Readfence 0.4.0 · Open Source · Written in Rust

Read Markdown
the way it was meant.

A focused Markdown reader with selectable rendered text, inline images, clickable links, live reload, and a source view when you need the details.

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/adamwhiles/readfence/releases/latest/download/readfence-installer.sh | sh
macOS & Linux · one line, no dependencies Windows .msi All downloads View source
Windows macOS Linux
README.md — Readfence 0.4.0
Readfence displaying a rendered README with inline badges, document metadata, and selectable text in the Moonfly theme
Features

Everything you need. Nothing you don't.

◈

Rendered by default

Open a file and start reading. Headings, aligned tables, lists, task lists, alerts, blockquotes, and inline bold, italic, and code are all set in a quiet, full-width document view.

🖼

Images, inline

Local and remote images render right in the document, including SVG badges at their natural size. Broken references fall back to a quiet placeholder.

⌁

Select what you need

Highlight and copy directly from rendered Markdown, even when a selection crosses headings, paragraphs, lists, quotes, and code blocks.

{ }

Code and links that work

Code blocks use a distinct reading surface with language labels and copy actions. Links remain visible and open in your browser.

◧

Files without friction

Open several documents, switch from the library sidebar, or drag Markdown and text files straight onto the window.

◑

Fifteen curated themes

Moonfly, Nightfly, Dracula, Nord, Tokyo Night, Catppuccin, Kanagawa, and more — each tuned to render well, with proper light-mode support. Your pick is remembered.

Aa

Reader controls

Adjust type size, enter fullscreen, copy the complete document, inspect word count and reading time, or switch to raw source.

↑

Always current

A quiet banner lets you know when a new release is out, with a one-click jump to the download — checked at launch and while the app stays open.

A closer look

Rendered when reading. Source when inspecting.

The same document stays one click away from either view, while the library keeps the rest of your files close.

Readfence source view showing read-only Markdown in a monospace editor
Read-only source view Inspect the Markdown without leaving the document or risking an accidental edit.
Readfence rendered view with three Markdown files open in the library sidebar
A small working library Keep several documents open, switch instantly, and hide the list when it is time to focus.
Roadmap

What's coming next.

Readfence is actively developed. Here's what's planned.

Recently shipped
◈
Rendering overhaul
Aligned tables, real bullets, inline bold, italic, and code, task lists, and GitHub-style alerts, all set with a tuned reading rhythm.
Shipped
🖼
Inline image rendering
Local and remote images render in place, including SVG badges at their natural size. Broken references degrade to a quiet placeholder.
Shipped
◑
Curated themes, remembered
Fifteen polished themes with proper light-mode support. Your choice persists across launches.
Shipped
↑
Update notifications
A quiet banner when a newer release ships, checked at launch and every six hours, with a one-click jump to the download.
Shipped
⟳
Auto-reload on file change
Watch the open file and reload instantly when it's saved. Turns Readfence into a live preview alongside your editor.
Shipped
⤓
Drag and drop to open
Drop any .md file directly onto the window to open it — no file dialog needed.
Shipped
⌁
Selectable rendered documents
Select and copy across rendered block boundaries while retaining clickable links and dedicated code-copy actions.
Shipped
Σ
Reader metadata
Word count, line count, reading time, and current text size are visible at a glance.
Shipped
Up next
◷
Recent files
Quickly reopen files you've viewed before from a persistent recent files list.
Soon
⊕
Zoom with Ctrl+scroll
Scale font size with the scroll wheel while holding Ctrl.
Soon
Planned
☰
Table of contents panel
Auto-generated heading outline in the sidebar. Click any heading to jump directly to that section.
Planned
⌕
Find in document
Ctrl+F search bar that highlights all matches in the rendered or source view.
Planned
◈
Persistent settings
Remember your window size, font size, and last open files across restarts. Theme choice already persists today.
Planned
⇪
Automatic updates
Download and install a new release straight from the update banner, no manual download required.
Planned
On the radar
◫
Open folder
Open an entire directory and browse all Markdown files inside from the sidebar.
Considering
≡
YAML front matter support
Detect and display front matter (Hugo, Jekyll, Obsidian) cleanly rather than rendering it as raw text.
Considering
Themes

Your color palette, your call.

Fifteen themes, each tuned to render well. Switch instantly from the toolbar — your pick is remembered next launch.

Moonfly
Nightfly
Dark
Light
Dracula
Nord
Tokyo Night
Tokyo Night Storm
Catppuccin Mocha
Catppuccin Latte
Gruvbox Dark
Solarized Dark
Kanagawa Wave
Oxocarbon
Ferra
Keyboard Shortcuts

Stay on the keys.

Ctrl+O
Open one or more files
Ctrl+B
Toggle sidebar
Ctrl+C
Copy selected rendered text
Ctrl+A
Select the rendered document
F11
Toggle fullscreen
Ctrl+=
Increase font size
Ctrl+−
Decrease font size
Installation

Get up and running.

Windows

Run the .msi installer for a normal Windows install with add/remove-programs support. A portable .zip is on the releases page.

Download .msi
macOS

Universal one-line install for Apple Silicon and Intel. Prefer to do it by hand? Grab a .tar.xz from the releases page.

Linux

One line installs the x86_64 or aarch64 build. No GTK required — the file dialog uses the XDG desktop portal.

Or build from source
# Requires Rust 1.85+
$ git clone https://github.com/adamwhiles/readfence
$ cd readfence
$ cargo build --release