viewMarkdown User Guide

This is a quick guide to how viewMarkdown behaves in normal desktop workflows: opening files, editing content, navigating tabs, saving safely, and exporting finished documents.

The app was redesigned around direct shortcuts, block transforms, and low-friction file handling. Most behaviors are easiest to pick up through the keyboard shortcuts.

Default shortcuts

Supported syntax

Quick Start

Open a Markdown file with Ctrl+O, open a folder with Ctrl+Shift+O, or reopen previously saved work from the calendar window with Ctrl+Shift+L (when calendar tracking is enabled).
Edit in the normal rich-text view, or switch to source mode with Ctrl+E when you want raw Markdown control.
Use paragraph and line-style commands to shape the document quickly: headings, lists, task boxes, tables, code fences, and admonitions.
Save with Ctrl+S, export to HTML with Ctrl+F12, or export to PDF with Shift+F12.
Print the current tab with Alt+F12 when you need a direct print path instead of an export file.

Opening and Saving

Tabs and windows Open multiple files at once, move across tabs, or create a new window for parallel work.

Save-aware close Ctrl+F4 closes the current tab through the save-aware path, and Alt+F4 does the same for the window.

Confirmation-first close Ctrl+W and Ctrl+Q use the explicit confirmation path. You will need it when you want to discard changes.

Save all Use Ctrl+Shift+S when several tabs are in flight.

Editing Model

Block transforms Convert the current block into headings, quotes, task lists, tables, front matter, math blocks, or HTML blocks.

Line-style commands Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2, Ctrl+3, and Ctrl+Shift+N are useful when refining outlines and checklists.

Multi-cursor Use Ctrl+D to select the next occurrence and F8+D to undo one occurrence. Your editions will be applied to each selection.

Spellcheck Toggle spellcheck with F6.

Markdown Workflows

Use Alt+1 through Alt+6 for heading levels, and Alt+7 to return the current block to a normal paragraph.
Admonitions can be cycled with Ctrl+0 after starting a quote block with Ctrl+Shift+Q.
Tables support in-cell line breaks through Shift+Enter, stored as <br>.
Display math blocks use Alt+Shift+F, and inline math uses Ctrl+Shift+M.
Tabs can be dragged between existing windows, and dragging a tab away from its current window creates a new window for that document.
Raw HTML blocks are available with Alt+Shift+H when Markdown syntax is not expressive enough.

Navigation and Side Panels

Cycle the sidebar state with Ctrl+J.
Toggle the table of contents with Ctrl+K.
Open the command palette with Ctrl+Shift+P.
Jump through open tasks with F7 and Shift+F7.
Open the calendar with Ctrl+Shift+L, make sure it is enabled in the Preference dialog Ctrl+,.
Front matter can be accessed with Alt+Shift+Y.
Use the breadcrumbs in the title bar to open the current file location directly in Windows Explorer.

Export and Sharing

Export to HTML or PDF when the document is ready to leave the editor. You can keep the current theme or choose a dedicated export theme, then adjust fonts, front matter visibility, heading numbering, and table-of-contents options as needed. See the export themes guide for the practical controls and tradeoffs.

Automation and Recovery

For scripted workflows, viewmarkdown-cli.exe file-state <path> reports whether a file is open, clean, or dirty, and viewmarkdown-cli.exe task-stats <path> returns the live open-task count for an already open document.

If a document or tab looks stale or if the cursor is missing, Ctrl+F5 repaints the current tab without a full application restart. This usually is a byproduct of old libraries. If you can reproduce it, please report it on the support page.

Good Companion Pages

Syntax guide Pair this page with the syntax guide when the question is about what a document can contain.

Images Use the image workflow page when you need relative asset layout.

Key bindings Keep the shortcut reference nearby for daily use.

Support If you still need help after narrowing the issue down, continue with the support page for bug reports, questions, or product decisions.