Markdown Editor for Mac: Synced Preview & Image Editing

A Markdown editor for files, images and technical documents

notePad++++ is a Mac Markdown editor with a live side-by-side preview, two-way scrolling and tools for editing the images and tables inside your document. It is useful for README files, release notes, documentation and drafts that mix prose with code, diagrams and local assets.

This guide is published by the App's developer. Every screenshot below is a real capture of the Mac App using one demonstration document, Documentation release kit. It contains a task list, table, local landscape photograph, highlighted JavaScript, Mermaid diagrams, formulas, quotes, links and footnotes. Its names and numbers are fictional. Click a body screenshot to inspect it at full size.

Download notePad++++ from the Mac App Store. Check current requirements, pricing and Pro availability on the listing; the captures were made during a trial.

Watch: linked scrolling and local image tools

This 41-second demonstration shows the chain button linking Markdown source and preview, followed by the local image editing controls. Tasks, tables, diagrams and a landscape photograph appear in the same document. Keep an original copy before saving changes to an existing image.

Download notePad++++ on the Mac App Store to try it with your own files.

Keep the editor and preview in sync

Scroll the editor and preview together: open a saved .md file and enable Preview in the toolbar. The source stays on the left and the rendered document on the right. Scroll down in the editor and the preview follows; scroll the preview and the editor follows back. You can review either pane without repeatedly searching for the same passage in the other.

Click the small chain button at the top of the divider to enable precise alignment. The close-up below points to this control. In the enabled state shown, the chain button is blue and a blue line connects the selected source block to its rendered content.

Real App screenshot, cropped and enlarged, with an explanatory arrow added. Click the chain button shown by the arrow, then scroll either pane to review corresponding content together. The arrow and label are tutorial annotations, not App controls.

Precise alignment adds space where needed so corresponding blocks—such as a short image reference and a tall rendered image—can line up. The blue highlight and connection line make the relationship visible. Clicking a rendered heading, table or image also takes you to its Markdown source.

Real App capture: the Math notes and Review conversation sections remain aligned after scrolling the editor. Scrolling the preview in the opposite direction was also checked.

Editing and preview updates: when you change the Markdown text, the rendered preview updates. This is separate from scrolling the two panes together. Precise alignment turns off automatically after an edit to prevent alignment spacing from making the editor jump; click the chain button again when you want to review with exact block alignment. These features work with the local document, rather than cloud synchronization or collaborative editing.

Crop, rotate and resize a Markdown image inside the App

Images are part of writing documentation. A screenshot may need a tighter crop, a rotated illustration may need correction, or an oversized asset may need smaller dimensions.

For a local image, click its preview to locate the source line, then use the Edit Image action beside that line. You can also open the Markdown context menu on the image reference. The image editor shows the original dimensions, a draggable crop box, rotation buttons and proportional width and height controls.

Real App capture: a 1200×457 landscape photograph is resized proportionally to 601×229, with the whole scene retained. The saved image file was checked and has those output dimensions.

1. Drag over the image to select the area you want to keep.
2. Use Rotate Left or Rotate Right if its orientation needs changing.
3. Enter a width or height; the other dimension follows the aspect ratio.
4. Use Save Edited Image to apply the chosen dimensions. This sizing action is marked as a Pro feature. The separate Save action applies crop and rotation at the resulting crop size.

Real App capture: a clockwise rotation preview. This second operation was canceled; the photograph remains horizontal at the saved 601×229 dimensions.

Keep an original copy before editing an existing asset: saving writes to that referenced image file. Our demonstration keeps an original image separately. The mountain lake photograph is by Scott Goodwill on Unsplash, used and resized under the Unsplash License. Relative image paths work when the Markdown file and asset folder stay together; macOS may ask you to authorize access to the containing folder.

Edit Markdown tables with a grid

You can inspect a rendered table, locate its source and open Adjust Table from the inline action or Markdown context menu. The panel exposes the number of data rows and columns, editable cells, and left, center and right alignment controls. This is easier to review than counting every pipe character in a wide table.

