How to open an MD file
A report can look perfectly readable in an AI chat, then open as a page of asterisks and hash marks after you download it. The words haven’t changed. Those marks describe the formatting.
To open an .md file with its formatting, use a Markdown reader. Our free browser reader lets you drop in a file or select Choose a file, with no account or installation.
Have the text instead of a file? Use Paste Markdown in the reader. Both methods keep the document in your browser.
What is an MD file?
An MD file is a plain-text document written in Markdown. Its headings, emphasis and lists are described by characters in the text. Any text editor can open it. A Markdown reader uses those characters to format the page.
Markdown was designed to be readable as plain text. In a short note, you can usually follow both versions:
Inside the file
### Weekend plan
Bring **comfortable shoes**.
- Coffee by the canal
- A long lunchIn the reader
Weekend plan
Bring comfortable shoes.
- Coffee by the canal
- A long lunch
A few asterisks are easy enough to read around. In a longer report, tables, links and several levels of headings make the source much busier. A formatted page lets you follow the argument without mentally assembling the layout as you go.
Open it from your AI conversation
A download isn’t always necessary. Copy the short request on our AI instructions page into the conversation that contains your document. Your AI can prepare a reader link. Open it to read, then return to the conversation when you want to discuss the document.
Opening a file yourself keeps it in your browser. The AI-link route sends the text to our service and includes a copy in the link itself. Anyone with that link can read it, and later edits won’t update it. These links hold up to about 12 KB; open longer documents directly as files.
If you want to edit the document
This reader doesn’t edit the file. You can import Markdown into Google Docs when you want an editable copy. Importing a file and pasting copied text use different commands, and the paste route may ask you to install a Chrome extension. Open Markdown in Google Docs explains both routes and the extension prompt you may encounter.
When the document still looks wrong
The whole document appears as code. Check whether the copied text has lines marked ``` around the entire document. Those lines tell a reader to display what’s inside as a code block. Leave out the outer pair when using Paste Markdown. Keep any code examples within the document intact.
Images, diagrams or equations are missing. This reader handles headings, lists, tables and links, but doesn’t display images or render diagrams and math notation. If those carry an important part of the explanation, use an app that supports them.
Your document disappears after a reload. Files you open directly stay in browser memory for the reading session. Reloading clears that session, so keep the original file to reopen it. More about document privacy.