Markdown Rendering in Neovim

Neovim can render markdown with formatted tables, headings, and styling - similar to Obsidian's reading mode.

Current Setup: markdown-preview.nvim

What you have installed:

• Plugin: iamcco/markdown-preview.nvim
• Opens rendered markdown in web browser
• Full HTML rendering with live reload

How to use:

vim
:MarkdownPreview

Or use the keybind (in markdown files):

• Press <leader>cp to toggle preview

Pros:

• Full-featured HTML rendering
• Live updates as you type
• Supports complex markdown features
• Renders exactly like published content

Cons:

• Opens in separate browser window (not in-editor)
• Requires switching between editor and browser
• Not ideal for quick table viewing

Better Option: render-markdown.nvim

For Obsidian-like in-editor rendering:

Install MeanderingProgrammer/render-markdown.nvim - renders markdown directly in Neovim buffer:

Features:

• Tables render as formatted tables (like Obsidian)
• Headings display with proper sizing/styling
• Code blocks with syntax highlighting
• Checkboxes render as actual checkboxes
• Conceals markdown syntax characters
• No external browser needed

Installation (LazyVim):

Create ~/.config/nvim/lua/plugins/render-markdown.lua:

lua
return {
  {
    "MeanderingProgrammer/render-markdown.nvim",
    opts = {},
    dependencies = {
      "nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter",
      "nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons",
    },
    ft = { "markdown" },
  },
}

Then restart Neovim or run :Lazy sync

Usage:

• Auto-renders when opening .md files
• Toggle rendering: :RenderMarkdown toggle
• Enable: :RenderMarkdown enable
• Disable: :RenderMarkdown disable

Comparison

Recommended Workflow

Use both plugins for different purposes:

1. Daily editing with render-markdown.nvim:

   • Quick table viewing
   • Formatted headings
   • In-editor rendering
   • No context switching

2. Final preview with markdown-preview.nvim:

   • Check published appearance
   • Verify complex markdown
   • Share preview with others

Example: Table Rendering

Source markdown:

markdown
| Key | Function | Details |
|-----|----------|---------|
| `z` | Zoxide jump | Opens picker |
| `Z` | fzf search | Recursive search |

With render-markdown.nvim (in Neovim buffer):

╭─────┬──────────────┬─────────────────╮
│ Key │ Function     │ Details         │
├─────┼──────────────┼─────────────────┤
│ z   │ Zoxide jump  │ Opens picker    │
│ Z   │ fzf search   │ Recursive search│
╰─────┴──────────────┴─────────────────╯

With markdown-preview.nvim (in browser):

• Full HTML table with CSS styling

Spell Check in Neovim

Hide spelling errors:

1. Disable spell check entirely:

vim
:set nospell

2. Or make it less intrusive in ~/.config/nvim/lua/config/options.lua:

lua
vim.opt.spell = false  -- Disable by default

3. Toggle spell check with keybind:

lua
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>us", function()
  vim.opt.spell = not vim.opt.spell:get()
end, { desc = "Toggle Spelling" })

Quick Setup Script

Add render-markdown.nvim to your LazyVim:

bash
cat > ~/.config/nvim/lua/plugins/render-markdown.lua << 'EOF'
return {
  {
    "MeanderingProgrammer/render-markdown.nvim",
    opts = {
      heading = {
        enabled = true,
        icons = { "󰲡 ", "󰲣 ", "󰲥 ", "󰲧 ", "󰲩 ", "󰲫 " },
      },
      code = {
        enabled = true,
        style = "full",
      },
      bullet = {
        enabled = true,
      },
    },
    dependencies = {
      "nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter",
      "nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons",
    },
    ft = { "markdown" },
  },
}
EOF

Then restart Neovim.

Links

render-markdown.nvim GitHub

• URL: https://github.com/MeanderingProgrammer/render-markdown.nvim↗
• Summary: In-editor markdown rendering for Neovim with table support
• Related: Neovim, LazyVim, Markdown

markdown-preview.nvim GitHub

• URL: https://github.com/iamcco/markdown-preview.nvim↗
• Summary: Browser-based markdown preview with live reload
• Related: Neovim, Markdown