Markdown viewer:
read local .md files in your browser
You don't need to install anything to read a .md file. Open a tab in desktop Chrome, Edge, or Arc, point it at the folder where those files already live, and they render: headings as headings, lists as lists, tables as tables, instead of a wall of # and **.
The files stay put. Reading them doesn't upload anything or copy them into an app's database, and they're still in that same folder after you close the tab.
Open NoteLoom on your .md folder
One file, or the folder they live in
Most Markdown viewers are built around a single document: you hand over one file or paste some text, and it renders. That works when you have one file and a question about it.
It works less well for the common case, which is a folder: a project's docs, a vault, a directory of notes an AI tool wrote. Then the useful thing is a file tree next to the rendered page, so reading the next document is one click rather than another round of picking files.
NoteLoom is built for the folder case, and reading is where it starts.
Three steps
- Open
app.noteloom.ccin desktop Chrome, Edge, or Arc. - Pick the folder your
.mdfiles are in. The browser asks for permission once. - The file tree is on the left. Click any file and it renders on the right.
No account, and no step where you hand the files to a server first.
Reading and editing share one window
| Mode | What you see | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | Read-only. Symbols are hidden and the page is rendered | Reading a document end to end |
| Editing | Renders as you type; only the cursor line shows raw symbols | Fixing a line while you read |
| Source | The full Markdown source, symbols and all | Checking how something was written |
Read a long document in Reading view, where the symbols stay out of the way. Check how something was written in Source mode. Fix a sentence in editing mode, and the save goes back to the original file.
What gets rendered
| Content | Rendered per |
|---|---|
| Headings, bold, italic, lists, code blocks | CommonMark |
| Tables, task lists, strikethrough | GFM |
| Math | KaTeX |
Everything in the folder opens from the same tree, so moving between documents doesn't mean picking a file again.
Why reading one file asks for folder permission
Because it reads the files that actually exist on your disk, not text you pasted into a box. Once the browser hands a folder to the page, the page can list the .md files in it, open one, and write your edits back to that same file.
The permission covers the folder you picked and nothing else, and it's confirmed per session rather than granted once and kept.
FAQ
What is a Markdown viewer?
Do I have to upload or paste my file to read it?
Can I open a whole folder instead of one file at a time?
Are tables, task lists, and math rendered?
Which browsers does this work in?
What if I want to fix a line while reading?
Read Your Local .md Folder in a Clean Browser Tab
Open NoteLoom in Chrome, Edge, or Arc, mount your local notes folder, and read rendered Markdown immediately. Edit lines in place and save changes straight back to disk without software install.
Open Local Folder in Browser →Published · Updated