---
title: ".md file — what it is and how to open it"
description: "A .md file is a Markdown Document. Plain text with a light formatting convention — headings with #, bold with **. How to open one on Windows, macOS and Linux, and what to convert it to."
url: https://atoneplace.net/file/md/
site: "At One Place"
---

# .md files

**.md file: Markdown Document**

Plain text with a light formatting convention — headings with #, bold with **.

## What opens a .md file

- **Windows:** Visual Studio Code, Notepad (built in), Obsidian, Typora
- **macOS:** Visual Studio Code, TextEdit (built in), Obsidian, iA Writer
- **Linux:** Visual Studio Code, Text Editor (built in), Obsidian, Marker
- **In a browser:** GitHub, Dillinger, StackEdit

## What a .md file is

John Gruber created Markdown in 2004 so that formatted text would still be readable as raw text. It is the standard for README files, documentation, notes apps and static sites, and GitHub, Reddit and Discord all render a dialect of it. Any text editor opens one; dedicated editors such as Obsidian, Typora and VS Code show the formatted result alongside the source.

## Converting it

A .md file is commonly converted to .html, .pdf, .docx, .txt or .epub. It is a plain text format, so any text editor can open and edit it directly.

## Details

- **Extension:** .md
- **Full name:** Markdown Document
- **Category:** Documents
- **MIME type:** text/markdown
- **Created by:** John Gruber
- **Format:** Plain text

## Common questions

### How do I open a .md file?

On Windows use Visual Studio Code; on macOS use Visual Studio Code; on Linux use Visual Studio Code. Plain text with a light formatting convention — headings with #, bold with **.

### What is a .md file?

Markdown Document. John Gruber created Markdown in 2004 so that formatted text would still be readable as raw text. It is the standard for README files, documentation, notes apps and static sites, and GitHub, Reddit and Discord all render a dialect of it.

### Can I convert a .md file?

Yes. It is usually converted to .html, .pdf, .docx, .txt or .epub, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.

## Related pages

- [.pdf — Portable Document Format](https://atoneplace.net/file/pdf/)
- [.docx — Word Document (Open XML)](https://atoneplace.net/file/docx/)
- [.xlsx — Excel Workbook (Open XML)](https://atoneplace.net/file/xlsx/)
- [.pptx — PowerPoint Presentation (Open XML)](https://atoneplace.net/file/pptx/)
- [.txt — Plain Text File](https://atoneplace.net/file/txt/)
- [.doc — Word Document (legacy binary)](https://atoneplace.net/file/doc/)
- [.xls — Excel Workbook (legacy binary)](https://atoneplace.net/file/xls/)
- [.ppt — PowerPoint Presentation (legacy binary)](https://atoneplace.net/file/ppt/)
- [.rtf — Rich Text Format](https://atoneplace.net/file/rtf/)
- [.pages — Apple Pages Document](https://atoneplace.net/file/pages/)
- [.odt — OpenDocument Text](https://atoneplace.net/file/odt/)
- [.eml — Email Message](https://atoneplace.net/file/eml/)

## Sources

- Media Types Registry — IANA (https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/)
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)