Everything MDLook can render, with examples you can copy and edit.
| Syntax | Result |
|---|---|
**bold** or __bold__ |
bold |
*italic* or _italic_ |
italic |
***bold italic*** or ___bold italic___ |
bold italic |
++underline++ |
underline (MDLook extension) |
~~strikethrough~~ |
|
==highlight== |
highlighted text (yellow background) |
`inline code` |
monospace inline code |
A blank line creates a new paragraph. A single line break (pressing Enter once) renders as a visible line break (<br>) within the same paragraph.
First line
Second line (same paragraph, visible break)
New paragraph after blank line.
# H1 — document title / top-level section
## H2 — major section
### H3 — sub-section
#### H4 — minor sub-section
##### H5
###### H6
All headings become collapsible sections in Read mode. Click the heading text or the left border line to toggle. Nested headings collapse hierarchically — collapsing an H2 hides all its H3/H4 children.
Write [TOC] (or [toc]) alone on its own line to insert an auto-generated, collapsible table of contents. It lists all headings as clickable links. Clicking a TOC link auto-expands any collapsed parent sections before scrolling.
# My Document
[TOC]
## First Section
### Sub-section
## Second Section
[link text](https://url.com)
Bare URLs auto-link automatically: https://example.com becomes a clickable link.
Bullet list:
- First item
- Second item
- Third item
Numbered list:
1. First step
2. Second step
3. Third step
Task list (checkboxes):
- [ ] Unchecked task
- [x] Completed task
Nested lists — indent with 2+ spaces:
- Parent item
- Child item
- Another child
- Back to parent
> Single line quote
> Multi-line quote
> continues here
Any of these on a line by themselves:
---
***
___
| Header 1 | Header 2 | Header 3 |
|----------|----------|----------|
| Cell 1 | Cell 2 | Cell 3 |
| Cell 4 | Cell 5 | Cell 6 |
Tables render with styled headers, alternating row backgrounds, and horizontal scroll on narrow screens.
```language
your code here
```
Each code block shows the language label and a Copy button in the header.
Supported languages for syntax highlighting: js, javascript, python, py, css, html, xml, json, bash, sh, sql, c, cpp, java, ruby, go, rust, ts, typescript, php, swift, kotlin, yaml, toml, ini, diff, markdown, md, r, lua, perl, scala, dart, powershell.
```mermaid
graph TD
A[Start] --> B{Decision}
B -->|Yes| C[Do something]
B -->|No| D[Do other thing]
```
Renders as visual diagrams via Mermaid.js. Supports flowcharts (graph), sequence diagrams (sequenceDiagram), Gantt charts (gantt), pie charts (pie), class diagrams, state diagrams, and more. Adapts to dark/light theme automatically. Full syntax reference: https://mermaid.js.org
Inline math — wrap with single $:
The formula $E = mc^2$ is well known.
Block math — wrap with $$ on separate lines:
$$
\frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}
$$
Block math renders centered with display-mode sizing. Uses KaTeX — see https://katex.org/docs/supported for full LaTeX command reference.
Token names (adapt to light/dark theme automatically):
{color:pink}adaptive pink text{/color}
{color:green}adaptive green text{/color}
Available tokens:
| Token | Light theme | Dark theme |
|---|---|---|
pink |
#d63384 | #ff79c6 |
green |
#198754 | #50fa7b |
purple |
#6f42c1 | #bd93f9 |
orange |
#c96442 | #ffb86c |
cyan |
#0a8c9e | #8be9fd |
red |
#dc3545 | #ff5555 |
yellow |
#a87d04 | #f1fa8c |
blue |
#0d6efd | #89b4fa |
Fixed colors (same in both themes):
{color:#ff79c6}hex color{/color}
{color:red}CSS named color{/color}
{color:rgb(80,250,123)}rgb color{/color}
Any #hex code in text auto-renders a small colored square inline before the code. Works with 3, 6, or 8-digit hex values.
The accent color is #c96442 and the background is #f5f4f0.
Reference in text — use [^id] where id is a number or name:
This claim needs a source[^1]. Another reference[^note].
