Marked 2: Intelligent Real-Time Preview for Markdown and Plain Text

Marked 2 is a professional real-time preview application designed specifically for macOS, serving as a powerful companion for writers using Markdown and other plain text markup languages. It allows you to write in your favorite text editor while instantly and automatically displaying beautifully formatted previews in Marked 2. This complete separation of writing from formatting enables you to focus purely on content creation.

Core Features & Highlights

Intelligent Real-Time Preview Experience

• Ultra-Fast Auto-Update: Regardless of the text editor you use (e.g., Ulysses, VS Code, BBEdit), Marked 2 instantly detects changes and updates the preview window whenever you save a file.
• Automatic Scroll Synchronization: The preview window automatically scrolls to your current editing position in the editor, so your eyes never need to leave your writing window.
• Powerful File Tracking: Supports tracking not only individual files, but also external files referenced via special syntax or supported book formats. You can even drag an entire folder onto the Marked 2 icon—it will automatically display the most recently edited Markdown or HTML file within that folder, and update dynamically as you switch between files. Whether you're working with scattered notes or structured book projects (with nested folders), it’s fully supported.

Exceptional Format Compatibility & Flexibility

• Native Multi-Format Support: Goes beyond standard Markdown. Marked 2 includes the latest version of MultiMarkdown and supports switching to Discount for rendering. It automatically normalizes most syntax differences, providing out-of-the-box compatibility for 90% of use cases.
• Extensive Ecosystem Integration: Fully supports Fountain (screenwriting format), CriticMarkup (annotation syntax), MathJax (mathematical formulas), syntax highlighting, and seamless integration with writing/publishing tools like Scrivener, MarsEdit, and VoodooPad.
• Customizable Processing Pipeline: For the remaining 10% of specialized needs, Marked 2 offers pre- and post-processors, allowing you to use custom scripts or other processors to achieve precisely the output you want.

Robust Document Processing & Output Capabilities

• Rich Styling & Export Options: Offers multiple built-in elegant document style themes, and allows full customization via CSS to create personal themes. One-click export to beautifully formatted HTML, PDF, and Word (.docx) files.
• Live Style Preview: When editing CSS stylesheets for Marked 2 themes or other web design projects, Marked 2 provides “live” updates — the preview refreshes instantly every time you save your stylesheet, without needing manual refreshes.
• Dynamic Asset Refresh: If images embedded in your document are modified, Marked 2 automatically refreshes the preview to ensure what you see is exactly what you get.

Smart Tools Designed for Professional Writing

• Link Toolbox: With a long press on any link, you can quickly copy, validate, or open links directly within your document, ensuring content accuracy.
• Advanced Document Statistics: Provides in-depth writing statistics far beyond word and character counts, helping you analyze your progress.
• Interactive Table of Contents: Automatically generates a clickable table of contents for easy navigation in long documents.
• Keyboard Navigation: Full keyboard control support enhances efficiency during both writing and previewing.

Key Advantages

1. Focus on Writing: Let Marked 2 handle formatting rendering. Write in your familiar plain text environment, free from layout distractions—achieving true “write what you think.”
2. Workflow Freedom: Doesn’t force you to switch editors. Marked 2 acts as an independent previewer, integrating seamlessly with any existing text editing tool and fitting naturally into your personal workflow.
3. All-in-One Solution: Whether writing blogs, books, technical reports, screenplays, or editing GitHub READMEs, Marked 2’s powerful preview, review, and export capabilities meet your needs—it’s the writer’s Swiss Army knife.
4. Smart & Effortless: From file tracking and scroll syncing to dynamic asset refresh, every feature is designed to automate tedious preview tasks, making the writing process smoother and more efficient.
5. Highly Customizable: From rendering engines and style themes to processing scripts, Marked 2 offers extensive customization options, ensuring advanced users can tailor it precisely to their requirements.

In short, Marked 2 is more than just a previewer—it’s an intelligent enhancement tool for writers who value efficiency and elegance. By decoupling editing from previewing and empowering it with powerful automation and compatibility, Marked 2 serves as the most solid and intelligent bridge connecting the world of plain text writing with beautifully formatted final outputs.