Yes, v0.1.2 is free and open source (MIT). It runs entirely in your browser with no account and no server component. RESEARCH.md describes what paid features might look like later.

FREE · OFFLINE · INSTALLABLE · MIT

Markdown, opened right — in English or Arabic, on your laptop or your phone.

Waraq (ورق, "paper") is a free Markdown viewer and editor for Windows and Android that opens .md files offline, needs no account, and automatically renders Arabic and English text in the correct direction (RTL/LTR) — even mixed in the same document. It installs like an app and can become the thing your device opens .md files with, instead of Notepad, a blank tab, or nothing at all.

Direct answer: Waraq is a free, installable, offline web app (PWA) — the closest thing to a default Markdown app for Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS today. Install it once from your browser, then it can open .md/.markdown/.mdx/.txt/.json/.yaml/.log files you double-click on those desktop platforms (real OS-level "Open with"/default-app registration), render Mermaid diagrams and KaTeX math, and automatically get Arabic and English paragraphs — even mixed in one document — reading the right direction. On Android, the file-manager "Open with" registration isn't available yet (Chrome doesn't implement that part of the standard there); install Waraq and use any app's Share button instead — that works today. It is also a good way to read an agent's AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md or README.md on your phone. No account, no upload, no payment. Full, sourced platform-by-platform details: capability matrix below.

Open the app How to set it as default

Works offline after the first visit. Nothing you open is ever uploaded.

Built for files agents and people both produce

Mermaid & KaTeX

Fenced ```mermaid diagrams and $math$ render inline — loaded only when a document actually uses them, so plain notes stay fast.

Tables, task lists, front matter

GitHub-flavored tables and - [ ] task lists render natively; YAML front matter shows as a collapsible metadata card, not a stray code block.

Automatic Arabic/English direction

Every paragraph, heading, list item and table cell gets its own reading direction from the browser's Unicode bidi algorithm — no manual RTL toggle, no whole-document setting.

Large files stay smooth

Big reports and logs are rendered section by section as you scroll, instead of freezing the tab on open.

Edit and save back

On Chromium browsers, Waraq writes straight back to the same file via the File System Access API — no download-and-replace dance.

Never leaves your device

No server, no account, no telemetry. Files are read, rendered and saved locally; exporting standalone HTML inlines everything into one file.

Make Waraq your default `.md` app

Open the Waraq app in Edge or Chrome.
Click the install icon in the address bar (or menu ⋯ → Apps → Install this site as an app).
Right-click any .md file → Open with → choose Waraq → check Always use this app.
Or: Settings → Apps → Default apps, search .md, and pick Waraq there.

Windows ships Notepad as the out-of-the-box default for .md; this replaces that association with Waraq, for your account only.

Open the Waraq app in Chrome on your phone.
Tap the ⋮ menu → Install app (or "Add to Home screen").
In any app, use Share → Waraq to open a .md file in it.

Honest limit: unlike Windows/ChromeOS, Chrome on Android does not implement the File Handling API that lets an installed app register for a file manager's "Open with" list (confirmed against Chrome's own developer documentation and current browser-compatibility data) — so a file manager cannot offer Waraq as a default .md handler today. Sharing a file to Waraq from another app's Share sheet does work, using the separate Web Share Target API, which Chrome on Android has supported since Chrome 76. See the capability matrix for every platform and browser.

Open the Waraq app in Chrome.
Install it from the address bar's install icon.
In the Files app, right-click a .md file → Open with → Waraq.

Safari (macOS/iOS) and Firefox do not yet implement the File Handling API, so Waraq cannot be registered as the OS-level default .md app there. It still works fully as a web app: open the app, then use Open file, drag-and-drop, or paste. On a Mac using Chrome or Edge, you get the same installable-app experience as Windows above.

How it compares

Tool	Price	Installable default `.md` app	Mermaid + math	Auto Arabic/English direction
Waraq	Free	Yes — Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS. Android: no file-association yet, but "Share to Waraq" works (full matrix)	Yes, both	Yes, per paragraph
Typora	$14.99	No	Mermaid via plugin	Not documented
Obsidian	Free (paid sync)	No (vault app, not a file handler)	Yes, both	Native per-line since v1.6 — good, but a heavy app to open just to read one file
Markor (Android)	Free	Android only	No Mermaid	Not documented
Windows Notepad	Built in	The default today, by accident	No	No

Full sourcing and methodology: RESEARCH.md.

Capability matrix: what actually works, where

Three different web standards decide what "default app" means per platform, and no browser implements all three everywhere. This table states exactly which one applies, sourced against each engine's own current compatibility data — not a marketing claim.

