Mahfouz Mahfouz

Home User guidePreview notes in Finder

User guide pages

Preview notes in Finder

Since 0.12.0

Mahfouz for desktop on macOS 12 or later comes with a Quick Look preview. Select a .md file in Finder and press Space to see it rendered as a note. Finder’s preview pane, column view and Spotlight use the same preview.

It works for any Markdown file, inside a vault or not, and doesn’t open the app.

What the preview shows

  • The rendered note, following macOS’s light or dark appearance.
  • The note’s attributes that have a value. Which ones the app shows depends on the note’s database and the vault, which Quick Look, reading one file, can’t see. Since 0.18.0
  • Track changes as the original text, with a count of the pending suggestions.
  • Math, highlighted code blocks, callouts and the table of contents.

Some things it doesn’t show:

  • Images show as a placeholder with the file name.
  • Diagrams and database views show as placeholders.
  • Links aren’t clickable.
  • Task dates and assignees appear as written, not as chips.
  • Encrypted notes show a message instead of their contents.
  • Finder icons don’t show the note’s contents: there are no thumbnails.
  • Large files: a file over 512 KB shows its first 512 KB.

Setting it up

Move Mahfouz to your Applications folder and open it once. macOS finds the preview after that.

If macOS says it can’t check Mahfouz or can’t open it, approve it once in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway. The preview needs that approval too.

When another app’s preview is used

Another app with its own Markdown preview, such as Obsidian, can take over .md files. To use Mahfouz’s, turn off the other app’s preview in the Quick Look list:

  • macOS 15 and later: System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions → Quick Look.
  • macOS 13 and 14: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Extensions → Quick Look.
  • macOS 12: System Preferences → Extensions → Quick Look.

The Open with button

The Open with … button at the top of the preview names your default app for .md files, not the app drawing the preview. To change it, select a .md file in Finder, choose File → Get Info, pick an app under Open with, then click Change All.

If the preview doesn’t appear

Run this in Terminal, then try again:

qlmanage -r

If it still doesn’t appear, log out of macOS and back in.