Frequently Asked Questions

General

Mermaid Syntax
Mermaid lets you create diagrams and visualizations using text and code. To learn more about the Mermaid syntax, please visit https://markchart.app/syntax.html
System Requirements
MarkChart requires macOS Monterey 12.0 or later.
I have a feature request
If you want to suggest a feature, or have any other question, feel free to reach out to us at support@markchart.app. We would love to hear your ideas!
I have a bug report
If you found a bug in MarkChart, please reach out to us at support@markchart.app. We will make sure to address these issues in future releases.
How do I support the app?
The easiest way to support MarkChart is to purchase the In-App purchase within the app itself. It will remove some limitations. If you like using MarkChart, take a minute and leave a review on the App Store. That helps a ton!
Which file extensions are supported by MarkChart?
You can open .md, .markdown, .txt, .mdown, .mkdn, .mkd, .mkx, .mdwn, .mermaid, .mmd

Command Line

How to enable the command line?

Go in the Command Line tab of the preferences of MarkChart. Then follow the steps to enable the command line:

  1. Grant access to the command line tool.
  2. Run in the Terminal /Applications/MarkChart.app/Contents/MacOS/CLI/markchart
  3. Optionally create for convenience a symlink with the command cd /usr/local/bin && sudo ln -s /Applications/MarkChart.app/Contents/MacOS/CLI/markchart
Why do I need to grant access for the command line?
MarkChart is distributed on the Mac App Store and is a sandboxed application with restricted access to the files. For the command line tool to be able to access files, you need to explicitly select a folder.
How to use the command line?
If you create the symlink for convenience, you just need to run the command markchart in a Terminal window. The MarkChart command takes a Markdown file as input and generates an PNG file as output.
Examples
Export the diagram from file.md to file.png:
markchart -i /Users/me/Desktop/file.md -o /Users/me/Desktop/file.png
markchart -i ~/Desktop/file.md
markchart -i ~/Desktop/file.md -o ~/Desktop/file.png

Export the diagram from file.md to the folder ‘folder’:
markchart -i /Users/me/Desktop/file.md -o /Users/me/Desktop/folder/

Export the diagram to PDF:
markchart -i /Users/me/Desktop/file.md -f pdf -o /Users/me/Desktop/file.pdf

Export the diagram to SVG:
markchart -i /Users/me/Desktop/file.md -f svg -o /Users/me/Desktop/file.svg

Export the diagram by adjusting the margins:
markchart -i /Users/me/Desktop/file.md -o /Users/me/Desktop/folder/ -margin-left 30 -margin-top 30 -margin-right 30 -margin-bottom 20

Pricing & License

Is there a demo version?
MarkChart can be downloaded for free on the Mac App Store. An optional In-App purchase unlocks a range of advanced features.