A cosy desktop reader for Markdown, PDF and Word.
I built this for myself: a quiet place to read my notes and pick up where I left off. If it helps you too, you're welcome to use it, share it or improve it.
v1.2.1 · 16 languages · GNU GPLv3+ · No accounts or cloud sync.
Download for Windows · Version history · Report a bug
- Opens
.md,.markdown,.mdown,.pdfand.docx. - Keeps history, pinned documents, draggable tabs and document groups called spaces. Collapse the library sidebar with the button beside the Library tab.
- Remembers your reading position, optionally; manual bookmarks work either way.
- Renders tables, code, images, footnotes, KaTeX formulas and Mermaid diagrams.
- Copies code with one click; selects whole lines from the right margin in Markdown/DOCX.
- Offers six themes, custom colours, fonts, spacing and 8–40 px text. Reset without losing your library.
Your library stays on your computer. Removing a history entry never deletes the original file.
Screenshots show v1.2.0, with an English interface and demo documents.
Download the installer, run it and choose your language. Prefer no installation? Use the portable EXE.
Windows x64 is tested. Builds are unsigned, so Windows may show a warning. SHA256 checksums are included. The installer offers 15 languages; all 16, including Bengali, are available in Settings. Updates preserve your preferences.
No prebuilt releases yet. With Git and Node.js 24+, run from source:
git clone https://github.com/AlexiAxAxA/md-hawk.git
cd md-hawk
npm ci
npm run devTo create a package, build on the corresponding OS:
| Platform | Command | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | npm run dist:win |
Installer + portable EXE |
| Linux | npm run dist:linux |
AppImage + DEB |
| macOS | npm run dist:mac |
DMG |
Packaging is configured for all three platforms; Linux/macOS builds and launches are not yet verified. Run npm run licenses before packaging after changing dependencies. Outputs go into release/.
Ctrl / Cmd + O: open · F: find · D: bookmark · W: close tab · ,: settings.
Drag a file into the window to open it. Select another language in Settings. Regular launches show the library; opening a file through the system goes straight to that document.
This is a reader: no editing, export, sync or automatic updates. Old .doc files need conversion to .docx; Word layout may differ. PDF bookmarks save the page; password entry and OCR are not supported. Translations haven't been reviewed by native speakers yet.
Validation for v1.2.0: 18 logic tests, 15 installed-Windows UI tests and a portable launch check passed. Run npm test, npm run build and npm run test:e2e locally. Detailed project docs are currently in Russian.
Copyright 2026 MD Hawk contributors. Free software under GNU GPL version 3 or later, without warranty. Dependencies retain their own licenses; see third-party notices.
Made for my own reading habit. Shared for yours. 🦅