Markdown in Apple Notes (and the iPad breakthrough)
Apple Notes still lacks native markdown on the Mac — ProNotes fixes it — while iPad Notes finally added markdown import and export. The full Apple-and-markdown saga.
Markdown in Apple Notes 🍎
Apple is the great markdown holdout (Apple always have to do things their way). Here's the state of play, desktop and iPad, and the workarounds.
On the Mac
Apple Notes still does not support markdown natively on the Mac. Typing ## My Title gives you just that: no nice conversion to a heading.
However, there is a solution, at least on desktop, in the form of the free plugin / app ProNotes.app: https://pronotes.app/
You just need to submit your email and you'll be emailed a download link.
Pricing: free 🎉 with a paid premium version
The basic version including all the markdown features is free 🎉
If you want more features e.g. AI support or just want to support the app you can subscribe for 💰 $7.99 a month
On the iPad: the wall cracks
Latest releaase of iPadOS adds markdown import/export to Notes
Notes adds the ability to import and export a note into a markdown file, along with support for capturing conversations in the Phone app as audio recordings with transcriptions.
The takeaway
Notes trapped in Apple Notes are exactly the situation this site exists to prevent. If your notes matter, keep them in markdown files you own — and if they're currently stuck in Notes, the iPad export route (or ProNotes on Mac) is your way out.
More apps: markdown everywhere 🌍
