QuireHow to open Markdown (.md) files on a Chromebook
Short answer: ChromeOS has no Markdown viewer of its own. Google’s list of file types that work on Chromebooks includes .txt but not .md, and Chrome shows a Markdown file as plain text.
To see it formatted, upload it to Google Drive and use Open with › Preview, which Google added in October 2026. To keep the file on your Chromebook, use a Markdown viewer extension in Chrome.
Updated 14 October 2026. Drive and Docs steps follow Google’s Docs help. Plain-text behaviour was checked in Chrome on a Mac.
What a Chromebook does on its own
- Plain text: drag a .md file from the Files app into a Chrome window and you see the source, with its
#and*characters. Markdown is meant to be readable that way, so this is fine for a short README. - Formatted Markdown: not built in. Google’s list of supported file types lists .txt and .pdf under “Other”, but not .md.
Option 1: Google Drive and Docs
On 5 October 2026 Google announced formatted Markdown previews in Drive and Markdown editing in Docs, for personal Google accounts and Workspace. Google said the rollout could take up to 15 days, so your account may not have it yet.
- Upload the file to Google Drive
Open Google Drive in Chrome and upload the .md file.
- Preview it
Right-click the file and select Open with › Preview. At the top of the viewer you can switch between Markdown and Preview. Links can be clicked and tables are laid out.
- Edit it in Google Docs if you need to
Double-click the file to open it in Google Docs. It opens in Markdown Mode, with an .md tag next to the title, and it stays an .md file. Google notes that some Docs formatting, such as font colours, highlights and text alignment, is removed in Markdown files.
This is the route to choose if you want to edit the file or share it with someone. The file is stored in your Google account. If you would rather it stayed on the Chromebook, use an extension.
Option 2: view Markdown in Chrome with Quire Markdown
Quire Markdown is our extension, free on the Chrome Web Store. It installs on a Chromebook like any other Chrome extension. We tested it in Chrome on a Mac, not on a Chromebook; if anything misbehaves, please report it.
- Install the extension
Choose Add to Chrome on the Quire Markdown page.
- Open a file
Click the Quire Markdown icon in Chrome’s toolbar (pin it from the puzzle-piece Extensions menu if you don’t see it). Choose Open file, drop a .md file from the Files app onto the viewer, or paste Markdown.
- Read
Jump around with the heading outline, use find, and switch between the rendered page, the source and a split view. Tables, task lists and highlighted code are shown formatted.
- Keep it current
If you opened the file with Open file, Refresh reloads it, and Follow file picks up changes while the tab is visible. A dropped file is a snapshot.
Its limits
- It is a viewer, not an editor. Your original file is never changed.
- It opens UTF-8 text files up to 2 MB.
- Images in a document appear as blocked references rather than pictures, and diagrams and math aren’t rendered.
- Opening a raw Markdown link asks for access to that one website. Files behind a sign-in or a redirect need to be downloaded and opened locally.
- Up to ten recent documents are kept in your Chrome profile. That is a convenience, not a backup.
Option 3: a code editor through Linux
Some Chromebooks can run Linux, which lets you install code editors. Turn it on under Settings › About ChromeOS › Developers, next to “Linux development environment”; Google says setup can take 10 minutes or more. VS Code is one editor that runs there, and its Markdown preview opens with Ctrl+Shift+V. This takes the most setup, and on a work or school Chromebook Linux may be turned off; ask your administrator.
Questions
Can a Chromebook open .md files?
It can open them as plain text in Chrome. To see headings, lists and tables formatted, use Google Drive’s preview, a Markdown viewer extension, or a code editor under Linux.
Does Quire Markdown upload my files?
No. It works on your files in Chrome, with no account and no upload to the developer. Recent documents are saved in your Chrome profile, and you can remove them one by one.
Can I edit Markdown on a Chromebook?
Yes, with Google Docs (see Option 1) or a code editor under Linux. Quire Markdown only shows files; it doesn’t edit them.