Everything you need to know about writing, formatting, exporting, and presenting with Scribe MD.
Contents
Scribe MD is a native macOS Markdown editor. It opens .md, .markdown, .mdown, .mkd, .mkdn, and .txt files.
Open any Markdown file to start editing, or create a new document with Cmd + N. New documents start with a blank heading ready for your content.
Scribe MD requires macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later. On macOS 26, Scribe MD uses Liquid Glass with translucent surfaces and floating controls.
Scribe MD's interface has three main areas:
Adjust text size from 10pt to 32pt in 2pt increments. The current size is shown in the toolbar.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd + + | Zoom in |
| Cmd + - | Zoom out |
| Cmd + 0 | Reset to default (16pt) |
Toggle between centered width (750px max) and full-width layout from the View menu.
Scribe MD has three view modes, toggled with the pencil/eye button in the toolbar:
Scribe MD remembers which view mode you used for each file, so switching between documents restores the mode you prefer for each one.
In split view, the preview and editor scroll together automatically. As you move through the editor, the preview follows your cursor position so you always see the rendered output for the section you're working on. Clicking a section in the preview jumps the editor to the corresponding line.
Scribe MD saves your work automatically. Changes are saved after a short delay as you type, and switching between files saves the current document immediately. You never need to worry about losing work.
If a file is modified outside Scribe MD (for example, by another editor or a git operation), Scribe MD detects the change and reloads the file automatically.
Scribe MD supports the full Markdown spec. Here's a quick reference for all supported syntax.
| Syntax | Result |
|---|---|
**text** | Bold |
*text* | Italic |
__text__ | Underline |
~~text~~ | Strikethrough |
`code` | Inline code |
# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
#### Heading 4
##### Heading 5
###### Heading 6- Bullet item
- Another item
1. Numbered item
2. Another item
- [ ] Unchecked task
- [x] Completed task[Link text](https://example.com)
> This is a block quote.| Column 1 | Column 2 |
| --------- | --------- |
| Cell | Cell |Wrap code in triple backticks. Add a language identifier for syntax highlighting:
```swift
let greeting = "Hello, world!"
print(greeting)
```Inline math uses single dollar signs: $E = mc^2$. Block math uses double dollar signs on separate lines:
$$
\frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}
$$Three or more dashes, asterisks, or underscores on their own line:
---Wrap text in double equals signs to highlight it:
==highlighted text==Use carets for superscript and tildes for subscript:
^superscript^
~subscript~Add footnote references inline and define them anywhere in the document:
Here is a statement[^1] with a footnote.
[^1]: This is the footnote content.Footnotes are collected and rendered as a numbered list at the end of the document.
Write the term on one line and start the definition with a colon on the next:
Markdown
: A lightweight markup language for formatting text.
Scribe MD
: A native macOS Markdown editor.| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd + B | Bold |
| Cmd + I | Italic |
| Cmd + U | Underline |
| Cmd + Option + E | Strikethrough |
| Cmd + Shift + K | Inline code |
| Cmd + K | Insert link |
| Cmd + Shift + I | Insert image |
| Cmd + T | Insert table |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 through 6 | Heading 1 through Heading 6 (in Format menu) |
| 0 | Paragraph (remove heading) |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd + Option + B | Block quote |
| Cmd + Option + K | Code block |
| Cmd + Option + S | Horizontal rule |
| Cmd + Option + U | Bullet list |
| Cmd + Option + O | Numbered list |
| Cmd + Shift + T | Checkbox list |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd + Shift + M | Inline math |
| Cmd + Option + M | Block math |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd + N | New document |
| Cmd + O | Open workspace |
| Cmd + S | Save |
| Cmd + F | Find in preview |
| Cmd + P | |
| Cmd + Shift + E | Export as PDF |
| Cmd + Shift + P | Presentation mode |
| Cmd + Shift + D | Toggle dark/light theme |
| Cmd + Option + W | Toggle full-width/centered layout |
Scribe MD supports interactive task lists. Write checkboxes in the editor and click them directly in the preview to toggle their state.
- [ ] An unchecked task
- [x] A completed taskBoth lowercase [x] and uppercase [X] are recognized. You can use -, *, or + as the list marker.
Open any folder as a workspace to browse and manage your Markdown files from a sidebar.
Click the folder icon in the sidebar header and select a directory. Scribe MD indexes all Markdown files and displays them in a collapsible file tree. Your workspace selection is saved between sessions.
.md extension is added automatically).Scribe MD recognizes: .md, .markdown, .mdown, .mkd, .mkdn, and .txt. Hidden files (starting with .) are excluded, and empty folders are hidden.
