays plain text. Syntax markers appear for the line being edited and disappear again, which keeps the document readable without a second preview pane.
The editor follows the CommonMark specification and GitHub Flavored Markdown, with selective support for Pandoc extensions, so documents move cleanly between MarkText and other tools. Formatting is normalized as you write, and list indentation and related behaviour are configurable in preferences.
Selecting text raises a small toolbar with bold, italics, underline, strikethrough, inline code, inline math, link, image, and remove-formatting actions. It removes the need to recall syntax for common edits, and separate overlays handle emojis, links, images, and tables when those elements are being inserted.
A table dialog creates a grid with a chosen number of rows and columns, and the tools above the table add or remove rows and columns afterwards. Cells accept inline formatting, column alignment is set from the same menu, and rows or columns can be dragged into a new order.
Images can be pasted directly from the clipboard, chosen from disk, or referenced by path or URL, and an image viewer opens them for review. Dragging a corner resizes a picture with the change applied in real time, and alignment can be set to inline, left, centered, or right.
Opening a folder turns the sidebar in MarkText into a file tree, with open files listed above it and a search panel that scans every Markdown file in the root directory using regular expressions or case-insensitive matching. A third panel lists the headings of the current document as a table of contents.
Three editing modes change how the page behaves: focus mode fades every line except the one being worked on, typewriter mode holds the cursor in the middle of the window, and source mode shows the raw Markdown instead of the rendered view. Switching between them takes a keyboard shortcut.
Documents can be exported as PDF or HTML, or sent straight to a printer, with page size, orientation, and margins chosen first. Export options also override font family, size, and line height, enable automatic heading numbering, and add a header or footer to every page.
No. Files stay as ordinary Markdown, so they remain readable in any text editor and work with version control. MarkText renders that text while you edit and keeps its preferences, themes, and image settings in a separate configuration rather than inside the documents.
Yes. Math expressions are rendered through KaTeX, inline math is available from the format pop-up, and front matter and emojis are supported alongside the standard Markdown features. Typing a slash at the start of a line opens a quick insert menu for those elements.
Open a folder and the sidebar becomes a file tree for everything inside it, with the files currently open listed above. Find in files searches the entire root directory, and the third panel shows the headings of the active document as a table of contents.
Use the table shortcut to open a dialog and set the number of rows and columns, and MarkText builds the syntax for you. After that, the table tools add or remove rows and columns, set alignment, and let you drag a row or column into a different position.
Yes. Export in MarkText covers PDF, HTML, and printing, with page size, orientation, and margins set beforehand. You can also override the font, size, and line height, number headings automatically, and add a header or footer that repeats on every page.
Themes change the appearance of the workspace, with options such as Cadmium Light and Material Dark included, and separate page themes are applied when exporting. Font settings, line width, and editor appearance options are all adjusted in the preferences window.
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