Hashdraft

A fast, focused Markdown reader and editor for Windows.

Open a Markdown file, read it in a clean document view, edit the source, and see the result without leaving the window. Hashdraft works locally, starts quickly, and does not require an account, a browser, or any extra libraries.

Download the latest release

Read, write, and preview in one place

Hashdraft keeps the source and the finished document close together. Switch modes at any time:

Mode	Best for
Edit	Writing Markdown with syntax highlighting and formatting shortcuts
Preview	Distraction-free reading, printing, and checking the final layout
Split	Editing the source and watching the rendered document update beside it

Scrolling stays synchronized in Split mode, so both sides remain at the same part of the document.

Everything you need for everyday Markdown

Write comfortably

• Clear syntax highlighting for Markdown and fenced code blocks
• Optional line numbers and a live line, word, and character count
• Find and replace, go to line, and a recent-files list
• Shortcuts for bold, italic, links, inline code, lists, and indentation
• Automatic continuation of numbered, bulleted, and task lists
• Drag and drop for opening documents
• A document outline for jumping between headings

You can also select text in Preview and use the floating toolbar to apply common formatting without hunting for the matching source line.

Read the finished document

Hashdraft renders Markdown as a native document rather than as a web page. It supports:

• Headings, emphasis, blockquotes, horizontal rules, and nested lists
• Tables and clickable task-list checkboxes
• Links, automatic links, in-document anchors, and [[wiki links]]
• Syntax-highlighted code blocks with Copy buttons
• Footnotes and YAML front matter
• Local images and useful context actions for rendered images
• Inline and display LaTeX math
• Common HTML formatting mixed into Markdown

Preview includes zoom controls, full-screen reading, light and dark themes, and an optional table of contents that tracks the current section.

Share the result

• Export the rendered document to PDF
• Export a standalone HTML file with local images embedded
• Print directly from Hashdraft
• Copy a Preview selection—or the whole document—as rich text

Make it yours

Open Settings from the gear button to choose:

• Light or dark theme
• Green, blue, or amber accent
• Serif or sans-serif reading font
• Text size and reading-column width
• Optional editor line numbers
• Hard or standard Markdown line breaks
• Raw HTML and LaTeX math rendering

PT Serif, PT Sans, and JetBrains Mono are included with the application, so documents look consistent without installing fonts separately.

Your work stays on your computer

Hashdraft does not require an account or a cloud service. Your documents are opened and saved locally.

To protect unfinished work, the application creates recovery snapshots for unsaved drafts and offers to restore them after an interrupted session. It also notices when another program changes an open file: clean documents reload automatically, while unsaved edits are protected from accidental overwrites.

Install Hashdraft

1. Download Hashdraft-<version>-win64-setup.exe from the latest release.
2. Run the installer.
3. Open a .md, .markdown, or .txt file from Hashdraft. You can also choose Hashdraft from Open with in File Explorer.

That is all. The installer already contains the required libraries, runtime files, plugins, and fonts. It installs for the current Windows user and does not require administrator rights or an internet connection.

Hashdraft registers itself as an available application for .md and .markdown files, but it does not change your Windows default application without permission. You can uninstall it from Settings → Apps → Installed apps.

Current unsigned builds may trigger a Windows SmartScreen “Unknown publisher” warning. This is a code-signing warning, not a missing dependency.

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+N	New document
Ctrl+O	Open a document
Ctrl+S / Ctrl+Shift+S	Save / Save As
Ctrl+E	Switch between Edit and Preview
Ctrl+F / Ctrl+H	Find / Find and Replace
F3 / Shift+F3	Next / previous match
Ctrl+G	Go to a line
Ctrl+B / Ctrl+I	Bold / italic
Ctrl+Shift+K	Insert a link
Ctrl+Backtick	Toggle inline code
Tab / Shift+Tab	Indent / outdent a list item
Ctrl+Shift+O	Show or hide the document outline
Ctrl++ / Ctrl+- / Ctrl+0	Zoom Preview in / out / reset
F11 / Esc	Enter / leave full-screen reading
Ctrl+P	Print the rendered document
Ctrl+Shift+C	Copy Preview as rich text

System requirements

• Windows 11, 64-bit is the primary supported platform.
• Windows 10 version 1809 or newer, 64-bit is supported on a best-effort basis.
• Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, and 32-bit Windows are not supported.
• Windows on ARM is not currently tested or officially supported.

Current limitations

• Files must contain valid UTF-8 text. Hashdraft reports invalid files instead of silently replacing broken characters.
• Mermaid and other executable diagram formats are not rendered.
• Scripts embedded in HTML are never executed, and complex web-page HTML is outside the scope of the renderer.
• Very large documents remain editable while Preview is being prepared, but the first render of a multi-megabyte file can take a few seconds.