TUMBLINGCAT / GUIDE

Open, edit, and read Markdown on Windows

TumblingCat is a free, open-source Markdown reader and editor with a portable Windows EXE. Switch between formatted editing, source, and reading views without creating an account.

Updated

Open your first document

  1. Download the Windows EXE from the official website. The current Windows v0.5.5 executable is approximately 6.35 MiB. Keep it in a stable location and double-click it.
  2. Use Open to select a UTF-8 Markdown or text file, or drag a supported file into the window.
  3. TumblingCat needs Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime. Check that runtime if the app does not start. Its size is not included in the EXE download size.

Choose a view for the task

WYSIWYG is for writing while seeing formatting. Source is for editing Markdown syntax. Reader displays the rendered document. Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2, and Ctrl+3 switch between these views.

Adjust font size, line spacing, and document width, or choose black, white, or a soft green theme. Ctrl+F opens find and replace; Ctrl+S saves. The supplied screenshot shows the actual Chinese application interface.

Open .md files from Explorer

  1. Choose More → Add to Open with to register the current executable as an available application.
  2. To make it the default, choose Set as default for .md, then select and confirm TumblingCat in Windows Settings.
  3. If you move or rename the EXE, launch it from the new location and register it again. Windows retains control of the default-app selection.

Save and move your work

Save changes to the original file manually. Up to five recovery drafts are kept in local application data; they are separate from the saved document.

Move a regular Markdown file together with its image folder, or save it as TextPack to carry embedded images in one file. Preferences, recent-document history, and drafts do not travel with the EXE.

Based on the project documentation for Windows v0.5.5 / Android v0.5.2. Documentation

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Markdown guides

How to share Markdown with its images in one file

A Markdown note can lose its pictures when you copy only the .md file. TumblingCat can bundle Markdown and accessible local images into a single TextPack document.

Read Markdown and illustrated notes on Android

TumblingCat for Android opens local Markdown and TextPack notes with embedded images. The current APK supports ARM64 devices running Android 7.0 or later.

What is a TextPack file, and how do you open it?

TextPack stores Markdown and local images in one file. Open .textpack or .md.textpack documents in TumblingCat, or use a ZIP utility to extract the text and attachments.

Markdown images not showing? Check paths, permissions, and URLs

Opening the Markdown text does not guarantee that an app can access its images. First identify local files versus remote URLs, then check paths, permissions, and formats.

Export Markdown to PNG images or copy a selected passage

TumblingCat can export a complete Markdown document to PNG images or copy selected text as an image. Long documents are split into numbered pages, so you do not have to capture each screen manually.

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