Markdown to PDF on Mac, with tables, code and diagrams
A Markdown file is hard to read when you send it as is. Marko opens it on your Mac, shows it formatted and exports it to a paginated PDF, with its tables, highlighted code, Mermaid diagrams and formulas. It all happens on the machine.
Why export locally instead of online
Most “markdown to pdf” converters are web pages: you paste your text, it goes to a server, a PDF comes back. For a throwaway draft, that is handy. For a brief, a spec or meeting notes with names, figures or decisions, it is a working document leaving your machine.
Marko exports from the app. The file is read and laid out on your Mac, and the PDF saves where you ask. Nothing is sent to produce the PDF.
Export a Markdown file to PDF
- Open your .md file in Marko, or paste your text into a new document.
- Read it in Visual mode: headings, tables and lists fall into place.
- In the File menu, choose “Export as PDF…”.
- Name the file and confirm. The PDF is paginated as A4, with an “n / N” page number in the footer.
To try it right now, download the example brief, open it in Marko and export it.
What the PDF keeps
| Document element | In the PDF |
|---|---|
| Headings, lists, task lists | Formatted, with the level hierarchy |
| Tables | Rendered; across pages, the header repeats at the top of each page |
| Code blocks | Per-language highlighting; a long block stays whole |
| Mermaid diagrams and graphs | Rendered as an image in the PDF |
| Formulas (KaTeX) | Rendered inline and as blocks |
The limits to know
Worth knowing before you export a large document or a PDF meant for accessibility.
- Export is available on macOS. Windows and Linux builds are not distributed yet.
- The PDF is not tagged: it suits reading and printing, not a screen reader that relies on tagged structure.
- Very large documents are capped (on the order of a few thousand blocks) to avoid an endless layout.
- The repeated table header comes from Marko slicing the table, because the print engine does not repeat it on its own.
If you mostly need to keep the source file, Marko also writes plain Markdown, which your colleagues reopen in the editor of their choice.
Frequently asked questions
Does the PDF go to a server to be produced?
No. The file is read and laid out on your Mac, and the PDF saves where you ask. Nothing is sent to produce the PDF.
Is the PDF suitable for a screen reader?
The PDF is not tagged. It suits reading and printing, but a screen reader that relies on tagged structure will not find that structure in it.
What does the pagination look like?
The PDF is paginated as A4, with an “n / N” page number in the footer. Across pages, a table header repeats at the top of each page.
Is there a size limit, and which Macs are supported?
Very large documents are capped, on the order of a few thousand blocks, to avoid an endless layout. Export runs on Apple Silicon Macs; Windows, Linux and Intel Mac builds are not distributed yet.
See it on your document. Install Marko and try this on a real Markdown file, on your Mac.
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