Platform	Browser	Install as app	File-association "Open with"	Share to Waraq	Offline
Windows	Chrome / Edge	Yes	Yes	Yes (installed app)	Yes
Windows	Firefox (143+, Sept 2025)	Yes — taskbar pin only; not for Firefox installed from the Microsoft Store	No	No	Yes
macOS	Chrome / Edge	Yes	Yes	Not documented	Yes
macOS	Safari 17+ (macOS Sonoma and later)	Yes — Add to Dock	No	No	Yes
macOS / Linux	Firefox	No	No	No	Yes
Linux	Chrome / Edge	Yes	Yes	Not documented	Yes
ChromeOS	Chrome	Yes	Yes	Yes (installed app)	Yes
Android	Chrome	Yes — WebAPK	No	Yes	Yes
Android	Firefox	Yes — basic install	No	No (parses, no effect)	Yes
Android	Samsung Internet	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
iOS / iPadOS	Safari (any browser — all use WebKit)	Yes — Add to Home Screen, manual via Share sheet	No	No	Yes*

"File-association 'Open with'" is the Web App Manifest file_handlers member: it registers an installed app as an OS-level default-app candidate for a file type. It is implemented only in Chromium (Chrome/Edge) on desktop operating systems — Chrome/Edge's own developer documentation states this is desktop-only, and current browser-compatibility data lists Chrome for Android, Firefox (every platform) and Safari (every platform) as not supporting it. Safari's Add to Dock needs Safari 17 on macOS Sonoma or later. "Share to Waraq" is the separate Web Share Target API (a share-sheet entry, not a file association): Chrome has supported it since Chrome 76 on Android and Chrome 89 on ChromeOS and Windows (the two desktop systems Chrome's release post names; Microsoft documents it for installed Edge apps on Windows). No source we found names macOS or Linux, so those cells say "Not documented"; Firefox's manifest parser accepts the field but Firefox documents it as having no effect; Safari does not implement it on any platform. Offline (a working app with no network) uses Service Workers, which every browser row above supports — including iOS Safari since Safari 11.1. *iOS note: Safari can reclaim an installed web app's offline storage after a long period of inactivity; reopening the app while online refreshes it.

Checked against MDN's browser-compat-data (file_handlers, share_target, ServiceWorkerContainer), Chrome/Edge's own file-handling developer docs, Chrome's Chrome 89 release post, Microsoft's Edge share-target docs, MDN's PWA install guide, and Mozilla's Firefox 143 release notes, on 4 October 2026.

الدعم العربي

ورق تطبيق مجاني مفتوح المصدر لقراءة وتحرير ملفات ماركداون، يعمل دون اتصال بعد أول زيارة، ولا يرفع ملفاتك إلى أي خادم. كل فقرة وعنوان وخلية جدول تأخذ اتجاهها التلقائي (عربي أو إنجليزي) حسب محتواها، حتى لو كانت اللغتان في السطر نفسه، بينما تبقى الشيفرة البرمجية من اليسار إلى اليمين. الصفحة الكاملة بالعربي ←

FAQ

How do I make Waraq my default app for .md files on Windows?

Open the Waraq app in Edge or Chrome, install it from the browser's install icon, then right-click any .md file, choose Open with, pick Waraq, and check "Always use this app". You can also set it from Settings → Apps → Default apps by searching .md.

Does Waraq work as the default Markdown app on Android?

Not as an OS-level file association yet: Chrome on Android does not implement the File Handling API that Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS use (confirmed against Chrome's own developer documentation and current browser-compatibility data), so a file manager cannot offer Waraq as a default .md handler there today. What does work on Android: install Waraq from Chrome ("Add to Home screen" / Install app), then share a file to it directly from the share sheet of any app, using the separate Web Share Target API (Chrome has supported this since Chrome 76). See the capability matrix for every platform and browser.

Does Waraq work on iPhone or Safari?

Waraq runs in Safari and you can open or paste files manually, but Apple's WebKit does not support the File Handling API, so Waraq cannot be registered as the default .md app on iOS/iPadOS today.

Does Waraq upload my files anywhere?

No. Waraq reads and writes files on your device using the browser's File System Access API or a local file picker. Nothing is uploaded to render, save, or export a file.

Does Waraq handle Arabic and mixed Arabic/English text?

Yes. Every paragraph, heading, list item and table cell gets automatic direction from the browser's own bidi algorithm, so Arabic and English can sit in the same document, even the same line, and each renders the correct way. One known limit: Mermaid diagram labels in Arabic script may not shape correctly — a Mermaid limitation, not Waraq's bidi handling.

Is Waraq free?

Yes, v0.1.2 is free and open source (MIT). It runs entirely in your browser with no account and no server component. See RESEARCH.md for what paid features might look like later.