Definition — place anywhere in the document (removed from flow, rendered at bottom):
[^1]: Full source citation here.
[^note]: Explanation of the referenced concept.
Renders superscript linked numbers in text and a "Footnotes" section at the document bottom with back-links (↩).
Prefix with backslash to render literally:
\*not italic\*
\# not a heading
\[not a link\]
| Shortcut | Action | Mode |
|---|---|---|
Ctrl + 1 |
Read mode | All |
Ctrl + 2 |
Edit mode (split-pane) | All |
Ctrl + 3 |
Source mode (raw HTML) | All |
Ctrl + B |
Bold | Edit |
Ctrl + I |
Italic | Edit |
Ctrl + U |
Underline | Edit |
Ctrl + Shift + X |
Strikethrough | Edit |
Ctrl + Shift + H |
Highlight | Edit |
Ctrl + S |
Save file | Edit |
Ctrl + F |
Find | All |
Esc |
Exit Zen mode / close panel | All |
Space |
Teleprompter: pause / resume | Read (when active) |
↑ / ↓ |
Teleprompter: speed ±1 | Read (when active) |
Shift+↑ / Shift+↓ |
Teleprompter: speed ±10 | Read (when active) |
The Edit mode toolbar provides one-click buttons for: Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough, Highlight, Color (A button with palette), Inline code, Code block, Link, Image, Bullet list, Numbered list, Task list, Blockquote, Horizontal rule, Table, Heading (H1–H4).
The top bar also includes: Open (browse for .md file), Export (HTML or Print/PDF), Save (save edited file to disk), ? (Help & Changelog), theme toggle, and Zen mode.
In Read mode, every heading wraps its content in a collapsible section. Visual indicators:
- ▸ triangle before heading — click to toggle
- Left border line — click anywhere on it to toggle
- Dashed orange border — indicates collapsed state
- Badge — shows hidden content count, e.g. "(3 blocks)"
- ▲ All / ▼ All buttons — collapse or expand every section at once (top-right corner)
Click the ☰ button (top-right in Read or Edit mode) to open the outline sidebar. Lists all headings as a clickable navigation tree. In Read mode, clicking an outline item auto-expands any collapsed parent sections. In Edit mode, the outline updates live as you type and clicking scrolls the preview pane to the heading.
Right-click anywhere in Read or Edit mode to open a custom context menu with quick actions (Copy, Select All, and formatting options in Edit mode). The default context menu is replaced by a custom one throughout the app.
Click the 🌙/☀️ button in the top bar to toggle themes. All colors — including color tokens, Mermaid diagrams, code blocks, and UI elements — adapt automatically.
In Edit mode, drag an image file onto the editor to insert a  block with the image embedded as base64.
Click the ⤓ button to export the rendered document as a standalone HTML file with all styles, fonts, KaTeX, and Mermaid included.
In Edit mode, click the Zen button to hide the preview pane and focus on writing. Press Esc to exit.
In Read mode, click ▶ Auto in the right sidebar to start auto-scrolling. A floating control bar appears at the bottom with speed adjustment (1–100), pause/resume, and stop. Keyboard: Space to pause/resume, ↑/↓ for fine speed adjustment (±1), Shift+↑/Shift+↓ for coarse (±10), Esc to stop. Default speed is 5 (comfortable reading). Stops automatically at the end of the document.
In Edit mode, drag the center divider to resize editor/preview panes. Double-click the divider to reset to 50/50.
Press Ctrl+F to open the Find bar. Highlights all matches and lets you navigate between them with arrow buttons or Enter / Shift+Enter. Works across Read, Edit, and Source modes.
Open a file: Drag a .md file onto MDLook.exe, or double-click any .md file after associating it.
Standalone mode: Run MDLook.exe to open with an empty editor. Use the Open button in the toolbar to browse and load a .md file.
File association: Right-click the system tray icon → "Associate .md files" to register MDLook as the default handler for .md files with a custom document icon.
Start with Windows: Right-click the tray icon → "Start with Windows" to launch MDLook silently at boot.
The app warns before closing or navigating away if you have unsaved edits in the editor.