MDTree

A lightweight, multi-root Markdown note app for Windows.

MDTree treats a set of local folders as your notebook. Open one or more directories as workspaces, browse and edit .md files in a tabbed editor, and switch freely between raw Markdown, a rendered preview, and a live side-by-side view — all while your notes stay as plain .md files on disk.

Features

• Tiny footprint — a single portable .exe, about 3.9 MB, no installer and no background services. Copy it anywhere and run it.

• Multi-root workspaces — add, remove, and reorder any number of local folders in the sidebar; each is an independent root with its own resizable, collapsible tree.

• Markdown editor with three view modes, toggled from the toolbar:

  • Edit — raw Markdown with syntax-aware coloring.
  • Preview — the rendered document (read-only), with syntax-highlighted fenced code blocks.
  • Side-by-side — editor and live preview in two independently scrolling panes.

  The selected view mode is remembered across documents and app restarts.

• Full formatting toolbar — headings, bold/italic/strikethrough, inline code, bullet/numbered/check lists, blockquote, links, images, tables, fenced code blocks, horizontal rules, plus a Save button that reflects the unsaved state.

• Images — several ways to add them, all rendered inline in the preview:

  • Paste an image from the clipboard — it's saved into an assets/ folder next to the document and inserted as ![](assets/…).
  • Drag & drop an image file onto the editor — it's referenced in place (relative path) at the drop location, without copying.
  • Insert from the toolbar — pick a local image file to reference.

• Syntax highlighting — fenced code blocks are highlighted in the preview.

• File management — create, rename, and delete files/folders from the sidebar (right-click or the toolbar icons); deletions go to the Recycle Bin, not permanent removal.

• Drag and drop — drop a folder onto the sidebar to add it as a workspace, drop a .md file anywhere to open it, and drag files between folders in the tree to move them.

• Tabs — open multiple files at once, with unsaved-change indicators, middle-click (or ×) to close, and a confirmation prompt before closing a tab with unsaved edits.

• Manual save (Ctrl+S) — no silent autosave; you control when changes hit disk.

• Workspace search — full-text search across every open workspace, with results that jump straight to the matching line.

• Folder filtering — the tree hides folders that contain no Markdown files by default (toggle "show all folders" in the sidebar menu).

• Customizable — set a custom font family and size from the Settings dialog.

• Portable settings — your session (open tabs, workspaces, layout) and preferences are saved right next to the .exe, so they travel with it.

• Dark theme — MDTree is dark-mode only by design.

Download

MDTree ships as a single portable executable — no installation, no admin rights, no bundled runtime bloat.

git clone https://github.com/kuimoani/mdtree.git
cd mdtree
pnpm install
pnpm run build

The finished executable is written to src-tauri/target/release/mdtree.exe. Copy it wherever you like and run it.

Note: this project currently targets Windows only.

License

MIT

Changelog

v0.3.0

• Rebuilt on Tauri v2 in place of Electron — the packaged app shrank from an ~82 MB installer to a ~3.9 MB portable executable, with no separate install step.
• Settings and session are now stored next to the executable by default, so the whole app is self-contained and portable.
• Removed the Undo/Redo toolbar buttons (the usual Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y shortcuts still work).

v0.2.0

• Switched the editor engine to EasyMDE, with syntax highlighting for fenced code blocks.
• Added image support: paste from clipboard, drag & drop, and insert-from-toolbar, all rendered inline in the preview.
• The last-used view mode (edit / preview / side-by-side) is now remembered across restarts.
• Broken preview images now show a clear placeholder instead of rendering nothing.
• Added a Windows zip distribution alongside the installer.

v0.1.0

• Initial release: multi-root workspace sidebar, tabbed editor with a live Markdown preview, table rendering, and manual save with unsaved-change indicators.