If you’re super nerdy like me, you might naturally write everything in markdown format just because. I’ve always found it
annoying that I can’t just hit the SPACE BAR on my Mac to preview the contents of the .md files, so today I’m going
to show you how to solve that problem! You heard that right, no more opening apps or wasting time. Let’s get into it!
Why You Need This
First off, Markdown is everywhere. You’re writing your blog, jotting down notes, or just being a general
productivity ninja. But here’s the thing: You can’t even preview .md files on your Mac without some extra sauce.
That’s like having a Jeep and not taking it off-road. #mallcrawler, Not cool.
But don’t worry, I got you.
Step 1: Install Homebrew (If You Haven’t Already)
Alright, if you’re not already using Homebrew, what are you doing with your life? It’s the Swiss Army knife of macOS, and you need it. Open Terminal (yeah, that scary-looking app), and paste this in:
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/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
Hit enter, and let it do its thing. Grab a coffee or whatever while it works its magic. If you want even more go check out how to Supercharge Your Mac with Brew
Step 2: Install the Markdown Quick Look Plugin
Now that you’ve got Homebrew set up, it’s time to install the plugin that makes all this happen. This is where the magic happens.
Back in Terminal, type this:
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brew install --cask qlmarkdown
Boom. Hit enter, and watch the magic happen. In seconds, your Mac is now leveled up.
Step 3: Reload Quick Look
Okay, last step—just gotta reload Quick Look so it knows you’re serious about this upgrade. Still in Terminal, type:
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qlmanage -r
If that didn’t work you might also have to reload Finder by typing:
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killall Finder
This command will kill (close) all Finder processes, and macOS will automatically restart Finder.
Done. That’s it. Seriously.
Step 4: Revel in Your Markdown Ninja Glory
Now, find any .md file on your Mac, hit that SPACE BAR, and BAM—you’ve got yourself a preview. No apps, no fuss. Just instant gratification.
Wrap Up
This was too easy, right? But that’s the point. No one’s got time to waste, especially not you. So get back to being awesome, and enjoy your new Markdown superpowers.
Catch you in the next one.