llms.txt
# Glance
> Glance is a native macOS app for reading Markdown files, with a Quick Look extension that renders .md files when you press Space in Finder. Reading is free. Editing the rendered document directly is Glance Pro, a $9.99 one-time license.
## Key facts
- Made by maging.studio. Website: https://glance.md/
- Current version: 0.2.2, a 9.8 MB download from https://glance.md/Glance.dmg
- Requires macOS 14 or later on an Apple Silicon Mac. There is no Intel build, and no Windows or Linux version.
- Pricing: Reading Glance is free with no account and no time limit. Editing is Glance Pro: free for 14 days, then a $9.99 one-time license covering up to three Macs. There is no subscription.
- Renders Markdown natively with Core Text and Core Graphics, not in a web view: tables, syntax-highlighted code blocks, LaTeX math (display blocks and inline $…$), Mermaid diagrams, local and remote images.
- Quick Look extension: select a .md file in Finder and press Space to see it rendered, without opening the app.
- Find, zoom, native tabs, print, and Export as PDF.
- Glance Pro: type into the rendered document instead of raw Markdown, edit tables cell by cell, and open the raw Markdown source in a pane beside the rendered page, with the two scrolling together.
- No account and no analytics in the app. It goes online only to check for updates, to load remote images a document links to, and to activate a Pro license.
- Install: download the DMG from https://glance.md/, or with Homebrew: `brew tap maging-studio/tap`, then `brew trust maging-studio/tap`, then `brew install glance`. Glance is not on the Mac App Store.
- Updates arrive in the app (Sparkle). Release notes: https://glance.md/changelog/
## Not to be confused with
- "Glance – Quick Look Code Files" on the Mac App Store, a different app by a different developer.
- chamburr/glance on GitHub, an all-in-one Quick Look plugin by a different developer.
- samuelmeuli/glance on GitHub, an older Quick Look plugin, archived since November 2020.
## When Glance fits
- Opening a .md file on a Mac just to read it, without importing it into a notes app or picking a vault.
- Previewing Markdown in Finder with Quick Look.
- Reading files left by coding agents and tools: README.md, CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, plans and changelogs.
- Documents with LaTeX math or Mermaid diagrams.
- Small edits made on the rendered page, without switching between a source view and a preview.
## When something else fits better
- An Intel Mac, Windows or Linux: Glance runs only on Apple Silicon Macs.
- Exporting to Word, HTML or ePub, or custom CSS themes: Glance exports PDF only and has one built-in appearance.
- A linked knowledge base with backlinks, graph view and plugins: that is what Obsidian is built for.
## Product
- [Glance. Native macOS markdown viewer](https://glance.md/): Read .md files in real typography, preview them in Finder with Quick Look, and edit the rendered page directly. Mermaid, LaTeX, tables and code drawn natively. Free to read, $9.99 once to edit.
- [Changelog. Glance](https://glance.md/changelog/): Every Glance release in one place. New features, refinements, and fixes.
## Guides
- [Markdown on a Mac: Guides and Comparisons — Glance](https://glance.md/guides/): How to open, preview, and export Markdown on a Mac, how to fix Quick Look when it shows raw text, and how Glance compares with Typora, Obsidian, Marked, and other Markdown apps.
- [Markdown Quick Look for macOS — Glance](https://glance.md/markdown-quick-look-macos/): Add a Markdown Quick Look extension to macOS. Press Space on any .md file in Finder for a rendered preview with tables, code, Mermaid, and LaTeX. Drawn natively, with no browser engine and nothing fetched from a CDN.
- [How to Preview Markdown Files in Finder on macOS — Glance](https://glance.md/preview-markdown-finder/): Preview Markdown in macOS Finder in about a minute. Install Glance, press Space on any .md file, and read the rendered document with tables, code, Mermaid, and math instead of raw source.
- [How to Preview CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md on a Mac — Glance](https://glance.md/preview-agents-md-claude-md/): Read CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md and your agent's plans rendered on a Mac: press Space in Finder for a formatted preview, then open the file to fix a line on the page. Free to read, rendered natively, works offline.
- [Open a Markdown File Without a Vault or Library — Glance](https://glance.md/open-markdown-without-vault/): Open one .md file on its own, the way you open a PDF. Obsidian 1.14 can now open files from outside a vault; Glance opens them with no notes app around them at all. Press Space in Finder to read, Return to edit.
