VS Code's Ctrl+Shift+V works.
But you can't keep rendered previews open in separate browser tabs, and you can't view multiple documents side by side without splitting editor windows.
GRSMD (GoodRelax Simple Markdown Renderer & Viewer) is a single index.html file that opens in your browser.
Just drop a .md file onto it or paste with Ctrl+V
— it renders immediately.
- Live: https://goodrelax.github.io/gr-simple-md-renderer/
- Source: https://github.com/GoodRelax/gr-simple-md-renderer
Press [New Tab] for multiple documents.
What it renders
| Feature | Library | Processed locally? |
|---|---|---|
| Markdown | marked.js 17.0.1 | Yes |
| Mermaid diagrams | Mermaid.js 11.12.2 | Yes |
| Syntax highlighting | highlight.js 11.11.1 | Yes |
| LaTeX math | KaTeX 0.16.28 | Yes |
| PlantUML | plantuml.com | Consent required |
All rendering exept for PlantUML happens in your local browser.
No npm. No build. Just load libraries from CDN.
Why it works better than VS Code preview for some workflows
- Multiple tabs — open several documents at once in separate browser tabs
-
Drag and drop — drop
.mdor.txtfiles directly onto the editor or preview area -
Paste —
Ctrl+Vdrops Markdown straight into the editor - New Tab button — clones the renderer into a fresh browser tab in one click
-
Zoom and pan —
Ctrl+Scrollto zoom any diagram (0.5x to 5.0x), drag to pan, double-click to reset - Scroll preserved — re-rendering does not jump you back to the top
-
Copy diagrams to clipboard — press
[Copy SVG]/[Copy PNG]and paste it into PowerPoint etc.
Privacy model
Nothing leaves your browser unless you allow it.
Here's how the security model works:
PlantUML is the only exception — it requires the official PlantUML server to render.
A confirmation dialog appears before any data is sent.
Cancel it and everything else renders fine.
Special tip
Long press the [?] button to improve your productivity with AI.
Try it
- Live: https://goodrelax.github.io/gr-simple-md-renderer/
- Quick sample: https://goodrelax.github.io/gr-simple-md-renderer/sample-data.txt
- Full sample (Mermaid + PlantUML + LaTeX): https://goodrelax.github.io/gr-simple-md-renderer/sample-data-2.md
Drop one of the sample files onto the live page.
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