Browser-based, local-first Markdown editors that open a local folder

The short answer

A browser can open a folder on your disk and write to the real files through the File System Access API, which is available in Chromium desktop browsers (Chrome, Edge, Arc). An editor built on that API is the only kind that lets you mount an existing folder of Markdown and edit the notes in place, with nothing uploaded.

Everything else is a different job: single-file scratchpads, browser-database editors, self-hosted servers, cloud collaboration, and desktop apps. All useful, none of them the "open my folder and edit it in the browser" tool.

How they compare

Checked against each tool's own site, docs, and shipped browser code: the first group in July 2026, and HermesMarkdown, hotnote, mdread, Browsidian, Chore.md, files.md, and Markdown Studio in September 2026. We read what each tool ships rather than clicking through every flow, and this category is moving quickly, so check the current version before you commit.

The browser folder editors

NoteLoom

NoteLoom opens a folder in a Chromium browser and reads and writes the .md files in it directly. It is Markdown-first, with three views you switch between on the same note: source (raw text), live (renders as you write), and reading (clean, read-only). On top of the folder it adds a file tree, full-text search, [[wikilinks]], backlinks, tags, and a graph, and there is a companion browser extension that clips web pages and YouTube or Bilibili captions to Markdown in your folder. It is free, needs no account, and keeps your notes as plain files. The honest limits: Chromium desktop only, no plugin ecosystem, no canvas, and no built-in sync (you put the folder in iCloud, Dropbox, or Git yourself). This is the tool this site is about, so treat this description as the maker's, and check the others on their own terms.

Accrete

Accrete is the closest thing to a browser-native Obsidian. It mounts a local folder and writes the real files through the File System Access API, and its focus is linked notes: [[wikilinks]] with autocomplete, backlinks, a graph view, LaTeX math, and live preview. It installs as a PWA and works offline after loading. Two things to know: it writes a small .accrete/ settings folder into your vault, and it is Chromium-only. If you want a graph-based knowledge base on a local folder without installing anything, it is a strong option.

EzyMarkdown

EzyMarkdown is a simpler take: open a folder, see a file tree, and edit the .md files with a live split-pane preview, saving back to disk when you choose. It supports GitHub Flavored Markdown with tables, task lists, and code highlighting, runs with no account, and keeps everything local. It does not try to be a vault: there are no backlinks, graph, or cross-file search. Chromium desktop only. Good if you want the folder-editing part without the knowledge-base layer.

HermesMarkdown

HermesMarkdown calls any folder you open a vault, and it reads and writes the Markdown in that folder directly. It saves on Ctrl+S or on its own timer. Of the newer arrivals it reaches furthest toward a workspace: wikilink navigation, several panes side by side, a query builder that filters notes by tag, date, or word count, task tags you click to change state, and a table editor that exports CSV. It also has an AI layer that is off until you paste in your own API key. On Firefox or Safari the editor still loads, but the folder picker is disabled, so there is nothing to open or save to.

hotnote

hotnote opens a folder in readwrite mode and writes back about two seconds after you stop typing, with no save shortcut to remember. It is the one on this list that is not Markdown-only: it highlights twenty-odd languages, renders JSON arrays and CSV as sortable tables, and reads the .git directory to show you an inline diff against HEAD, all with no backend. Markdown gets a split source-and-preview pane and full GitHub Flavored syntax. It is AGPL open source and a single-maintainer project, with the last feature commit in March 2026. Chrome and Edge on the desktop only.

mdread

mdread opens a folder (or takes one dropped onto the page) and gives you the whole .md tree in a sidebar, with read, split, and edit views. On Chrome and Edge, saving writes back to the original file; on other browsers files open read-only and edits come out as a download. Its focus is the reading half: serif typography, a table of contents that follows where you are, a progress bar, and light, sepia, and dark themes. It also shares notes end-to-end encrypted, keeping the key in the URL fragment so the server only ever holds ciphertext.

Browsidian

Browsidian is aimed squarely at an existing Obsidian vault. Pick the vault folder and you get a file tree, wikilink previews you can click through, and the .obsidian directory hidden from view. It is open source and deliberately thin: it edits .md and nothing else, and its Markdown preview is hand-rolled, so heading anchors inside wikilinks do not scroll and table alignment markers are ignored. The same codebase also runs against a local Node server or Dropbox if you would rather not use the browser folder route. Chrome, Edge, and Brave only.