Scribe MD has two themes, light and dark, each crafted for long writing sessions. Toggle with Cmd + Shift + D or the sun/moon button in the toolbar. Your preference is saved between sessions.
Switch to Article View from the View menu for reading-optimized typography with subtle headings and increased line height. Article View is ideal for reviewing finished documents.
Choose from 13 typefaces in the Format > Font menu: System, New York, Iowan Old Style, Charter, Georgia, Baskerville, Hoefler Text, Palatino, Times New Roman, Helvetica Neue, Avenir Next, Gill Sans, and Optima.
Each file remembers its own font independently. When no file is open, the font menu sets the global default for new files.
Toggle between centered width and full-width layout with Cmd + Option + W or from the View menu.
Press Cmd + Shift + E or go to File > Export as PDF. The PDF uses the light theme for readability and respects your current font and zoom level.
Go to File > Export as HTML to export a complete HTML file with inline CSS styling. The exported file preserves your current theme and is ready to publish on the web.
Press Cmd + P to open the standard macOS print dialog. The print output always uses the light theme.
Click the share button in the toolbar to send your document via AirDrop, Mail, Messages, or copy the text to the clipboard.
Turn any Markdown document into a full-screen slideshow. Scribe MD renders your Markdown with increased font size and fills the screen — no separate slide tool needed.
Scribe MD splits your document into slides using one of two methods:
<!-- slide --> between sections. Each marker creates a slide break. This gives you full control over where slides start and end.# Heading 1 or ## Heading 2. Smaller headings (H3–H6) stay with their parent slide.Markers and headings inside code fences are ignored. If no structure is found, the entire document is shown as a single slide.
# My Presentation
Welcome to the talk.
<!-- slide -->
## Slide Two
- Point one
- Point two
- Point three
<!-- slide -->
## Slide Three
```swift
let message = "Code renders on slides too"
```
<!-- slide -->
## Thank You
Questions?Press Cmd + Shift + P or click the play icon in the toolbar. The presentation opens in full screen.
| Control | Action |
|---|---|
| ← arrow key | Previous slide |
| → arrow key or Space | Next slide |
| Home | First slide |
| End | Last slide |
| ↑ / ↓ | Scroll within a slide |
| Esc | Exit presentation |
| Click left 30% of screen | Previous slide |
| Click right 70% of screen | Next slide |
| Swipe left / right | Next / previous slide |
On-screen controls appear when you move the mouse and auto-hide after 3 seconds. A progress bar and slide counter (e.g., "3 / 8") show your position.
Tip: All Markdown features work on slides — math, diagrams, code blocks, tables, images, and GitHub alerts all render normally in presentation mode.
Code blocks with a language identifier are automatically highlighted. Scribe MD supports:
Unlisted languages fall back to generic highlighting for keywords, strings, numbers, and comments.
When a language is specified, the language name appears in the top corner of the code block with a color matching the language (e.g., orange for Swift, blue for TypeScript, green for Python).
Every code block in the preview has a copy button in the top-right corner. Click it to copy the code to your clipboard.
Scribe MD renders Mermaid diagrams directly in the preview. Wrap your diagram code in a fenced code block with the mermaid language identifier:
```mermaid
graph LR
A[Start] --> B{Decision}
B -->|Yes| C[Action]
B -->|No| D[End]
```graph or flowchartsequenceDiagramclassDiagramstateDiagram-v2erDiagramganttpiemindmapgitGraphDiagrams are rendered in the background and displayed as images in the preview. Rendered diagrams are cached so scrolling and editing stay smooth. Diagrams respect your current theme — light or dark.
Tip: If a diagram has a syntax error, Scribe MD shows the raw code with a copy button so you can paste it into the Mermaid Live Editor to debug it.
Scribe MD supports GitHub-flavored alert blocks for callouts and admonitions. Start a blockquote with a type marker on the first line:
> [!NOTE]
> Useful background information.
> [!TIP]
> Helpful advice for getting things done.
> [!IMPORTANT]
> Key information users should know.
> [!WARNING]
> Urgent information that needs attention.
> [!CAUTION]
> Negative potential consequences of an action.Each alert type is rendered with its own icon and color to make it stand out in the preview and exported documents.
Press Cmd + F to open the find bar in the preview pane. Type a search term and Scribe MD highlights all matches in the rendered preview.
Find works across all rendered content including headings, paragraphs, code blocks, tables, and alert text.
<!-- slide --> markers to break documents into slides for presentations.