KiteKitea markdown reader for Mac

Guide

How to Open Markdown Files on Mac (Formatted, Not Raw)

macOS assigns .md files to TextEdit by default — which shows raw Markdown syntax instead of a formatted document. Here are the four real options, and how they compare.

AI tools — Claude, Cursor, GitHub Copilot — generate planning docs, specs, and changelogs as .mdfiles. If you're a developer on macOS, you probably have dozens of them. The problem: double-clicking one opens it in TextEdit, and TextEdit shows you the raw syntax.

1. TextEdit

No formatting

TextEdit is the default app macOS uses for .md files. It opens them in plain text mode, so you see every asterisk, hash, and bracket as-is. Functional for editing if you know the syntax well — useless for reading.

Pros

  • Built in, free
  • Opens any text file

Cons

  • Shows raw Markdown syntax — no rendering
  • You read ## Heading instead of a heading
  • Not useful for anything beyond basic editing

2. VS Code or Cursor

Works, but overkill

VS Code has a decent Markdown preview. It works, and if you're already in VS Code it's fine. But launching a 300 MB IDE to read an AI-generated spec is like starting your car to check the time.

Pros

  • Built-in Markdown preview (⌘⇧V)
  • Syntax highlighting in edit mode
  • Free

Cons

  • Editor-first — not optimized for reading
  • 1-2 second launch time
  • Heavy app for a 2 KB file
  • Preview pane requires manual toggle

3. Obsidian

Too much setup

Obsidian is excellent software for building a personal knowledge base — but it's not built for opening arbitrary .md files from your filesystem. If your AI tool just wrote a CLAUDE.md and you want to read it, Obsidian gets in the way.

Pros

  • Beautiful rendering
  • Good for knowledge management

Cons

  • Requires creating a vault first
  • Imports your files into its own structure
  • Overkill if you just want to read one .md file
  • Slow for casual use

4. Kite

Fastest path

Kite is a native macOS app with one job: open .md files formatted. Install it, and Quick Look starts rendering Markdown automatically — no extra steps. For the files your AI tools generate, it's the shortest path from file to reading.

Pros

  • Quick Look: press spacebar, read the file
  • Full WYSIWYG editor built in
  • Launches in under 1 second
  • No setup, no vault, no import
  • Native macOS app — 18 MB

Cons

  • $14.99 one-time purchase (not free)

Recommendation

If you want to actually read .md files, use Kite.

The other options work for editing, or work if you're already set up in a specific tool. But if your goal is "open this Markdown file and read it" — Kite is the only tool built specifically for that job on macOS.

Download Kite — $14.99 one-time