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OpenMark 1.3: The Biggest Update Since Launch

OpenMark 1.3 adds an iPhone and iPad app, syntax-highlighted code blocks, custom fonts, reading width control, dark/light mode toggle, Mermaid v11 with Kanban diagrams, writing modes, 4 editor themes, and more. Every feature built from user feedback. $9.99 one-time.

Short answer: OpenMark 1.3 is the biggest update since launch — a new iOS app, syntax-highlighted code blocks, custom fonts, reading width control, dark/light mode toggle, Mermaid v11 with Kanban diagrams, and distraction-free writing modes. Every major feature was built from user feedback.

OpenMark 1.3 is out. This is the first major update since launch, and it's a big one: a native iOS app, syntax-highlighted code blocks, custom fonts, reading width control, a dark/light mode toggle, Mermaid v11 with Kanban diagrams, three writing modes, four editor themes, and a long list of quality-of-life improvements.

Every major feature in this release was built in direct response to user feedback. Here's what's new.

Syntax-Highlighted Code Blocks

The most requested feature. Code blocks in Document view now have full syntax highlighting powered by Highlight.js with GitHub light and dark themes. Over 30 languages are supported — Swift, Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, Rust, SQL, JSON, YAML, and more.

A user left a 3-star review specifically calling out the lack of syntax highlighting. Fair point. Fixed.

Custom Font Picker

Choose any installed font for the editor and reader. This started with a request from a user with dyslexia who needed the Dyslexie font. OpenMark now supports any system font — Dyslexie, OpenDyslexic, JetBrains Mono, whatever you prefer.

The picker shows all installed font families. Your choice applies to both Markdown view and Document view. System Default (SF Mono) remains the default.

Reading Width Control

Adjustable content width in Document view. Four options: Narrow (560px), Default (720px), Wide (900px), or Full (100%). Set it once in Settings and it stays.

iPhone always uses full width regardless of your setting — small screens need every pixel.

Dark/Light/Auto Mode Toggle

Previously, OpenMark was locked to whatever your system appearance was set to. Now you can override it from the View menu. Three options: Auto (follows system), Light, and Dark. Your choice persists across sessions.

Mermaid v11 with Kanban Diagrams

Mermaid.js upgraded from v10 to v11.12.0. The big addition: Kanban board diagrams. A user specifically requested Kanban support, and Mermaid v11 delivers it.

All existing diagram types continue to work — flowcharts, sequence diagrams, Gantt charts, class diagrams, state diagrams, ER diagrams, pie charts, and more.

Find in Document View

⌘F now works in Document view on macOS. Previously, Find only worked in Markdown view — two separate users reported this as missing. Now it works in both views using the native macOS find bar.

YAML Frontmatter Support

Files with YAML frontmatter (--- blocks) now render cleanly. The metadata is stripped from the rendered output, and if the frontmatter contains a title: field, it displays as a heading at the top of the document.

If you write blog posts, documentation, or notes with frontmatter — they look right now.

iOS Companion App

OpenMark is now on iPhone and iPad as a Universal Purchase. One $9.99 purchase gets you the full Mac editor and the iOS app. No subscription. No separate purchase.

The iOS app renders markdown the same way as Mac: Mermaid diagrams inline, LaTeX math via KaTeX, syntax-highlighted code blocks, four themes, interactive checkboxes with haptic feedback. All rendering happens locally — works completely offline.

iPad gets a split view with a table of contents sidebar. iPhone gets tighter margins optimized for small screens. Both get iCloud Drive support, Spotlight indexing, Home Screen Quick Actions, Siri Shortcuts, and dark/light mode.

Writing Modes

Three distraction-free writing modes for macOS:

Focus Mode (⌘⇧F) dims all paragraphs except the one you're editing to 35% opacity. Your attention stays on the current thought.

Typewriter Mode (⌘⌃T) keeps your cursor line vertically centered as you type. The document scrolls to meet you.

Zen Mode (⌘⇧Z) hides the toolbar, sidebar, and status bar. Just you and your text. All keyboard shortcuts still work.

Four Editor Themes

Four themes that apply to both Document view and Markdown view:

  • Default — clean light/dark matching macOS system colors
  • Nord — cool, arctic color palette
  • Solarized Dark — warm, low-contrast dark theme
  • One Dark — the popular Atom/VS Code dark theme

Everything Else

Image paste and drag-and-drop. Press ⌘V to paste screenshots directly into Markdown view, or drag images from Finder. OpenMark saves the image to your document's directory and inserts the markdown syntax.

MDX file support. OpenMark now opens .mdx files (Markdown + JSX, used by Next.js and Docusaurus). Standard markdown renders normally; JSX components display as text.

Move lines (⌥↑ / ⌥↓). Move the current line or selection up and down. Fully undoable.

Tab width customization. Choose 2, 4, or 8 spaces per tab in Settings.

File changed dialog. When another app modifies an open file, the dialog now shows "Load Updated Version" and "Keep Current Version" — much clearer than before. Especially useful if you're editing files with Claude Code or other tools while OpenMark is open.

Bug fixes. Undo (⌘Z) works correctly — the undo history was being silently cleared after every keystroke. iOS horizontal scrolling fixed. Memory leak in WKWebView resolved. Share sheet support on iOS. XSS fix in heading navigation.

Built from Your Feedback

Every major feature in v1.3 came from a real user request:

  • "not having syntax highlighting for code blocks is crazy" → Highlight.js with 30+ languages
  • "support changing the font to a system-defined fixed font... I use the Dyslexie font" → Custom font picker
  • "Find only works in code view mode" → ⌘F in Document view
  • "Add the ability to resize reading width" → Narrow, Default, Wide, Full
  • "Add a dark/light/auto mode toggle" → View menu appearance control
  • "mermaid version 11+ is appreciated (I need Kanban)" → Mermaid v11.12.0
  • "the popup shown in OpenMark is not very intuitive" → Clearer file-changed dialog

If you've sent feedback, filed an issue, or left a review — thank you. This release is yours.

Pricing and Availability

OpenMark 1.3 is available now on the Mac App Store.

$9.99 one-time purchase. Universal Purchase covers macOS, iPhone, and iPad. No subscription. No tiers. You buy it once, you own it forever. Updates are free.

Download OpenMark →