Downsmith

Free · Works offline

Shape your Markdown. Downsmith is a Markdown editor for macOS and Linux.

Downsmith opens your .md files in a blink and shows the finished page next to the text. Small, quick and native on your desktop.

Download for macOSDownload for Linux
Downsmith window with the Markdown source on the left and the rendered preview on the right

A Markdown editor and viewer that stays out of your way

Downsmith is a free Markdown editor and viewer for macOS and Linux. Open a .md, .markdown or .mdown file and read it as a finished page, or edit the text and watch the preview follow as you type. It works offline and keeps your documents on your computer.

Read

Open a README, a changelog or your notes and read them as a clean page instead of raw symbols.

Write

Edit the text with the result right next to it. Every tab keeps its own undo history.

Keep

Your files stay plain text files on your computer. There is no account and no cloud, and the app sends nothing anywhere.

Made for people who write in plain text

Live preview

See it as you type

Source on the left, rendered page on the right. Tables, task lists and code blocks with syntax highlighting.

Your view

Source, preview or both

Show only the source, only the preview or both side by side, hide the sidebar and drag the dividers to give any column more room. Downsmith remembers your layout.

Tabs

Many notes, one window

Open several files in tabs and browse a whole folder in the sidebar. Your tabs come back the next time you start Downsmith.

Native

Menus where you expect them

The real menu bar on macOS and Linux, with the shortcuts you know. In English or German, in light or dark, following your system.

Export

HTML and PDF

Save a self-contained HTML page or print to PDF through the system dialog.

Small

Light on memory

Built with Tauri, so it uses the system web view instead of shipping a browser. The macOS app is about 10 MB.

How to export Markdown to PDF and HTML →

Download

Free for everyone.

macOS

macOS 13 Ventura or later · Apple silicon and Intel

Linux

64-bit · WebKitGTK 4.1 for the packages

Install guide →

Questions and answers

Is Downsmith a Markdown editor or a viewer?

Both. Show only the source to write, only the preview to read, or both side by side. Downsmith remembers your choice.

Is Downsmith free?

Yes. Downsmith is free for everyone and will stay that way. If it saves you time, a small donation helps me keep building it.

Which systems does it run on?

macOS 13 Ventura or later (Apple silicon and Intel) and 64-bit Linux. The Linux packages need WebKitGTK 4.1. There is no Windows version.

Does Downsmith send my documents anywhere?

No. The app works offline and sends no data to me or to third parties. Your documents stay on your computer.

Which Markdown features does the preview show?

Headings, lists, quotes, links, tables, task lists and fenced code blocks with syntax highlighting. For safety, raw HTML inside a document is not rendered.

Can I export my Markdown to HTML or PDF?

Yes. Save a self-contained HTML page, or print the preview to PDF through the system print dialog.

Can I work on several files at once?

Yes. Every file opens in its own tab, and your tabs come back the next time you start Downsmith. The sidebar lists recent files and lets you browse a whole folder.

Keep the forge lit

Downsmith is free and always will be. If it saves you time, a small donation helps me keep building it.

Support Downsmith