Live preview
Write on the left, watch it render on the right. Switch any time between editor-only, preview-only, and a rich view with math and diagrams.
Marknote v2026.4.0 now available
Your markdown studio for every workspace.
A native markdown editor for Windows. Multi-tab editing with a live preview that handles math, diagrams, and code. Notes link to each other as you write, and git lives in the sidebar. Keyboard-first. Offline-first. Your notes are plain files on your disk.
Windows 10 or 11 · x64 or ARM64 · ~200 MB · English, Deutsch, Français, Español · Android, iOS, iPadOS and macOS on the roadmap
Used by writers at
What's inside
Built around how writers, developers and students work.
Marknote is the editor we wished existed: native, keyboard-first, and free of dashboards.
Command palette
Ctrl+Shift+PStart typing and every action in Marknote is one keystroke away.
Slash commands
/Type / at the start of a line for instant tables, code blocks, math, diagrams, callouts, dates, and a generated table of contents.
Git from the sidebar
Track changes to your notes without leaving the editor. Stage, commit, push, switch branches, and see what changed since your last commit — all from the sidebar.
Seventeen themes, and a marketplace
Marknote Light & Dark with Mica and Acrylic materials, Nord, Solarized, Dracula, Gruvbox, City Lights and Aspire — one for light, one for dark, switched live as Windows does. More in the marketplace, installed in a click.
And the rest of what's inside
One line each. Open any of them for the detail.
Writing surface
Multi-tab editing
Open as many notes as you need across tabs. They come back when you reopen Marknote, and an orange dot marks anything unsaved.
Inline math in the editor
Write $E=mc^2$ or a $$…$$ block and KaTeX renders the formula in place as you write. Click into the formula and the source comes back so you can edit. Same engine as the preview, so what you see is what ships.
Writer mode
Typewriter scrolling keeps your current line centred on screen. Paragraph focus fades everything except the paragraph you're writing.
Reading mode
A dedicated preview-only state — chrome and editor hide, type goes large and airy, the preview centres at a comfortable reading width. Different from focus mode; this is for reading a long note end-to-end.
No silent overwrites
If a file changes on disk while you have unsaved edits, Marknote asks before doing anything — reload, compare, or keep yours.
Notes that connect
Wiki links + backlinks
Type [[Note]] to link to another note. A live panel shows everything that links back, and an interactive graph maps how every note connects.
Every to-do in one place
A Tasks tab in the sidebar gathers every checkbox across your notes. Click a row to jump to its file; tick the box and the file updates for you.
Time machine for any note
Right-click a tab in a git repo for a slider that walks every commit that touched the file. Scrub through your past selves and one-click restore any version — as an unsaved edit, so you always have an undo path.
Power tools
Export anywhere
Export to HTML, PDF, or print directly. Install Pandoc and you also get Word, EPUB, and LaTeX from the same menu.
Save, share, or copy
Save, Save As, Save a Copy, and Share buttons sit one click away in the sidebar. Send the current note through any installed Share target, or write a snapshot beside the original.
Vim modal editing
Optional, off by default. Normal, insert, and visual modes with :w, :q, :wq, and /search — bring your muscle memory.
Custom keybindings
Every shortcut is rebindable. Make Marknote feel like the editor you already trained your hands on.
Workspace config
Each folder you open remembers its own theme, view mode, and pinned files — no fiddling with global settings to switch between projects.
Made for Windows
Built into Windows
Double-click any .md file to open it in Marknote. Right-click the taskbar icon for recent notes or to start a new one. Pin the "Recent notes" widget to the Widgets board for one-click access.
Speaks your language
Marknote's interface is available in English, Deutsch, Français, and Español. Pick one in Settings, or leave it on "System default" to follow Windows.
Coding fonts included
JetBrains Mono, Fira Code, Cascadia Mono, Source Code Pro, and Hack are bundled with Marknote — no separate font install needed.
Support in two clicks
Help → Contact support opens a ticket with your version, your operating system, and any recent error already filled in. You read and edit everything in the browser before sending.
Marknote Sync · free today
Your notes on every machine. Readable only by you.
Turn on Marknote Sync and a folder of notes follows you to every computer you use. Each note is encrypted on your device before it leaves, with a passphrase only you hold, so the service stores and relays what it cannot open.
- Encrypted before it leaves Notes are sealed on your device. We store the sealed copy and cannot read it, on any plan.
- A passphrase and a recovery key, both yours You choose the passphrase and keep the recovery key. Neither is ever sent to us.
- Set up in one go Account, folder, passphrase: one walkthrough in the app, and the first sync runs as you finish.
Opt-in. A Marknote that never signs in works exactly as it always has.
What travels, and what we hold, is the sealed copy. The key never leaves your devices.
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releases shipped
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features shipped
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keyboard shortcuts
Wiki links + backlinks
Notes that point back to each other.
Link one note to another by typing [[Note name]]. A live panel shows everything that points back at the note you're reading, and an interactive graph maps the whole web of connections at a glance.
Drag a note to pull the web about; tap one to keep its links lit.
Live preview
Math, Mermaid, and code — rendered as you type.
The rich preview includes math, diagrams, and syntax-highlighted code — everything bundled inside Marknote. Works fully offline, no internet required.