- [Markdown Quick Look Not Working on Mac? How to Fix It — Glance](https://glance.md/markdown-quick-look-not-working/): Space on a .md file shows raw text, a blank panel, or the wrong preview? Each has a specific cause on macOS, from a switched-off extension to an editor that renamed the Markdown file type. Here is how to fix each one.
- [How to Open .md Files on a Mac — Glance](https://glance.md/open-md-file-mac/): A .md file is a Markdown document. Your Mac opens it as raw text; here is how to open it rendered, with headings, tables, and code, and how to make every .md file open that way with a double-click.
- [Markdown to PDF on Mac, With Diagrams and Math Intact — Glance](https://glance.md/markdown-to-pdf-mac/): Turn a .md file into a PDF on your Mac without Pandoc, LaTeX, or a browser: open it in Glance and press Shift-Command-E. Tables, code, Mermaid diagrams, and LaTeX come out as they look on screen, and export is free.
- [Markdown Apps for Mac in 2026, Sorted by Job — Glance](https://glance.md/markdown-editor-mac/): Twenty Mac Markdown apps grouped by what they are actually for: reading a file, writing a document, or keeping a vault of notes. With download sizes measured the same day, so you can compare them honestly.
## Comparisons
- [Obsidian Alternative for Reading Single Files — Glance](https://glance.md/obsidian-alternative/): Glance opens one .md file the way Preview opens a PDF: no vault, no plugins, no setup. It renders in Finder on Space, draws everything natively, and downloads at 9.8 MB against Obsidian's 222.9 MB.
- [Typora Alternative for Mac: Free to Read — Glance](https://glance.md/typora-alternative/): Typora is a $14.99 Markdown writing app with no Quick Look plugin, by its own documentation. Glance reads Markdown free, previews it in Finder on Space, and costs $9.99 once if you want to edit.
- [QLMarkdown Alternative for macOS — Glance](https://glance.md/qlmarkdown-alternative/): A QLMarkdown alternative that draws Markdown natively instead of in a web view, renders math and diagrams offline with nothing to configure, and lets you edit the rendered page.
- [Marked Alternative for macOS — Glance](https://glance.md/marked-alternative/): A Marked alternative that previews Markdown in Finder, prints and exports PDF, and lets you edit the rendered page. Free to read, $9.99 once to edit, with no subscription.
- [MacDown Alternative for Apple Silicon Macs — Glance](https://glance.md/macdown-alternative/): MacDown's last release was January 2020, and Homebrew disabled its cask on 1 September 2026. Glance is a maintained, notarized, Apple Silicon native replacement that renders in Finder and edits the page you are reading.
- [MarkEdit Alternative: Read Markdown Rendered — Glance](https://glance.md/markedit-alternative/): MarkEdit is a Markdown source editor. Glance shows the finished document instead: rendered in Quick Look, drawn natively, exported to PDF, and editable in place, with the source one keystroke away when you want it.
- [MarkText Alternative for macOS — Glance](https://glance.md/marktext-alternative/): MarkText is a free Electron Markdown editor with no Quick Look preview and a 149.2 MB download. Glance renders Markdown in Finder on Space, draws it natively at 9.8 MB, and lets you type on the page.
## About this site
- [Which Glance? The Quick Look Plugin vs the App — Glance](https://glance.md/glance-quick-look-plugin/): Three things in the macOS Quick Look world are called Glance: an archived plugin, its maintained fork, and this app. Here is which is which, and what to do now that Homebrew has disabled the glance-chamburr cask.
- [Privacy. Glance](https://glance.md/privacy/): Glance collects no data. No accounts, no analytics, no telemetry. It goes online only to check for updates, to load images a document links on the web, and, if you buy Pro, to check the license.
- [License Terms & Conditions. Glance](https://glance.md/terms/): What a Glance Pro license buys: a perpetual license for the current version plus a year of updates, on up to three Macs. Viewing stays free forever.
- [Refund Policy. Glance](https://glance.md/refunds/): Fourteen days, no questions asked. How to get a refund on a Glance Pro license, and what happens to your license when you do.
- [Feedback. Glance](https://glance.md/feedback/): Send a bug report, feature request, or note to the Glance maker.
