Quick Look

Markdown Quick Look for macOS

Press Space on a Markdown file in Finder and read it rendered — headings, tables, code, diagrams, and math — instead of raw source. Glance is a free, native Quick Look extension that adds exactly that.

Why macOS shows raw Markdown

Quick Look is the macOS feature that previews a file when you select it and press Space. It ships with renderers for images, PDFs, video, and a handful of text formats — but not Markdown. So pressing Space on README.md shows the source: literal # characters, raw link syntax, and unstyled code fences.

Quick Look is extensible, though. An app can ship a preview extension that macOS loads for specific file types. Glance is that extension, packaged in a tiny native app.

What Glance renders

The preview is the real document, not a stripped-down approximation:

• Headings, lists, blockquotes, and tables with proper typography
• Fenced code blocks with syntax highlighting
• Inline and linked images, including siblings like ./images/diagram.png
• Mermaid diagrams, rendered natively — no browser, no JavaScript
• LaTeX math, both inline and display equations

How to install

Download the DMG, drag Glance into Applications, and open it once so macOS registers the Quick Look extension. From then on, select any .md file in Finder and press Space. For the full walkthrough, see how to preview Markdown files in Finder.

Native, private, and tiny

Glance renders math and diagrams natively at document open — no WKWebView and no JavaScript runtime — so previews appear instantly. The app is around 8 MB, works fully offline, and collects nothing. Read more on the privacy page.

Replacing an older plugin? See the QLMarkdown alternative page. Coming from a full editor? Compare against Marked. Working with AI coding tools? See previewing AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md.