Chore.md

Chore.md treats storage as something you switch: a local folder through the File System Access API, a GitHub repository, or drafts kept in the browser database, all as connections you pick between. On a local folder it lists the tree and writes back to disk. It also runs Chrome's on-device model for summaries and translation, and exports DOCX as well as PDF. Safari and Firefox fall back to uploads and downloads, which puts them outside this category. There is a paid tier, though the pricing page did not load when we checked.

files.md

files.md is a local-first notes app that has been in development for about five years, MIT licensed, and it comes with opinions: a quick-capture Chat.md you throw thoughts into, a journal/, a habits/ folder, a Later.md. One thing to know before you judge it on this page's criteria: by default it stores notes in the browser's own private file system, not your disk. You have to click "Open folder" to point it at a real directory, after which it autosaves back to those files. In Safari and Firefox that button is hidden entirely. Backlinks are written into the files as plain text on purpose, so other viewers can follow them.

VS Code for the Web

VS Code for the Web (vscode.dev) opens a local folder in the browser and edits the files in place, and for many people it is the familiar option. It is a code editor, though, so Markdown is raw source next to a preview pane rather than a writing-first experience, and full folder access needs a Chromium browser. Its strengths are real: multi-file search, Git, and browser-compatible extensions. If you edit code alongside your Markdown, this is often the right call over a dedicated notes app.

Often suggested, but a different category

These come up in the same searches, and each is good at what it does. They just do not open and edit a folder of Markdown in the browser.

• Obsidian opens a real local folder (a vault) and edits the files in place, with the deepest plugin, graph, and canvas ecosystem of any local-first tool. It is a desktop and mobile app, not a browser app, so it does not fit if you specifically cannot install software.
• SilverBullet is a private, offline-first notes app you use in a browser, but it is self-hosted: you run a server (Docker or a single binary) that owns the folder, and the browser syncs to it rather than opening your files directly. Great if you are happy running a server.
• mDocks opens a local folder in the browser, but as a clean reader. It renders your Markdown and reloads when you edit elsewhere; it does not write to the files. A nice companion to a real editor.
• StackEdit runs in the browser and is local-first in spirit, but it stores documents in the browser's own database, not in a folder you pick, and imports or exports one file at a time. It shines at writing a single document with heavy extensions and publishing it to Google Drive, Dropbox, or a blog.
• Markdown Studio is a PWA that does save back to the file you opened, on Chromium. It just opens one file: there is no directory picker in its shipped code and no file tree in the interface. Good for a single document with a split preview and Mermaid diagrams rendered inline.
• markdown.co.in and The Markdown Website are fast single-file tools: drop in one file, edit or read it with a good preview, and download the result. No folder, no save-in-place.
• HackMD is a cloud editor built for real-time team collaboration. Your notes live on its servers, which is the opposite of local-first, but it is excellent when several people edit the same document at once.

Getting a PDF out

You have the notes in one of these, and now someone wants a PDF. Because these all render in a browser, the browser's own Print dialog with Save as PDF works from any of them. That baseline is often enough.

Some tools also give you a dedicated export:

• NoteLoom exports the note you have open, from the editor toolbar or the file tree's right-click menu, and hands off to the browser's Save as PDF dialog. There is also a separate Markdown to PDF converter for when you have one document and do not want to mount a folder at all.
• Obsidian ships Export to PDF in the desktop app with no plugin, built on the Chromium print engine. It handles one note at a time; batch or whole-folder export needs a community plugin.
• Markdown Viewer (trymarkdownviewer.com) opens a single .md file or a .zip archive and exports per file as Markdown, HTML, or PDF, in the browser.
• printmd is a single-purpose converter: paste or drag one .md file, pick a theme, and export. It says processing stays in your browser, and it does not open a folder.

Worth knowing before you plan around it: none of these turn a whole folder into one PDF out of the box. Obsidian needs a community plugin for batch export, and the browser folder editors do a note at a time. If you need one bound document out of many notes, expect to combine the Markdown first or reach for a toolchain like Pandoc.

If getting the PDF out is the main thing you came for rather than the folder editing, there is a separate comparison of the Markdown to PDF converters that run in your browser, covering what each one does with your file and which handle more than a single document.

PDF behaviour checked against each tool's own site and docs in July 2026.

How to choose

• You can install software and want maximum power: Obsidian.
• You want to stay in the browser, on a local folder, with linked notes: Accrete, NoteLoom, or HermesMarkdown.
• You want the folder-editing part, kept simple: EzyMarkdown.
• You already have an Obsidian vault and just cannot install Obsidian here: Browsidian.
• You mostly want to read the folder, not rewrite it: mdread.
• Your folder has code and data in it too: hotnote.
• You move between a local folder and a GitHub repo: Chore.md.
• You want the daily-notes structure decided for you: files.md.
• You also edit code: VS Code for the Web.
• You just need one document, fast: markdown.co.in or StackEdit.
• You want to self-host: SilverBullet. You want live team editing: HackMD. You only need to read a folder: mDocks.

If the browser folder-editing option is what you are after, the quickest way to see whether it fits is to open a folder and edit one note.

Requires the desktop version of Chrome, Edge, or Arc.