Quick answer: Control-click a Markdown file in Finder, choose Open With, then select Telescopo. To use Telescopo every time, open Get Info, choose Telescopo under Open with, and select Change All.
Open a Markdown File Once
- Locate the
.mdfile in Finder. - Control-click the file and choose Open With.
- Select Telescopo Markdown Studio.
- The file opens directly. There is no project import, vault conversion, or duplicate document.
This changes only the current opening action. macOS keeps the previous default application for the next double-click.
Make Telescopo the Default Markdown App
- Select any Markdown file in Finder and choose File > Get Info.
- Expand Open with and choose Telescopo Markdown Studio.
- Select Change All and confirm the macOS prompt.
- Double-click another
.mdfile to verify the association.
Telescopo also exposes the default-app choice during
onboarding and in Settings. Under the hood, macOS associates the application with the Markdown uniform
type identifier net.daringfireball.markdown.
Primary macOS reference: Apple documents both the one-file and Change All workflows in Choose an app to open a file on Mac. Apple defines Markdown through UTTypeMarkdown.
Choose Reader, Editor, or Split View
Reader
Read the finished document with search, Navigator, themes, reading width, and zoom.
Editor
Work directly in source with formatting, insertion tools, search and replace, and Editor themes.
Split
Keep source and rendered output visible together for technical documents, diagrams, and math.
What Markdown Remains Portable?
Telescopo works with ordinary Markdown rather than a proprietary document database. CommonMark defines the interoperable base syntax; GitHub Flavored Markdown extends it with tables, strikethrough, autolinks, and task lists. Telescopo also renders fenced Mermaid diagrams, bundled KaTeX mathematics, syntax-highlighted code, tables, images, and SVGs.
The same file can remain beside a codebase, move through Git, be edited by a command-line tool, or open in another compatible application. Telescopo adds the native reading, editing, monitoring, and export workspace around that file.
When the File Changes Outside Telescopo
Live Monitoring watches the open file for changes made by AI tools, scripts, and other applications. A clean document can refresh after an external write. When external changes overlap active local edits, Telescopo surfaces a conflict so the user can choose how to proceed instead of silently replacing work.
Troubleshooting
Telescopo is missing from Open With
Open Telescopo once from Applications, return to Finder, and try again. You can also choose Other and locate the application.
Only one Markdown file uses the wrong app
Use Get Info for that file and select Telescopo. Choose Change All only when you want the association applied to every Markdown file.
The document opens but an image is missing
Check that the image path is correct relative to the Markdown file and that Telescopo can access the containing folder.
The file changed while you were editing
Resolve the conflict notice before continuing. Reload external changes only when they should replace the active local version.
