Markdown Toggle

Quickly switch between Markdown source and preview without leaving your flow.

Markdown Toggle adds a focused toggle experience for .md files in Visual Studio Code using built-in Markdown commands.

Why Markdown Toggle

When writing Markdown, you often jump between editing and reading. Markdown Toggle keeps that interaction fast and predictable:

• One click in the editor title bar to open preview to the side.
• One click again to return focus to the source editor.
• Optional status bar access and keyboard shortcut.
• Optional auto-preview when Markdown files become active.

Features

• Markdown-only activation (onLanguage:markdown) for minimal overhead.
• Editor title action (top right) shown only for Markdown files.
• Status bar action shown only when a Markdown editor is active.
• Internal preview state tracking to keep toggle behavior consistent.
• Built on VS Code native commands:
  • markdown.showPreviewToSide
  • workbench.action.focusActiveEditorGroup

Commands

• Markdown Toggle: Toggle Markdown Preview
  • Command ID: markdownToggle.togglePreview
• Markdown Toggle: Toggle Auto Preview On Open
  • Command ID: markdownToggle.toggleAutoPreviewSetting
• Markdown Toggle: Set Auto Preview On Open...
  • Command ID: markdownToggle.setAutoPreviewOnOpen
• Markdown Toggle: Open Markdown Toggle Settings
  • Command ID: markdownToggle.openSettings

Keyboard Shortcut

• Windows/Linux: Ctrl+Alt+M
• macOS: Cmd+Alt+M

The shortcut is active only when a Markdown text editor is focused.

Configuration

• markdownToggle.autoPreviewOnOpen (default: false)
  • Automatically opens Markdown preview when a Markdown file becomes active.

Usage

1. Open any .md file.
2. Click the title bar toggle, or run Markdown Toggle: Toggle Markdown Preview.
3. Preview opens to the side.
4. Trigger the toggle again to return focus to your source editor.

License

MIT