KaTeX math
\int_{0}^{\infty} e^{-x^2}\,dx \;=\; \frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2}
Edit the LaTeX — the maths follows.
Mermaid diagrams
Edit the diagram — it redraws as you type.
Syntax highlighting
public class Note
{
public int Id { get; set; }
public string Title;
}Edit the code — it highlights as you type.
How it compares
Why Marknote vs the alternatives.
The dimensions that matter for a markdown editor: where it runs, what it sends home, what it costs, and what works without plugins.
| Default behaviour | Marknote | Obsidian | Typora | VS Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native desktop app | Native | Electron | Electron | Electron |
| Local-first, no account needed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| No telemetry by default | Yes | Partial | Partial | No |
| Free for personal + commercial | Yes | Partial | Paid | Yes |
| Live split preview | Yes | Yes | Partial | Via plugin |
| Wiki-links + backlinks | Yes | Yes | Partial | Via plugin |
| Git built into the sidebar | Yes | Via plugin | No | Yes |
| Vim modal editing | Yes | Via plugin | No | Via plugin |
| Pandoc export when installed | Yes | Via plugin | Yes | Via plugin |
| End-to-end encrypted sync | Yes | Paid | No | No |
Reflects each product's default behaviour as of Marknote v2026.4.0. Plugins and extensions can move some rows.
Local-first
Read the privacy policy →Your notes, readable only by you.
Marknote works without an account and sends nothing by default. Your notes are plain .md files in a folder you choose. Turn on Marknote Sync and they're encrypted on your device before they leave it, so we can't read them. Settings live in a small file on your own computer, and the rich preview runs entirely offline — math, diagrams, and code rendering all happen on your machine, never the network.
Frequently asked
Questions, answered.
The things people ask before they install — pricing, platform, privacy, lock-in.
Is Marknote really free?
Yes — free for personal and commercial use, with no account needed. The price on the
Microsoft Store is £0, and so are every theme and plugin in the marketplace.
Marknote Sync, the one part that needs a server, is free while it finds its feet;
paid plans will come with team features, never with the basics.
Is Marknote available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Android?
Today, Marknote ships as a native Windows app via the Microsoft Store. Apps for
iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro are planned, as are a Mac app and an Android
app. There are no plans for Linux — see the
roadmap for the current state.
Marknote's file format is plain markdown, so notes you write today travel cleanly
to whichever platforms come next, and Marknote Sync is what will carry them there.
What is Marknote Sync?
Your notes on every machine you use, end-to-end encrypted so that nobody — including
us — can read them. Notes are encrypted on your device with a passphrase only you
hold before anything leaves it; the service stores and relays what it cannot open.
Register,
sign in from Settings, and your notes follow you. Sync is opt-in — a Marknote that
never signs in works exactly as it always has.
What languages does Marknote speak?
English, Deutsch, Français, and Español. Pick one in Settings → Language, or leave it
on "System default" to follow your Windows preference. Translations beyond English are
a starting point — if you spot a clunky string, Help → Contact support in the app
opens a ticket with us.
Where are my notes actually stored?
Wherever you put them. Marknote doesn't move your files — point it at a folder and
it reads and writes
.md files in that folder. No database,
no proprietary format. App settings live in
%LocalAppData%\Marknote\settings.json.Does Marknote phone home, collect telemetry, or use analytics?
No analytics SDKs, no automatic telemetry, no automatic crash reporting, and no
account unless you register for Sync. The "Rich" preview ships KaTeX, Mermaid, and
highlight.js bundled locally so renders don't touch a CDN. What does go out: at
launch, one anonymous request to the sync service asking whether registration is open
(no identifier travels with it); the theme marketplace listing, only when you open
the gallery; and your encrypted notes, only if you turn Sync on. If you choose to
use Help → Contact support, the dialog pre-fills a ticket at support.marknote.md with the
version, OS, .NET runtime, and the tail of your local crash log — but you review
and edit everything in your browser before sending, and only support reads it. See
the privacy policy for the full breakdown.
Can I change how Marknote looks?
Seventeen looks are built in — Marknote's own light and dark, with Mica and Acrylic
window materials, plus Nord, Solarized, Dracula, Gruvbox, City Lights and Aspire —
and you can pick one for light and another for dark and let Windows switch between
them. The theme marketplace adds more,
installed in one click; a theme is a single file of colours, no code, so making
your own is an afternoon's work.
Can I extend it?
How do I get my notes out if I stop using Marknote?
There's nothing to "get out". Your notes are plain markdown files in a folder you
chose. Marknote doesn't add proprietary metadata. Open them in any editor, sync
them with any service, version them with git. You're never locked in.
Does it work offline?
Fully. Writing, previewing, exporting, and search all work with no connection.
The network is only needed to push or pull a git remote, to browse the theme
marketplace, for Sync to catch up once you're back online, and for the Store to
check for updates.
Available on the Microsoft Store
Try Marknote today.
One install, no setup. Open a folder and start writing — your notes are plain files on your disk. No account needed, and nothing is sent unless you turn on Sync.
Windows 10 or 11 · x64 or ARM64 · ~200 MB · Free · English, Deutsch, Français, Español