.MD File Extension
Markdown Documentation File
| Developer | John Gruber |
| Popularity |
4.0 | 380 Votes |
What is an MD file?
An MD file is a text file created using one of several possible dialects of the Markdown language. It is saved in plain text format but includes inline symbols that define how to format the text (e.g. bold, indentations, headers, table formatting). MD files are designed for authoring plain text documentation that can be easily converted to HTML.
More Information
MD files are not only useful for HTML documentation systems, but also for source code version control. This is because the files can be compared against historical revisions in human-readable text (whereas revisions to binary files cannot be compared easily). Projects created with GitHub, a popular online version control system, often use a file named README.md, which contains the readme for the project.
John Gruber, the developer of Markdown, has created a Perl program for converting Markdown to HTML. The program, called "Markdown," is available on the Daring Fireball website.
NOTE: Markdown files also use the .MARKDOWN extension.
How to open an MD file
You can open and edit an MD file in any text editor, including:
- Microsoft Notepad (Windows)
- Apple TextEdit (Mac)
- Vim (Linux, Mac)
- GitHub Atom (cross-platform)
- Google Chrome Text (Chrome OS)
However, if you intend to edit an MD file, you may want to open it in a Markdown editor. Markdown editors provide editing and review tools that will help you apply Markdown syntax correctly. Some Markdown editors include:
- ghostwriter (Windows, Linux)
- MacDown (Mac)
- Caret (cross-platform)
- StackEdit (Web)
Programs that open MD files
MuseData Musical Score
| Developer | Walter B. Hewlett |
| Popularity |
3.0 | 6 Votes |
An MD file may also be a MuseData musical score. It contains plain text code that represents a piece of music and metadata describing that work. While MD files are no longer widely used, you can still open them with MuseScore and create sheet music from them.
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In 1983, developer Walter B. Hewlett created the MuseData music notation file format to represent the logical content of musical scores in a software-neutral fashion. To do this, Hewlett developed a format that utilized plain text notation to represent the measures, notes, rests, and emphases included in a piece of music. MD files also include a plain text header containing general information about the file, including when the file was created, what musical score, movement, or part it represents, and the instruments used to play it.
As digital music notation developed further, MD files largely became obsolete. However, many MD files are still available online, and you can open them with MuseScore, a free music composition and notation program.
How to open an MD file
You can open an MD file with MuseScore by selecting . If you receive an error message notifying you that your MD file is corrupted. If you do, click . The MD file will then appear in MuseScore as a musical score.
If you need only to see the plain text notation that an MD file contains, you can open it with any text editor, such as Microsoft Notepad, Apple TextEdit, or Github Atom.
How to convert an MD file
MuseScore can convert MD files to several different formats:
- .MSCZ - MuseScore Compressed Score
- .MSCX - MuseScore Music Score
- .MXL - Compressed MusicXML File
- .MUSICXML - MusicXML File
- .MID, .MIDI - MIDI File
- .PDF - Portable Document Format
- .PNG - Portable Network Graphic
- .SVG - Scalable Vector Graphics
- .WAV - WAVE Audio File
- .MP3 - MP3 Audio File
- .FLAC - Free Lossless Audio Codec File
- .OGG - Ogg Vorbis Audio File