Live preview

RefreshingCopy Anchor Link

The page follows the buffer, not the file: it updates as you type, before you save. By default it refreshes on every edit and cursor move.

If you work with very large files, you can disable this behaviour. This would make the preview refresh only on save:

opts = { refresh_slow = true }

The page then refreshes when you save, leave insert mode, or stop moving the cursor for 'updatetime' milliseconds.

While you type, the page keeps what you were looking at:

• A Mermaid diagram with a syntax error keeps showing its last good drawing, dimmed, until it is valid again.
• <details> blocks you opened or closed on the page stay that way.

Synchronised scrollingCopy Anchor Link

The page scrolls with the cursor. Choose how with sync_scroll_type:

opts = { preview_options = { sync_scroll_type = "top" } }

Turn it off with preview_options = { disable_sync_scroll = 1 }.

If scrolling lags behind the cursor, lower 'updatetime', see the FAQ.

Opening and closing automaticallyCopy Anchor Link

• auto_start = true opens the preview whenever you enter a markdown buffer.
• auto_close (on by default) closes the page when you leave its buffer for another one. Turn it off to keep previews open while you work in other files.

One page for several buffersCopy Anchor Link

By default each buffer gets its own page. To reuse one page:

opts = {
  combine_preview = true,
  auto_close = false,
}

:MarkdownPreview in another buffer then switches the open page to that buffer. With combine_preview_auto_refresh (on by default), entering a markdown buffer is enough.

The pageCopy Anchor Link

• The header shows the file name. Hide it with preview_options = { disable_filename = 1 }.
• The tab title is page_title, where ${name} is the file name.
• The sun or moon button in the header switches between the light and dark theme.
• The header says "Disconnected" when the page loses its connection to the editor (it reconnects by itself), and "Preview stopped" after :MarkdownPreviewStop.
• preview_options = { content_editable = true } lets you edit the page to try out wording. The edits are not written to the buffer, and the next refresh replaces them.