To create a .md file, open any plain-text editor, type your Markdown, and save the file with a .md extension, for example README.md. On Windows use Notepad and set Save as type to All files. On Mac, switch TextEdit to plain text first. VS Code, Obsidian, or a single touch or New-Item command also work.
A Markdown file is just plain text with a different extension. There is no special format, no binary header, nothing that requires a dedicated app. The only things that go wrong are the extension (you end up with notes.md.txt) and, occasionally, the text encoding. This guide covers both on every common setup.
What is a .md file, exactly?
A .md file contains plain UTF-8 text that uses Markdown syntax: # for headings, ** for bold, - for list items, and so on. The extension tells tools like GitHub, VS Code and static site generators to render the text as formatted content. .markdown is an equivalent extension, but .md is far more common, and GitHub looks for README.md by convention.
Because it is plain text, rich-text editors are the wrong tool. Word, Pages and TextEdit's default mode add formatting data you can't see, which corrupts the file. Stick to editors that save raw characters.
How do you create a Markdown file in Windows?
Notepad
- Open Notepad from the Start menu.
- Type some Markdown, for example
# My Notes. - Click File → Save as.
- In the Save as type dropdown, choose All files (*.*).
- Type the file name with the extension, such as
notes.md, and set Encoding to UTF-8. - Click Save.
Step 4 is the one people miss. With the default Text documents (*.txt) filter, Notepad can add .txt to the end, giving you notes.md.txt. Wrapping the name in quotes, "notes.md", also forces the exact name.
Current Windows 11 Notepad also understands Markdown. Microsoft added lightweight formatting with support for Markdown-style input and files in 2025, and you can switch between the formatted view and the raw syntax from the View menu or the toggle in the status bar (Windows Insider Blog). If you prefer pure plain text, formatting can be turned off in Notepad's settings.
File Explorer
- Right-click inside a folder and choose New → Text Document.
- Rename it from
New Text Document.txttonotes.md. - Confirm the warning about changing the file name extension.
This only works if Windows is showing file extensions. If it isn't, you'll rename the visible part to notes.md while the hidden .txt stays on the end.
How do you show file extensions in Windows?
In Windows 11, open File Explorer and select View → Show → File name extensions. In Windows 10, open the View tab and tick File name extensions in the Show/hide group (Microsoft Support). Do this once and the .md.txt problem becomes obvious whenever it happens.
How do you create a .md file on a Mac?
TextEdit opens in rich-text mode by default, which saves .rtf files. Switch it to plain text:
- Open TextEdit and choose File → New.
- Select Format → Make Plain Text (Shift+Cmd+T).
- Type your Markdown.
- Choose File → Save, name the file
notes.md, and click Save. - If TextEdit asks which extension to use, click Use .md.
Apple documents the same plain-text-then-save flow for HTML files in the TextEdit User Guide. To skip step 2 permanently, open TextEdit → Settings → New Document and select Plain text under Format.
Finder doesn't have a "new file" option, so on a Mac the terminal (below) is often faster.
How do you create a Markdown file in VS Code?
VS Code is what I'd recommend to anyone who will write more than a few Markdown files, because it shows a live preview.
- Press Ctrl+N (Cmd+N on Mac) to open a new untitled file.
- Press Ctrl+S (Cmd+S) and save it as
notes.md. VS Code switches the language mode to Markdown based on the extension. - Open the preview with Ctrl+Shift+V (Cmd+Shift+V), or side by side with Ctrl+K V (Cmd+K V) (VS Code docs).
In the Explorer sidebar you can also click the New File icon and type notes.md directly. VS Code saves in UTF-8 by default, so encoding is never an issue.
How do you create a .md file in Obsidian?
Every note in Obsidian is a .md file in a normal folder on your disk (Obsidian calls that folder a vault).
- Open or create a vault. To use an existing folder, open the vault switcher, choose Manage vaults, and click Open next to Open folder as vault (Obsidian Help).
- Press Ctrl+N (Cmd+N) for a new note.
- Type a title. That title becomes the file name, saved as
Title.md.
Obsidian saves automatically, so there is no save step. Open the folder in File Explorer or Finder and you'll see the .md files sitting there, readable by any other editor.
How do you create a .md file from the command line?
macOS and Linux (Terminal):
touch README.md # empty file
echo "# My Project" > README.md # file with a first heading
Windows PowerShell:
New-Item -Path . -Name "README.md" -ItemType "File" -Value "# My Project"
New-Item is the documented way to create files in PowerShell (Microsoft Learn), and its short alias is ni. Prefer it over echo "# My Project" > README.md in Windows PowerShell 5.1: there, the > operator writes UTF-16LE, while New-Item -Value writes BOM-less UTF-8 (Microsoft Learn). PowerShell 7 writes UTF-8 without a BOM in both cases.
Windows Command Prompt:
type nul > README.md
Which method should you use?
| Method | Best for | Live preview | Extension trap? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notepad (Windows) | One-off files, no installs | Formatted view in current Windows 11 | Yes: choose All files |
| File Explorer rename | Creating a file in a specific folder | No | Yes: show extensions first |
| TextEdit (Mac) | One-off files, no installs | No | Must use Make Plain Text |
| VS Code | Docs, READMEs, regular writing | Yes (Ctrl+Shift+V) | No |
| Obsidian | Notes and personal knowledge bases | Yes (Live Preview) | No |
| Terminal / PowerShell | Developers, scripts, new repos | No | No |
What should go in your first .md file?
Paste this in to check that rendering works:
# My First Markdown File
Some **bold** text, some *italic* text, and a [link](https://www.mdtool.dev).
## A list
- First item
- Second item
## A table
| Name | Value |
|------|-------|
| One | 1 |
If the preview shows a heading, a bulleted list and a small table, your file is set up correctly. The Markdown cheat sheet covers every element, with focused pages on headings and lists. Once you have content, you can open and view it formatted (see How to Open a .md File), or turn it into a shareable document with the Markdown to PDF converter, which runs in your browser and uploads nothing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why does my file end in .md.txt?
Notepad or File Explorer kept the .txt extension, and Windows is hiding it. Turn on View → Show → File name extensions in File Explorer, then rename the file and delete the .txt part. When saving from Notepad, set Save as type to All files (*.*).
Q: Is .md the same as .markdown?
Yes. Both extensions identify Markdown files and editors treat them identically. .md is the common choice, and GitHub's conventions, such as README.md and CONTRIBUTING.md, use it.
Q: Can I create a .md file in Microsoft Word?
Not reliably. Word saves formatted documents, not plain text. Write in a text editor instead, or write in Word and convert the finished .docx with a Word to Markdown converter.
Q: What encoding should a Markdown file use?
UTF-8, ideally without a byte order mark. VS Code, Obsidian, TextEdit plain text and the macOS terminal use UTF-8 already. In Notepad, pick UTF-8 in the Encoding dropdown when saving.
Q: Do I need special software to create Markdown?
No. Any plain-text editor works, including the ones that ship with Windows and macOS. Dedicated editors like VS Code or Obsidian add a live preview, which helps while you learn the syntax.