Real App capture: the review-status table has three data rows and four columns. Progress is right aligned and Ready is centered. The panel was opened for inspection without changing the table.

The file remains a normal Markdown table. For complex spreadsheets with formulas or merged cells, use a spreadsheet rather than expecting a Markdown table to replace one.

Check tasks in the preview and update the source

The checkboxes are interactive. In the demonstration, clicking Review links and image descriptions in the preview changed its source from - [ ] to - [x]. Saving the document kept that change in the .md file.

Real App capture after checking and saving the third task. The source remains visible, so you can see exactly what the checkbox changed.

This is a small example of the preview acting as a useful document control while Markdown stays the source of truth. It also demonstrates why an edit can switch precise alignment off.

Preview code with its language and syntax colors

A fenced code block can declare its language, such as javascript. The source keeps the fence and language label; the preview shows highlighted code with a copy button. This helps separate prose from examples in a README or tutorial.

Real App capture: a small JavaScript readiness calculation. Code is displayed as an example; previewing it does not execute the program.

Render Mermaid diagrams and mathematical formulas

The demonstration includes two Mermaid examples: a flowchart for a review process and a sequence diagram for an author and reviewer. Their text definitions render as diagrams in the preview. You can keep the diagram source with the document and change its labels alongside the surrounding explanation.

Math can appear inline, such as $r = n / N$, or as a display equation between $$ markers. The example renders a fraction and percentage calculation.

Real App capture: inline and display math, followed by the rendered Mermaid sequence diagram. The flowchart is visible in the opening screenshot.

These are preview capabilities of this App. Markdown readers differ in their support for diagrams, formulas and other extensions; check the destination where you will publish or export the file.

Navigate headings without losing your place

The outline button in the preview opens a list of headings and their levels. Selecting a heading jumps to that section and its source. This is useful when a file contains several tables, diagrams or long code examples.

Real App capture: the outline lists the demonstration's sections and nested headings. The same document also renders nested lists, emphasis, strikethrough, quotes, links and footnotes.

For the basic writing workflow, see the live Markdown preview guide. For folders of documents, Workspace Search and text tools help locate repeated wording before you edit it.

Inspect document structure before handing it over

Inspect Markdown in the Markdown context menu opens a report covering headings, links and anchors, image descriptions, table structure, reference definitions, code blocks, front matter and local resources. Review the findings rather than treating a rendered preview as a complete document check.

Real App capture: completed checks report no document issues, while one local resource could not be reached and was not counted as a document issue. An inaccessible resource is not a verified working resource, and this report is not a guarantee that every external website is reachable.

Export a review copy, then check the chosen format

The File menu offers HTML, PDF, long image, DOCX and static website export. Some options are marked as Pro features. Choose the format your reader needs and retain the original .md file with its assets.

Real App capture: the native DOCX save dialog. An earlier version of the demonstration was exported successfully with its local image.

Export formats do not have identical coverage. In the tested DOCX file, Mermaid remained as source text and the Markdown table was not converted into a native Word table. If your handoff depends on those elements, inspect the exported file; do not assume the Word copy looks exactly like the live preview.

Try a complete Markdown document before choosing an editor

Use a copy of one of your own documents containing a table, an image, code and a checklist. Open Preview, try scrolling in both directions, enable precise sync, navigate through the outline and change one task. Then test an image edit on a duplicate asset and review your intended export format.

notePad++++ is a practical fit when you want ordinary local Markdown files plus preview and asset tools. It also provides regex cleanup and repeatable text processing for document maintenance. Choose according to the tasks you actually perform, including any publishing or note-library features you need beyond this workflow.

Download notePad++++ for Mac on the App Store and check the current listing for pricing, system requirements and Pro features.

Feature checks and real captures: October 15, 2026. Screenshots use the App's current interface language settings. No generated or simulated App screens are used in this guide.