Write, Preview and Export Beautiful Markdown

Mardna is a free online Markdown editor and previewer. Paste or write Markdown on the left, watch it become a typeset page on the right, choose a theme, and export it as a PDF or a single self-contained HTML file. Everything runs in your browser — no account, no upload, nothing to install.

Everything you need to work with Markdown

Markdown editor

A syntax-aware writing pane with list continuation, table navigation, autocomplete and formatting shortcuts. Your draft autosaves in the browser as you type.

Try the online Markdown editor →

Live preview

The rendered page updates as you type, scroll-synced beside the source. Only the block you touched is re-rendered, so long documents stay fast.

Preview Markdown online →

Faithful rendering

GitHub Flavored Markdown rendered to the specification, with highlighted code, Mermaid diagrams, LaTeX math and GitHub-style alerts.

See how the Markdown renderer works →

Five themes

GitHub, Notion, Academic, Minimal Mono and Editorial, each with its own dark palette, plus an independent choice of font.

Explore the Markdown themes →

Export to PDF

A typeset PDF with selectable text, working links and page breaks that fall in sensible places — printed by your own browser.

Convert Markdown to PDF →

Export to HTML

One self-contained file with styles, fonts, highlighting and diagrams inlined. It opens anywhere, with or without a connection.

Export Markdown to styled HTML →

Turn Markdown into beautiful documents

Markdown is quick to write and, by default, plain to read. Mardna treats the rendered page as the product: one measure that keeps lines at a comfortable length, a consistent rhythm between headings and paragraphs, tables and code blocks in containers that behave, and typefaces chosen for the kind of document you are making.

Switching theme re-typesets the document instantly, so a release note can be tried as a repository page, as a technical specification and as an article inside a few seconds. Dark mode is a designed variant of each theme rather than an inversion, and it carries through to what you export.

Export Markdown to HTML or PDF

A Markdown file is a poor thing to hand to a reader who does not want to see the markup. Mardna gives you two finished formats and the original source, all produced locally.

  • PDF — printed through the browser's own engine against a print stylesheet, so text stays selectable, links keep their destinations, and headings, tables, code blocks and diagrams are not split across page breaks. Good for reports, papers, handouts and anything that gets filed. Convert Markdown to PDF.
  • HTML — a single file with the theme's stylesheet, the fonts it uses, syntax highlighting and Mermaid diagrams all embedded, so it renders identically offline. Good for attachments, archives and publishing. Export Markdown to styled HTML.
  • Markdown — your source back, unchanged, whenever you want it.

How it works

  1. Write or paste your Markdown

    Type into the editor, paste from anywhere, or drop a .md file onto the window. The document saves itself in your browser as you go.

  2. Choose a theme and read the preview

    The rendered page appears beside the source and updates as you type. Try the themes and fonts until the document reads the way you want it to.

  3. Export it as PDF or HTML

    Press ⌘⇧E for the export menu, or ⌘P to go straight to PDF. The file is produced on your machine and downloads immediately.

Built for developers, writers and documentation

README files
Check a README against a GitHub-faithful preview before you push it, then export it as a PDF handout if somebody needs it outside the repository.
Technical documentation
Architecture notes and runbooks with highlighted code, Mermaid diagrams and tables that hold together in print as well as on screen.
Papers and reports
Mathematical notation, footnotes and serif typesetting, exported to a PDF with embedded fonts and considered page breaks.
Articles and posts
Draft in Markdown, read it at magazine scale in the Editorial theme, and hand over clean HTML when it is finished.
Notes and meeting records
A scratch document that is always where you left it, with snapshot history in case a paragraph goes missing.

Frequently asked questions

What is Markdown?

Markdown is a plain-text way of formatting documents: # makes a heading, **text** makes bold, a hyphen starts a list. Because the file stays readable as text, it works well in version control, and tools like Mardna render it into formatted output.

Is Mardna free to use?

Yes, and there is nothing to sign up for. Open the page and start writing.

Does my Markdown leave my browser?

No. Parsing, syntax highlighting, diagrams, autosave and both exports run locally in the tab. There is no server to send a document to.

Do I need to install anything?

No. Mardna runs in any modern browser. It can also be installed to your dock or home screen, after which it opens in its own window and works offline.

Can I convert Markdown to PDF and HTML?

Yes. Both exports use the theme currently shown in the preview — see Markdown to PDF and Markdown to HTML.

What happens to my document when I close the tab?

It is stored in your browser and restored the next time you open Mardna in that tab, along with the last twenty snapshots. Clearing your browser data removes it, so export anything you want to keep.