How to create a Markdown file on a Mac

A Markdown file is a plain text file whose name ends in .md: headings start with #, lists with -, and bold text sits between ** and **. Any editor opens it, and it reads well even unrendered. On a Mac you can create one in several ways: here are 3, from the most manual to the fastest.

With TextEdit, which you already have

TextEdit opens new documents as rich text, so first you turn the document into plain text:

1. Open TextEdit and create a new document.
2. Choose Format > Make Plain Text (or press Shift-Command-T).
3. Write your note in Markdown.
4. Save it with a name that ends in .md, for example meeting.md. If TextEdit asks which extension to use, choose .md.

It works, but it’s a lot of steps for a 3-line note, and every time you pick a name and a folder.

From Terminal

If you use Terminal, touch meeting.md creates an empty file in the folder you’re in, and open -e meeting.md opens it in TextEdit. It’s the fastest way if Terminal is already open, and the least handy for everyone else.

In 2 keystrokes, from the menu bar: QuickMD

QuickMD is made for the notes you jot down on the fly, the ones that need to become a file right away:

• Command-M, then D: a blank note opens.
• Type or paste, then Command-Return: the file is saved in the folder you chose.
• The name writes itself, from the first heading or the first line. If you type your own, yours wins.
• Nothing gets overwritten: if the name is taken, QuickMD adds a number, like note-2.md.

Once it’s saved, the file waits in a drawer in the corner of the screen, above every window, ready to drag into an email, a chat or another folder. Close the note with Esc and your text stays as a draft, waiting for you next time.

Is QuickMD a Markdown editor?

No, and it doesn’t try to be. If you need an app to organize hundreds of notes, with folders, search and links between pages, you need a full editor. QuickMD does 1 thing: it turns what’s in your head, or on your clipboard, into an .md file in a few seconds, then gets out of the way.

The file is a plain text file, in a folder of yours. Open it with any app, put it under version control, sync it however you like. No closed format: your notes stay your files.

What QuickMD costs

QuickMD costs $9.99 plus tax, once, and works on macOS 14 or later. Until 9 November 2026 the launch price is $4.99. No subscription: the license covers 5 active Macs, every update is free forever, and if it’s not for you, you have 30 days for a full refund. The rules are in the House Rules.

Try QuickMD in your browser: its page has a Demo that simulates the app, with nothing to install. Looking for more small utilities you pay for once? Read what a one-time purchase gets you.