## Comparison

View Markdown Without Opening VS Code

You just want to read a README. Do you really need to launch VS Code? Opening a full IDE to preview a Markdown file is like driving a semi truck to the grocery store.

## The VS Code workflow

It works, but it’s heavyweight

The typical VS Code Markdown preview flow looks something like this:

1.Open VS Code
2.Open folder or file
3.Press Cmd+Shift+V or click the preview icon
4.Wait for extensions to load
5.Finally see your rendered Markdown

It works. But you just loaded a full Electron-based IDE with a 500MB+ memory footprint to read a text file.

## The ShowMeMyMD workflow

Double-click. Done.

Double-click README.md in Finder. It opens rendered. That’s it.

Or drag a file onto the dock icon. Or set ShowMeMyMD as your default .md app and every Markdown file opens rendered automatically from that point on.

No workspace. No extensions. No waiting. A native SwiftUI app that launches instantly and uses a fraction of the memory.

## Side by side

The key differences

	ShowMeMyMD	VS Code Preview
Launch Time	Instant	Seconds
Memory Usage	Lightweight SwiftUI	500MB+ Electron
Setup Required	None	Workspace + extensions
Copy as Rich Text	One-click	Not built-in
Themes	4 built-in	Extension-dependent
GitHub Callouts	Supported	Extension-dependent
Works Without Project	Yes	Technically, but designed for projects

## When to use VS Code preview

VS Code preview makes sense when you’re already coding

VS Code’s built-in Markdown preview is perfectly fine in certain contexts. No need to switch apps if you’re already there.

>You're already IN VS Code editing code in the same project
>You want live preview side-by-side while editing in the same window
>You need specific extensions like Mermaid diagrams or math rendering

## When to use ShowMeMyMD

ShowMeMyMD is built for reading, not coding

When you just need to read a .md file, a dedicated viewer is the right tool.

>You want to quickly read a .md file without launching an IDE
>You're reviewing documentation directly from Finder
>You need to copy rendered Markdown to paste into emails, Slack, or Notion
>You want a dedicated viewer that's always fast, always ready

## Pro tip

Best of both worlds

Set ShowMeMyMD as your default .md app. Use VS Code when you’re coding. Use ShowMeMyMD when you’re reading. They complement each other perfectly.

## Learn more

Learn more about why ShowMeMyMD is the best Markdown viewer for Mac, explore features for developers, or read about how to open .md files on Mac.

Stop launching an IDE to read a file.

$2.99. One-time purchase. Native macOS. Opens in under a second.