RST Preview & reStructuredText Preview (RST Viewer, No Python)

Open a .rst file and see it rendered beside the editor, as you type. No Python, no Sphinx, no docutils, no conf.py. Free, no sign-in, works offline.

README.rst in the editor with RST Preview beside it, dark theme

Why this preview

It opens with no setup. Other RST previews need Python with docutils or a full Sphinx project, and fail with an empty window when Python is missing or installed in a path with a space. RST Preview renders reStructuredText itself, inside VS Code.
Lists, tables and directives look right: bullets, numbered lists (1, a, i, I), definition, field and option lists, grid tables with row and column spans, simple tables, csv-table and list-table, admonitions, footnotes, citations and substitutions.
Sphinx files do not break it. toctree, automodule and other Sphinx directives show as labelled boxes, and roles such as :ref:, :doc: and :py:func: show as links or code, never as an error page.

A Sphinx page with toctree, autodoc and a function signature in RST Preview, light theme

What it does

Live preview that updates while you type and scrolls with the editor (both ways). Double-click the preview to jump to that line.
Problems panel: a title underline that is too short, a link to a missing target, a broken table. The preview keeps the last good render when something goes wrong.
Code blocks in color (code-block, sourcecode, literalinclude, doctest), with :linenos:, :emphasize-lines: and :caption:.
Math with KaTeX: the math directive and the :math: role.
Local pictures (image, figure, |name| image::), include of local files, contents, sectnum, topic, sidebar, rubric, epigraph, parsed-literal, line-block, raw:: html (cleaned: no scripts, no event handlers).
Outline: the sections of the file in a side list, in the VS Code Outline view and in the breadcrumbs.
Two looks: the colors of your VS Code theme, or the GitHub README look (light and dark).
Export HTML: one file with the pictures, math fonts and code colors inside. It opens in any browser with no network.

Typing in the editor: the preview updates and a too short title underline shows in the Problems panel

A grid table with row and column spans, a simple table, list-table and csv-table, light theme

$Math with KaTeX: inline, display and a broken formula shown in red$

How to use

Open a .rst file.
Click the preview button at the top right of the editor, or press Ctrl+K V (Cmd+K V on a Mac). Ctrl+Shift+V opens the preview in place of the editor.
Use the Outline, VS Code / GitHub, Export HTML and Source buttons in the preview toolbar.

Large files and safety

Files up to 20 MB render at once (setting rstPreview.maxFileMB). A larger file shows a message and a Render anyway button instead of a frozen window. Only the changed parts of the page are redrawn while you type.
The preview loads nothing from the network: remote pictures (for example badges) show as a small label. Links open in your browser only when you click them.
include, literalinclude, csv-table :file: and pictures are read only from inside your workspace folder. A path such as /etc/passwd or ../../.. is refused, include cycles stop, and nesting stops after 5 levels.

A 2 MB file with 5,000 sections rendered in about 2 seconds

Includes of /etc/passwd, ../ paths and an include cycle are refused with a clear note

Settings

Setting	Default	What it does
`rstPreview.style`	`vscode`	`vscode` or `github` look
`rstPreview.scrollSync`	`true`	Scroll the preview and the editor together
`rstPreview.updateDelayMs`	`250`	Wait after typing before the preview renders again
`rstPreview.maxFileMB`	`20`	Largest file that renders at once
`rstPreview.problems`	`warnings`	`warnings`, `all` or `off` for the Problems panel
`rstPreview.fontSize`	`0`	Font size in pixels (0 = 14 px)
`rstPreview.askForRating`	`true`	One rating request after a few days of use
`rstPreview.showSupportLinks`	`true`	Small Sponsor and More free viewers links at the bottom

Limits

RST Preview is not Sphinx. It does not run conf.py, extensions or autodoc, so text that Sphinx makes from Python code is not shown, and :ref: to a label in another file shows as plain text.
raw content other than HTML (LaTeX and so on) is not shown. :file: and :url: options of raw and csv-table :url: are not read.
Some rare docutils features are missing: header and footer, the special layout of bibliographic fields (:Address: and others show as a plain field list), and custom roles beyond .. role:: with a class.

Support Zovo

Zovo extensions are free, with no ads and no tracking. They are made by theluckystrike on GitHub. If this one saves you time, you can support the work:

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