How to open .md files on Windows

A .md file is plain text written in Markdown, so any text editor on Windows can open it. To open md files on Windows, right-click the file, choose Open with (or Choose another app if your editor isn't listed), pick an editor such as Notepad, and select Always if you want every .md file to open there. To see headings and lists formatted instead of raw # and * symbols, use recent Notepad's Markdown view (it depends on your Notepad version) or the free VS Code preview (Ctrl+Shift+V).

Windows steps come from Microsoft Support, and app details from Microsoft's and VS Code's own documentation, checked in October 2026.

What is a .md file?

It's a text file that uses Markdown, a set of plain characters for formatting: # for a heading, * or - for a list item, **text** for bold. READMEs, documentation and notes often use it.

Nothing about the file is locked to one program. Open it in a plain editor and you see the symbols. Open it in a Markdown-aware app and you see the formatting. If the syntax is new to you, the Markdown guide for beginners covers it in 15 minutes.

How do you open a .md file on Windows?

First, make sure you can see the extension. In Windows 11 File Explorer, select View > Show > File name extensions, according to Microsoft's page on file name extensions (checked in October 2026). A file called notes might be notes.md or notes.txt, and the steps below depend on which.

Then open it:

1. Right-click the file and select Open with.
2. If the app you want isn't listed, select Choose another app.
3. Pick the app, then choose Just once to open only this file or Always to make it the default (Microsoft's File Explorer guide, checked in October 2026).

From the keyboard, select the file and press Shift+F10 to open the context menu. On Windows 11 the choices are Always or Just once, and "if you choose Always, all files of this type will open with the selected application by default," per Microsoft's File Explorer accessibility guide (checked in October 2026).

How do you make .md files always open in the same app?

Choosing Always in the Open with dialog is the quickest way. You can also set or change the default in Settings, following Microsoft's guide to default apps (checked in October 2026):

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Default apps.
2. Under Set a default for a file type or link type, type .md in the search bar.
3. Select the result and choose an app.

The same page offers the reverse route: under Set defaults for applications, pick an app, then pick the file type.

Windows sets defaults per extension. Markdown files sometimes end in .markdown instead of .md, so if you have both, set the default for each.

Can Notepad show Markdown formatting?

Yes, in recent versions. Because a .md file is plain text, any Notepad can open it, and its Microsoft Store listing describes it as a free app to "edit text-based files and source code." Since 2025 Microsoft has been adding Markdown formatting to it, in stages (all dates and versions from Microsoft's posts, checked in October 2026):

Date	Notepad version	What changed	Channels named
May 30, 2025	11.2504.50.0, later 11.2504.52.0	Formatting toolbar for bold, italic, links, lists and headings; switch between formatted and syntax views	Canary and Dev, then Beta and Release Preview (post)
Nov 21, 2025	11.2510.6.0	Tables, from a Table option in the toolbar or Markdown syntax	Canary and Dev (post)
Jan 21, 2026	11.2512.10.0	Strikethrough and nested lists	Canary and Dev (post)
Jul 24, 2026	11.2606.15.0	"Formatting is now applied properly when working with both .md and .markdown files"	Experimental, Beta and Release Preview (release notes)

The May 2025 Windows Experience Blog post says the feature "supports Markdown style input and files."

Every source we found describes Windows Insider channels. Microsoft's Notepad help page does not mention Markdown. So recent Notepad versions can show Markdown formatting, and whether yours does depends on your Notepad version.

If it does (Microsoft's announcement, checked in October 2026):

• Switch between the formatted view and the raw Markdown from the View menu or the toggle in the status bar.
• Use the formatting toolbar for bold, italic, links, lists and headings, or type the Markdown yourself.
• If you only want plain text, formatting can be turned off entirely in Notepad's settings.

Notepad is a good fit for reading a README or making a quick edit. We did not find a full list of the Markdown syntax Notepad supports in Microsoft's posts or help pages, so a file with less common syntax may show some raw characters.

How do you preview a .md file in VS Code?

VS Code is a code editor with a built-in Markdown preview. Its FAQ answers: "Yes, VS Code is free for private or commercial use." Facts below are from the VS Code docs, checked in October 2026.

To install it, the Windows setup page lists three options:

• User setup, recommended, which doesn't need admin rights.
• System setup, which needs admin rights.
• A ZIP archive, which you update by hand for each release.

To preview Markdown, per VS Code's Markdown documentation:

1. Open the .md file.
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+V to switch to the preview.
3. Or press Ctrl+K V (the command Markdown: Open Preview to the Side) to see the source and the preview next to each other. You can also right-click the editor tab and select Open Preview.

In the side-by-side view, "VS Code automatically synchronizes the Markdown editor and the preview panes," so the preview follows as you scroll the source. To make VS Code the default for .md, use the Open with or Default apps steps above.

For Mermaid diagrams, export routes and the rest of what VS Code does with Markdown, see Markdown in VS Code.

Which app should you open .md files with?

What you want	A good fit	Why
Read a README once	Notepad	Already on Windows; formatted view in recent versions
Quick edit to a file	Notepad	Already installed, no setup
Formatted preview for sure	VS Code	Free, preview built in
Docs inside a code project	VS Code	Git, search across files, extensions
Write notes or documents in Markdown every day	A dedicated Markdown editor	Formatting while you type, file management, export

All of these open the same file. Picking one as the default doesn't change the file, and you can switch at any time.

What about a dedicated Markdown editor?

If you write in Markdown every day, an editor that shows formatting as you type saves switching between source and preview. Noteline, which we make, is one option. It shows headings, tables, code blocks and Mermaid diagrams formatted as you type, keeps your notes as .md files in a folder you choose, needs no account, and exports Word and PDF offline with bundled Pandoc and Typst. It's in the Microsoft Store as Noteline Markdown Editor, and the Store package registers it for .md and .markdown files (plus .txt and .pdf). Its gaps: the Store edition is for Windows 11 x64 only and needs the Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime, it doesn't render math, and images show only their alt text. The Store lists the download as free; the desktop app includes a 14-day trial from first launch and then needs a one-time license (see pricing). Other installers are on the download page.