Math and chemistry, typeset on the phone
Write $…$ for a formula inside a line or $$…$$ for a block. Chemistry formulas with \ce{…} work too. No internet is needed.
Android 1.1.3
Markdown reader and editor for Android
PilcrowMD opens .md files and shows them as clean pages: tables, code, math and diagrams. Edit in the same app. Free, open source, no account.
What PilcrowMD renders
It draws GitHub-flavoured Markdown on your phone, not as raw symbols. These are screenshots of the real app.
Mermaid diagrams, drawn offline
Since version 1.0.15, Mermaid diagrams are drawn on your phone, offline. Tap a diagram to see it full screen.
Code in colour
Fenced code blocks get syntax colours, with a Copy button. Diff blocks are coloured too, and wide tables and code scroll sideways.
Also rendered: task lists, footnotes, callout boxes, collapsible sections, front matter as a field list, emoji shortcodes and pictures stored next to the note.
Read and edit without losing your work
The same app reads and edits: one Read/Edit button switches between the page and a source editor with Markdown colours.
- Saving writes back exactly what you wrote. No silent reformatting, and line endings are kept.
- A failed save never leaves a broken file.
- Files in older text formats are never overwritten. Windows-1252, Latin-1 and UTF-16 files are left as they were.
- A formatting bar above the keyboard that you can turn off, and lists and quotes that continue when you press Enter.
- Search, contents and PDF export. Search highlights every match, the contents drawer jumps to a heading, and PDF export prints code in colour on a light panel.
New in 1.1.3
Version 1.1.3 adds seven app languages, with a language choice in Settings.
- German, French, Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Italian, Ukrainian and Hindi. The translations are AI-drafted; only Italian was checked by a native speaker.
- In Settings, pick one of the 8 languages or follow your phone's language.
- Allow editing now opens the file picker in the file's own folder. Checked on Samsung My Files; other file managers are untested.
- Confirming Reload no longer asks about unsaved changes a second time.
New in 1.1.2
Version 1.1.2 lets you save files that other apps open read-only and lets you fold headings in the Contents panel.
Allow editing for files opened read-only
A file another app opens read-only, for example Samsung My Files, can now be saved in place. Save offers Allow editing: you pick the same file once in Android's file picker, and PilcrowMD saves into it from then on, also after a restart. Save a copy is still there.
Opening the same file again from My Files makes it read-only again until you allow editing once more; Recent keeps the permission.
Fold headings in the Contents panel
In the Contents panel you can fold a heading to hide its sub-headings, or use Collapse all and Expand all. The reading text itself does not fold.
- A * after the file name shows unsaved changes. Save, Undo and Redo are greyed out when there is nothing to save, undo or redo.
- Bold text stands out more in the Dark and AMOLED themes.
- Very long lines no longer freeze the app in reading, in Edit mode, and in code blocks with line wrapping on or off. Tested on a Galaxy S24+ with 1 MB and 5 MB files; a 20 MB file in the editor can still ignore taps for about 40 seconds.
- Copying a very large code block no longer crashes the app. It shows "Too large to copy" instead.
My folders
Add a folder of notes and browse it in My folders. New or changed notes carry a small mark until you open them, and a link between notes opens the other note. Adding or browsing never changes, renames or deletes your files. If a note changes outside PilcrowMD in the first 30 seconds after you open it from My folders, a notice offers to reload it.
Private, offline, no account
The app has no internet permission since version 1.0.15, so it works offline and cannot send anything over the internet. There are no ads, no in-app purchases and no account. Files open from your file manager or another app through Open with and Share.
Open source, and checkable
- The source code is public on GitHub under GPL-3.0-or-later.
- F-Droid rebuilt version 1.0.5 from source and matched the published file byte for byte. How that check was done.
- Install from Google Play or from F-Droid. F-Droid builds on its own schedule, so its copy can be a version behind Google Play.
Questions about PilcrowMD for Android
What is PilcrowMD for Android?
PilcrowMD is a Markdown reader and editor for Android 8.0 or later that draws .md files on your phone as clean pages and lets you edit them in the same app.
Is PilcrowMD for Android free?
Yes, it is free, with no ads, no in-app purchases and no account.
Does it work offline?
Yes, because the app has had no internet permission since version 1.0.15, so it cannot send anything over the internet.
Can I edit a file without losing my work?
Yes, saving writes back exactly what you wrote, and a failed save never leaves a broken file.
Does it render math and Mermaid diagrams?
Yes, it typesets LaTeX math and chemistry formulas, and since version 1.0.15 it draws Mermaid diagrams on your phone, offline.
Where do I get it, and is the source public?
You can install it from Google Play or F-Droid, and the source is public on GitHub under GPL-3.0-or-later; the F-Droid copy can be a version behind Google Play.
Guides for reading Markdown on Android
Short guides, by topic.
Read Markdown the way it was written to look
Free. Open source. No account.
Also on Mac: PilcrowMD for Mac (beta)