Markdown InPlace makes Markdown-style code comments easier to read directly in the editor. It styles Markdown syntax in source comments, doc comments, and Markdown files without opening a separate preview pane.
It is built for notes that live next to code: explanations, TODOs, API docs, design notes, and lightweight Markdown where staying in the editor matters more than full Markdown rendering.

What It Does
- Treats code comments as Markdown content across supported languages.
- Styles emphasis, inline code, headings, links, lists, blockquotes, tables, horizontal rules, and fenced code blocks in place.
- Soft-hides Markdown markers such as
**,*,`,~~, and heading#, while showing them on the cursor line for editing. - Lets you turn marker hiding on or off with
markdownInplace.hideMarkers. - Also decorates
.mdfiles whenmarkdownInplace.renderMarkdownFileis enabled. - Opens Markdown links and shows hover previews for images and local Markdown links.
Examples
| Markdown | In-place behavior |
|---|---|
**bold**, *italic*, ~~deleted~~ |
Styled text with markers hidden outside the cursor line |
`code` |
Inline code styling with background |
# Heading |
Larger bold heading text |
[text](./README.md#examples) |
Link styling, navigation, and local section hover |
 |
Inline image marker plus image hover preview |
- [x] item |
Checkbox-style list marker |
> quote |
Blockquote bar |
| Markdown table | Column-aligned display in monospace editors |
| Fenced code block | Code background and syntax highlighting |
Links and Hovers
Links support absolute URLs, mailto:, relative files, and heading anchors such as #section or ./docs.md#section. Heading anchors use GitHub-style slugs.
Hover behavior:
[](./README.md)shows the beginning of the workspace Markdown file.[](./README.md#links-and-hovers)shows the target Markdown section.[](#usage)shows the target section in the current file.shows an image preview.[](./README.md)shows the image preview when hovering the image, and the link preview when hovering the rest of the link text.
Supported Scope
Markdown InPlace intentionally supports a practical Markdown subset for editor decoration. It is not a full CommonMark preview engine.
Not currently supported:
- Reference links such as
[text][ref] - Footnotes
- Bare URL autolinking
- Math rendering
- Mermaid or other diagrams
- Inline HTML rendering
Unsupported syntax is left as plain text.
Settings
Most behavior is controlled through markdownInplace.* settings. Common toggles include:
markdownInplace.enabledmarkdownInplace.hideMarkersmarkdownInplace.renderMarkdownFilemarkdownInplace.renderInlineImagesmarkdownInplace.renderImageHovermarkdownInplace.renderLinkHovermarkdownInplace.renderTablesmarkdownInplace.renderFencedCode
The command palette also includes:
Toggle Markdown InPlaceToggle Marker Hiding (Markdown InPlace)Toggle Markdown File Rendering (Markdown InPlace)
Notes
- Table alignment assumes a monospace editor font.
- The display language follows the editor UI language when available.
License
MIT License. See LICENSE.