Installation

Learn how to install MarkView and set up your development environment

Installation

This guide will walk you through installing MarkView from source. Whether you want to contribute to development or build the application for personal use, you’ll have MarkView up and running in minutes.

Pre-built binaries are not yet available. You’ll need to build MarkView from source following the steps below.

Prerequisites

Before installing MarkView, ensure you have the following tools installed on your system:

Node.js and Bun

1. Install Node.js

   MarkView requires Node.js version 20 or later. Download and install it from the official Node.js website.

   Verify your installation:

   node --version
   # Should output v20.x.x or higher
   
2. Install Bun

   MarkView uses Bun as its package manager and runtime. Install it using the official installer:

   # macOS, Linux, and WSL
   curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash
   

   For Windows (PowerShell):

   powershell -c "irm bun.sh/install.ps1 | iex"
   

   Verify your installation:

   bun --version
   # Should output the installed Bun version
   

Rust and Cargo

1. Install Rust

   Tauri requires Rust version 1.77.2 or later. Install Rust using rustup:

   # macOS, Linux, and WSL
   curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
   

   For Windows, download and run the installer from rustup.rs.

   After installation, you may need to restart your terminal or run source $HOME/.cargo/env to update your PATH.

2. Verify Rust installation

   Confirm Rust and Cargo are installed correctly:

   rustc --version
   # Should output rustc 1.77.2 or higher
   
   cargo --version
   # Should output cargo 1.77.0 or higher
   

Tauri system dependencies

Tauri requires platform-specific system dependencies. Follow the instructions for your operating system:

Linux

1. Debian/Ubuntu

   Install the required dependencies:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev \
     build-essential \
     curl \
     wget \
     file \
     libxdo-dev \
     libssl-dev \
     libayatana-appindicator3-dev \
     librsvg2-dev
   
2. Arch Linux

   Install the required dependencies:

   sudo pacman -Syu
   sudo pacman -S --needed \
     webkit2gtk-4.1 \
     base-devel \
     curl \
     wget \
     file \
     openssl \
     appmenu-gtk-module \
     gtk3 \
     libappindicator-gtk3 \
     librsvg \
     libvips
   
3. Fedora

   Install the required dependencies:

   sudo dnf check-update
   sudo dnf install webkit2gtk4.1-devel \
     openssl-devel \
     curl \
     wget \
     file \
     libappindicator-gtk3-devel \
     librsvg2-devel
   sudo dnf group install "C Development Tools and Libraries"
   

macOS

1. Install Xcode Command Line Tools

   macOS requires Xcode Command Line Tools:

   xcode-select --install
   

   A dialog will appear asking you to install the tools. Click “Install” and follow the prompts.

2. Verify installation

   Confirm the installation:

   xcode-select -p
   # Should output: /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools
   

If you have Xcode installed, the Command Line Tools are already available. No additional setup is needed.

Windows

1. Install Microsoft Visual C++

   Download and install Microsoft Visual Studio C++ Build Tools.

   During installation, make sure to select:

   • “Desktop development with C++”
   • Windows 10 SDK
2. Install WebView2

   Windows 10 version 1803+ and Windows 11 include WebView2 by default.

   For older versions, download and install the WebView2 Runtime.

Make sure to restart your terminal or IDE after installing the Visual C++ Build Tools to ensure the environment variables are updated.

Building MarkView

Now that you have all the prerequisites installed, you’re ready to build MarkView:

1. Clone the repository

   Clone the MarkView repository from GitHub:

   git clone https://github.com/sureshamal/markview.git
   cd markview
   
2. Install dependencies

   Install all Node.js dependencies using Bun:

   bun install
   

   This will download and install all required packages including:

   • Next.js and React
   • Tauri CLI and plugins
   • Markdown processing libraries
   • UI dependencies

   The installation typically takes 1-2 minutes depending on your connection speed.

3. Build the application

   Build the production-ready desktop executable:

   bun run tauri build
   

   This command will:

   1. Build the Next.js frontend with static export
   2. Compile the Rust backend
   3. Package everything into a native desktop application

   The first build will take several minutes as Cargo downloads and compiles all Rust dependencies. Subsequent builds will be much faster.

   The build process displays progress in your terminal:

   Building Next.js application...
   ✓ Compiled successfully
   Building Tauri application...
   Compiling markview v0.1.0
   Finished release [optimized] target(s) in 2m 30s
   
4. Locate the binary

   After the build completes, find your executable in the src-tauri/target/release directory:

   macOS:

   src-tauri/target/release/bundle/macos/MarkView.app
   

   Linux:

   src-tauri/target/release/markview
   # Also available as .deb, .rpm, or .AppImage in bundle/ directory
   

   Windows:

   src-tauri\target\release\markview.exe
   # Also available as .msi installer in bundle\msi\ directory
   
5. Install or run the application

   You can now run the application directly or install it to your system:

   Run directly:

   # macOS
   open src-tauri/target/release/bundle/macos/MarkView.app
   
   # Linux
   ./src-tauri/target/release/markview
   
   # Windows
   .\src-tauri\target\release\markview.exe
   

   Install to system:

   • macOS: Drag MarkView.app to your Applications folder
   • Linux: Install the .deb/.rpm package or copy the binary to /usr/local/bin
   • Windows: Run the .msi installer

Verify installation

Confirm MarkView is working correctly:

1. Launch the application

   Open MarkView from your applications menu or by running the binary from the terminal.

   You should see the MarkView window with an empty state prompting you to load files.

2. Test with a sample file

   Create a test Markdown file:

   echo "# Hello MarkView\n\nThis is a test file." > test.md
   

   Drag and drop test.md into the MarkView window. You should see the rendered content.

3. Verify keyboard shortcuts

   Press Alt+T to open the theme palette and test theme switching.

   If the palette opens and you can switch themes, your installation is complete!

If you encounter any issues during installation, check the Tauri prerequisites documentation for platform-specific troubleshooting.

Next steps

Now that you have MarkView installed, you’re ready to start using it!

Quickstart guide

Learn how to use MarkView effectively

Development setup

Set up your development environment for contributing