No special software needed

Use `.mdz` today

No dedicated .mdz tools exist yet — but you can already open, create, and register the format using software already on your machine.

Opening files

Open a `.mdz` file

A .mdz file is a valid ZIP archive. Any ZIP tool can open it directly — no renaming required.

Quickest method — rename and extract

Rename the file extension from .mdz to .zip, then double-click to open it in your system's built-in ZIP handler. Extract index.md and open it in any text editor or Markdown viewer.

Without renaming

Most ZIP tools can open a .mdz directly by choosing File › Open and selecting "All files" in the file picker, or by dragging the file into the application window.

7-Zip — File › Open archive, or right-click › 7-Zip › Open archive
NanaZip — File › Open archive, or right-click › NanaZip › Open archive
WinRAR — File › Open archive
The Unarchiver (macOS) — drag the file onto the app icon
GNOME Archive Manager / File Roller (Linux) — File › Open

Note: Viewing a file directly inside a ZIP tool lets you read the raw Markdown text, but links to other .md files and embedded assets such as images will not work. For the full document experience, extract the archive first, then open index.md in a Markdown viewer. This is exactly the gap that dedicated .mdz tools would close — a native viewer or editor extension could open the archive and resolve all links and assets transparently. See what the community could build →

File association

Register `.mdz` with your system

Associate the .mdz extension with your preferred ZIP tool so that double-clicking a .mdz file opens it automatically.

Note: With proper ecosystem support — a native shell extension or OS-level preview handler — this manual registration step would be unnecessary. That's one of the first things the community could build →

Option A — Windows built-in ZIP (File Explorer)

Run Command Prompt as Administrator and enter:

Command Prompt (run as Administrator)CMD

assoc .mdz=CompressedFolder

Windows will now treat .mdz files as compressed folders, opening them in File Explorer just like .zip files.

Option B — 7-Zip

If you prefer 7-Zip as your ZIP handler:

Command Prompt (run as Administrator)CMD

assoc .mdz=7-Zip.mdz
ftype 7-Zip.mdz="C:\Program Files\7-Zip\7zFM.exe" "%1"

For NanaZip, use the same pattern with its executable path:

Command Prompt (run as Administrator)CMD

assoc .mdz=NanaZip.mdz
ftype NanaZip.mdz="C:\Program Files\NanaZip\NanaZip.exe" "%1"

Adjust the path if 7-Zip or NanaZip is installed elsewhere.

Option C — Via Settings (no command line)

Right-click any .mdz file in File Explorer
Choose Open with › Choose another app
Select your ZIP tool (or browse to its executable)
Check Always use this app to open .mdz files
Click OK

Option A — Right-click method (no command line)

Right-click (or Control-click) any .mdz file in Finder
Choose Open With › Other…
Navigate to Archive Utility (in /System/Library/CoreServices/Applications/) or The Unarchiver
Check Always Open With
Click Open

Option B — Terminal with duti

Install duti via Homebrew, then run:

TerminalShell

# Install duti if needed
brew install duti

# Associate .mdz with Archive Utility
duti -s com.apple.archiveutility .mdz all

# Or use The Unarchiver instead
duti -s com.macpaw.site.theunarchiver .mdz all

Option A — File manager (no command line)

Right-click any .mdz file in your file manager (Nautilus, Thunar, Dolphin, etc.)
Choose Properties › Open With
Select your archive manager (File Roller, Ark, Engrampa)
Click Set as default

Option B — xdg-mime (command line)

TerminalShell

# First, register .mdz as a ZIP MIME type
echo '[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
MimeType=application/vnd.markdownzip;
NoDisplay=true' | sudo tee /usr/share/mime/packages/mdz.xml > /dev/null

# Associate the MIME type with .mdz extension
echo 'application/vnd.markdownzip=.mdz' >> ~/.local/share/mime/globs2

# Update the MIME database
update-mime-database ~/.local/share/mime

# Set your archive manager as the default (GNOME example)
xdg-mime default org.gnome.FileRoller.desktop application/vnd.markdownzip

# KDE / Ark example
# xdg-mime default org.kde.ark.desktop application/vnd.markdownzip

After running these commands, .mdz files will open in your archive manager when double-clicked.

Reading content

Read and render the Markdown

Once you have extracted an .mdz archive, the contents are plain Markdown files. Any Markdown-aware tool can render them.

Desktop editors

VS Code — open index.md and press Ctrl+Shift+V (Windows/Linux) or ⌘+Shift+V (macOS) to preview
Obsidian — open the extracted folder as a vault
Typora — open index.md directly
Mark Text — open index.md directly

Command line

TerminalShell

# Render to HTML with pandoc
pandoc index.md -o index.html

# Preview in terminal with glow
glow index.md

Online

Paste the contents of index.md into any online Markdown renderer such as Dillinger or Markdown Live Preview.

Creating files

Create a `.mdz` file

See the Quick Start guide on the home page for step-by-step instructions and shell commands for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

The minimum requirement is an index.md inside a ZIP archive with the extension renamed to .mdz. No manifest, no assets folder, no special tooling.

Use .mdz today

Open a .mdz file

Quickest method — rename and extract

Without renaming

Register .mdz with your system

Option A — Windows built-in ZIP (File Explorer)

Option B — 7-Zip

Option C — Via Settings (no command line)

Option A — Right-click method (no command line)

Option B — Terminal with duti

Option A — File manager (no command line)

Option B — xdg-mime (command line)

Read and render the Markdown

Desktop editors

Command line

Online

Create a .mdz file

Want to go further?

Use `.mdz` today

Open a `.mdz` file

Register `.mdz` with your system

Create a `.mdz` file