Aero Markdown has a file tree, a rendered page, and a heading outline. The page is where you read; the other columns keep the folder and document structure within reach. This guide explains what you can adjust and what happens to the file. For a one-page overview of everything the app does, see Features; this is the hands-on version.
Begin with a complete example
Download the sample Markdown folder, unzip it, and open the folder in Aero Markdown. Select README.md to try headings, a table, a task list, code, and relative links. Select architecture.md for the Mermaid example.
The sample uses ordinary files. You can inspect its source in your editor as well as read it in Aero Markdown.
Use the three parts of the window
- File tree: choose a document in the folder you opened.
- Rendered page: read its paragraphs, code, tables, images, and diagrams.
- Heading outline: find a section in the current document without scanning the whole page.
You can hide the sidebar or outline when you want more room for the document. Follow a relative link to another Markdown file inside the folder, then use Back or Forward to revisit the page and its reading position.
Adjust typography and appearance
Choose Serif, Sans, or Mono. Adjust type size, column width, line spacing, and zoom to suit the text you are reading. Use system appearance, light appearance, or dark appearance.
Start with the column width and type size when a paragraph is difficult to follow. A long explanation and a code-heavy reference may benefit from different settings. These are reading controls; choosing them does not require converting or importing the source file.
Read the Markdown structure
| Content in the file | What the page shows |
|---|---|
| Headings, paragraphs, lists, and task lists | A structured document and heading outline |
| Markdown tables | A table that fits the reading column |
| Fenced code blocks | Code with local syntax highlighting |
| Local images | Images from the document’s local context |
| Mermaid blocks | Diagrams rendered inside the page |
| GitHub alerts and footnotes | The alert or reference alongside the text |
| Math | Expressions rendered with bundled KaTeX |
Syntax highlighting, Mermaid, and KaTeX ship inside the app. They are not downloaded from a network when you read the page. For a worked diagram, see reading Mermaid diagrams.
Understand YAML titles
YAML front matter is hidden from the reading page. Its title becomes the page title only when the document has no H1.
---
title: Project overview
---
A document without a top-level heading can use the title above.
If the source already includes a top-level # Heading, that heading takes precedence. The source remains Markdown; rendering does not rewrite it.
Search, copy, and refer to a passage
Search within the page or across the folder. You can copy rendered text, or copy a relative link to the current heading when you want another document to refer to that section.
For link examples and navigation boundaries, see relative links and reading history.
Print, export, and preview in Finder
Print the rendered page, export it as a PDF, or save it as a local HTML file. These are ways to take the page out of the reading window while keeping a local result.
Aero Markdown includes a Finder Quick Look extension that previews Markdown on the Mac. A quick preview and a longer read are different views of the same source document.
Edit only when you need to
The open document can be edited as raw Markdown. Editing includes line numbers, word and character counts, keyboard formatting, and find and replace within that document. A preview beside the source is available while you edit.
Spell checking stays active in normal text and skips code, paths, and identifiers. Opening and rendering do not write the file. Save writes the open file.
Keep up with changes from another tool
Automatic reload is enabled by default. If another tool changes the open file and you have no unsaved edits, the page reloads at the current heading. If you have also edited the document, your text is kept and the app reports the change on disk.
The coding-agent guide explains that behavior and optional local hooks for opening new files. For the product overview, return to reading in Aero Markdown.