If you're looking for a markdown editor for Windows, here are the best free options to consider. We'll start with the top overall choice and work our way down through some of the most popular options.
Nimbalyst is currently the best free markdown editor I've used on Windows. It's AI-native, meaning that it treats markdown as input for code generation rather than just rendering it visually. That means Nimbalyst has all sorts of capabilities that basic markdown renderers don't:
It supports inline diff review
It supports native Claude Code and Codex integration
It maintains context across documents and sessions
It treats markdown as input for code generation
It also has a WYSIWYG interface, which makes it more intuitive to use than editors that only render headings and bold text.
In fact, this qualitative difference between an AI-native markdown editor and a basic markdown renderer is so significant that I'd say Nimbalyst is in a different category from other editors. If you want a markdown editor that can help you write better code, Nimbalyst is the one to get.
VS Code is a great option if you're a developer who already works inside a code editor. VS Code is completely free, but you'll need to install extensions to enable markdown preview and linting. The built-in Git integration is fantastic, and if you're already living in your code editor, there's no reason not to try VS Code.
Note-taking options
Obsidian is a great note-taking app that uses markdown. It's free and locally installed, and available on all popular operating systems including Windows. Its core version is completely free, though you'll have to buy a subscription to unlock its advanced features. Obsidian's PDF export functionality is limited in practice, since the community plugin for PDF preview only partially shows the PDF before it renders. You won't be able to insert smarter page breaks, but there's a workaround: simply crop images to the detail area.
Joplin is another strong alternative to Obsidian. Joplin is great as a note-taking app in Markdown, and it's mentioned alongside Obsidian as a practical alternative.
Free editors for GitHub README writing
When it comes to writing GitHub README files, there are a few good markdown editors for Windows. Here are the free WYSIWYG desktop editors I know of that take a standard approach to displaying markdown:
KeenWrite is a free markdown editor for Windows that supports some non-standard markdown features. KeenWrite has a split editor-and-preview window, which is the layout that we now consider standard.
Zettlr 3.2.0 is a free and open-source markdown editor that doesn't support a traditional split editor/preview for a single document. Zettlr does support split windows for different documents, though.
Texts 1.5 is a freeware markdown editor that doesn't support a traditional split window.
MD Docs is a free portable markdown editor, and takes a different approach by displaying markdown alongside multiple synchronized HTML previews.