Free · Runs in your browser · No account

View Markdown files in your browser

Open a Markdown file below, drop one on the viewer, or paste Markdown text. Quire shows it as a formatted document with an outline of its headings, and Split or Source puts the original Markdown beside it. The file is read on this device and never uploaded.

Images in the document are not loaded. Each one is replaced by a placeholder with its alt text, so a document can't make your browser contact other websites.

Prefer it in Chrome? Install Quire Markdown Viewer Add to Chrome (free)

The viewer reads your file on this device and never uploads it.

How it works

Select Open file, drop a .md file on the viewer, or choose More, then Paste Markdown.
Read the formatted document. Select Split to see the Markdown source next to it, or Source to see only the source.
Use the outline on the left to jump between headings, and Find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) to search the text.
To keep a copy, choose More, then Download as HTML or Print / save as PDF.

Questions

Questions and limits

What this tool does and what it can't do.

Is my file uploaded anywhere?

No. The page and the viewer load from quireapps.com. After that, your browser reads and renders the file inside this tab. Nothing is sent to a server, and the page has no analytics or tracking. The viewer never fetches anything a document points to. To check, open your browser's developer tools and watch the Network tab.

Why don't images show?

The viewer does not load images. Loading one would mean contacting the server it is hosted on, which tells that server you opened the document. Each image is replaced by a placeholder with its alt text, and the status bar counts how many were blocked. The same applies to the PDF and HTML copies you make here.

Which Markdown does it support?

GitHub Flavored Markdown: headings, lists, links, block quotes, tables, task lists, strikethrough and fenced code blocks, with syntax highlighting for common languages. A few safe HTML tags such as <details>, <kbd> and <sup> are kept. Scripts, styles, frames and forms are removed. Mermaid diagrams and math formulas stay as plain source text.

Does Quire keep a copy of my document?

Only in this browser, on this device. The ten most recent documents are kept in the browser's storage (IndexedDB) and listed under Recent documents, so you can reopen them. The × beside a document deletes that copy. Clearing this site's data in your browser settings deletes them all. Your original file is never changed. The theme and view you pick are remembered too.

Can I edit the Markdown here?

No. Quire is a viewer, and the Source pane is read only. Edit the file in your editor, then select Refresh. In Chrome and Edge, files opened with Open file can also be followed: Follow file rereads the file every two seconds while the tab is visible. Dropped and pasted documents are snapshots.

Is there a size limit?

Documents can be up to 2 MB of UTF-8 text, which is far more than a typical README or set of notes. Binary files are refused.

Is it free? Do I need an account?

It is free, and you don't need an account. There are no ads, no watermark and no daily limit.

Which browsers does it work in?

Testing covers Chrome, plus a shorter check in Firefox (opening and rendering a file). Edge uses the same engine as Chrome. Safari has not been tested. Refresh and Follow file need the File System Access API, which only Chromium browsers such as Chrome and Edge have.

Is there a Chrome extension?

Yes. The Quire Markdown Viewer extension has the same viewer and can also open a Markdown link from a web page, after asking for access to that site. It is free on the Chrome Web Store.