Slate

Slate Viewer guide

Open and read Markdown files on Mac

A Markdown file is often ready to read, not ready to become a coding task. Slate Viewer gives local reports, notes, README files, and AI-generated documents a quiet reading view, with the original source available when you need it.

Slate Viewer 1.0 · macOS 26.0+ · Reviewed August 1, 2026

Quick answer

To open an .md file on Mac, choose Slate Viewer from Finder’s Open With menu or open the file from Slate Viewer. It renders local .md and .markdown files in Preview, keeps the original Markdown in Raw, supports focused changes in Light Edit, and includes a Finder Quick Look extension.

Slate Viewer displaying an AI-generated Markdown file in its local macOS reader
An AI-generated Markdown file open locally in Slate Viewer.

Start with the document, not its syntax

Markdown is plain text, but the result is usually meant to be read as a document. Slate Viewer begins with headings, paragraphs, lists, and spacing, so you can understand the file before deciding whether its source needs attention.

Preview also keeps common document structure visible, including links, block quotes, tables, task lists, inline code, and fenced code blocks. Raw remains one click away when the exact punctuation matters.

How to open an .md file on Mac

  1. Find the file. Locate the .md or .markdown document in Finder.
  2. Open it with Slate Viewer. Use Finder’s Open With menu, or open the file from inside Slate Viewer.
  3. Read Preview first. Use the rendered document for review, then switch to Raw only when you need to inspect the Markdown source.
  4. Use Quick Look for a fast check. Once the included extension is enabled, select a Markdown file in Finder and press Space.

A reader-first Markdown workflow

  1. Open the local file. Use Finder Open With or open the Markdown file from Slate Viewer.
  2. Read Preview first. See the document’s structure without starting in an editor.
  3. Switch to Raw when needed. Check the exact Markdown source behind the preview.
  4. Make a small correction. Use Light Edit for a focused supported local text change, then return to reading.

Markdown Quick Look in Finder

Slate Viewer includes Quick Look support for Markdown, so you can preview a `.md` or `.markdown` file from Finder before opening it. Quick Look is intentionally limited to Markdown in Slate Viewer 1.0; JSON, JSONL, CSV, TSV, TXT, and LOG files open in the app itself.

A reader, not a Markdown workspace

Slate Viewer fits when the file already exists and your next task is to read, verify, or make a small local correction. It does not ask you to create a vault, project, or cloud library around the document. For long-form authoring, repository-wide editing, or a full coding workflow, keep using the editor or IDE built for that job.

The difference is broader than Markdown: the same reader-first workflow also opens JSON, JSONL/NDJSON, TXT/LOG, CSV, and TSV when an AI tool or local process produces a mixed set of result files.

Local by default

Slate Viewer opens Markdown files on your Mac. It does not upload document text, file paths, or clipboard contents to Slate Viewer servers by default. It does not generate AI content or create another cloud workspace around the file.

Related guides

Slate Viewer for Mac

Read the file. Keep your flow.

Download on the Mac App Store