MikeDown Editor

A Typora-style WYSIWYG Markdown editor for VS Code.

Beta -- MikeDown Editor is under active development. It is usable today but expect rough edges. Bug reports and feedback are welcome on GitHub.

Why MikeDown?

For years I relied on VS Code's built-in Markdown Preview -- source on one side, rendered preview on the other. It works, but the split-pane workflow gets cumbersome fast, especially when you have several markdown files open at once. I went looking for something better and found Typora, which is genuinely excellent: smooth, polished, true WYSIWYG editing. But Typora is a standalone app. Opening markdown files outside VS Code means giving up Git integration, multi-language file support, and the entire extensions ecosystem.

MikeDown exists to close that gap. It brings a Typora-quality WYSIWYG editing experience directly into VS Code so you can have multiple markdown files open across panes, windows, and monitors -- all without leaving the editor you already use for everything else.

Features

True WYSIWYG Editing

Edit markdown visually using a TipTap/ProseMirror-based editor. What you see is what you get -- headings render as headings, lists render as lists, and you never have to look at raw syntax unless you want to.

Source Mode Toggle

Press Cmd+/ (Mac) or Ctrl+/ (Windows/Linux) to instantly switch between WYSIWYG and raw markdown. Useful for fine-tuning syntax or pasting raw content.

Apple Notes-Style Toolbar

A condensed toolbar with dropdown menus for formatting, insert, and export actions. Clean and out of the way until you need it.

Smart Paste

Paste content from Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Slack, web pages, and other rich-text sources. MikeDown converts it to clean markdown automatically.

GitHub Flavored Markdown

Full GFM support including tables, task lists, strikethrough, and fenced code blocks.

Link Navigation and Autocomplete

• Cmd+Click (or Ctrl+Click) to follow links to files, headings, or URLs
• Right-click any link for Open Link / Open Link in New Tab options
• Link autocomplete: start typing a link and get fuzzy-matched suggestions from workspace files and headings

Broken Link Detection

Links pointing to missing files or nonexistent headings get a red wavy underline, so you catch broken references before your readers do.

Backlink Explorer

A sidebar panel in the Explorer view that shows which files in your workspace link to the current document. Useful for wiki-style note collections and documentation projects.

Table Editing

Insert tables with a grid picker, edit with a contextual toolbar, drag handles for reordering rows and columns, and multi-cell selection support.

Find and Replace

Full find-and-replace inside the WYSIWYG editor. Most WYSIWYG markdown editors skip this -- MikeDown does not.

Code Block Syntax Highlighting

192 languages supported via lowlight/highlight.js. Code blocks render with proper syntax coloring in the editor.

Frontmatter Support

YAML frontmatter blocks display as a collapsible section above the editor content. Edit metadata without switching to source mode.

Editor-Only Theme Toggle

Switch between light and dark mode inside MikeDown editor tabs without changing VS Code's global theme. Handy when you want a light writing surface but a dark IDE.

Export and Share

• Export as HTML
• Print / Export as PDF
• Copy as rich text (paste into Docs, Slack, email)

Image Support

Images render inline. Click an image to access an edit popover for adjusting source, alt text, and title.

What Makes MikeDown Different

Several of these features are not available in any other VS Code markdown extension:

• Broken link detection with visual underlines for missing targets
• Link autocomplete with workspace-wide fuzzy file and heading search
• Backlink Explorer panel showing reverse references
• In-editor Find and Replace in WYSIWYG mode
• Apple Notes-style condensed toolbar with dropdown menus

Keyboard Shortcuts

All shortcuts are active when a MikeDown editor tab is focused.

Settings

MikeDown exposes the following settings under mikedown.* in VS Code's Settings UI:

Getting Started

1. Install MikeDown Editor from the VS Code Marketplace.
2. Open any .md or .markdown file.
3. Right-click the file in the Explorer or editor tab and choose Open with MikeDown, or run the command Open with MikeDown from the Command Palette.
4. To make MikeDown the default editor for all markdown files, enable mikedown.defaultEditor in Settings.

Requirements

• VS Code 1.109.0 or later

Known Limitations

This is a beta release. Some areas that are still being refined:

• Complex nested markdown structures may not round-trip perfectly in all cases
• Very large files (10,000+ lines) may have slower initial load times
• Some VS Code extensions that modify markdown files may conflict with the custom editor

Contributing

MikeDown is open source under the MIT License.

Source code, issues, and contributions: github.com/mikejoseph23/mikedown

License

MIT