Markdown workflow

How to Edit Your Existing .md Files In Place
without importing them into an app

You already have a folder of .md files: notes, AI output, a repo’s docs, something you exported. You just want to edit them where they are. But most note apps make you import first, which copies the files into the app’s library, sometimes converts them, and now you have two copies quietly drifting apart.

Here is how to skip all that and edit your existing files in place, with no import step.

Edit your .md files in place in the browser, nothing imported, nothing uploaded →

The problem with "import first"

A lot of apps and vaults adopt your files. They copy them into a library, may convert them to an app-specific format or add their own metadata, and from then on the app’s copy is the real one while your original folder goes stale. For a folder of external or AI-generated .md, that is friction, and it is a soft kind of lock-in.

Approach What happens to your files
Import-first apps Copy your files into the app’s library, maybe convert them, so the original stops being the source of truth
Editing in place (NoteLoom) Opens and saves the same .md files where they already are, still plain Markdown

Editing in place, no import

NoteLoom mounts your existing folder in the browser and reads and writes the .md files directly. There is no import, no copy into a separate library, and no conversion. You edit the same files that are already on disk, and they stay .md in your folder.

  1. Open app.noteloom.cc in Chrome / Edge / Arc. Nothing to install.
  2. Mount the folder your .md files are already in.
  3. Open a file and edit it. It saves straight back to the same file, still plain Markdown.

It works cleanly in a real folder

Your .md files are usually not alone in a folder. NoteLoom’s file view only shows .md and .markdown files and skips dot-files and dot-folders (like .git or .obsidian), so it stays readable even in a repo or an exported folder full of other things. It edits the notes; it does not reorganize or adopt the folder.

Good places to use it: a folder of AI-generated Markdown, a project’s docs folder, or notes you exported and do not want to re-import anywhere. Since these are just plain, portable .md, editing them in place keeps them that way.

The honest limits

  • It is an editor, not a full PKM. No graph, plugins, remote sync, or database. If you want those, this is not that; it is a light way to edit files in place.
  • It does not generate or rewrite your files. It just opens and edits them.
  • Local and Chromium desktop. Files are read locally in Chrome / Edge / Arc, nothing uploaded, and Firefox, Safari, and mobile are not supported yet.

Related reading

Online Markdown Editor Open a local folder of .md files and read or edit them in the browser. Are your notes locked in? Why editing plain .md in place keeps your notes portable. What is a Markdown file used for? Why a folder of plain .md is worth keeping as the source of truth. Local-first Markdown editor Your files stay on your disk, not in someone else’s library.

FAQ

Can I edit Markdown files without importing them into an app?
Yes. NoteLoom mounts your existing folder in the browser and edits the .md files in place. There is no import step and no copy into a separate library; you edit the files that are already on disk, and they stay where they are.
Does it convert my files to a proprietary format?
No. It reads and writes plain .md. Your files stay Markdown in your own folder; nothing is converted or moved into an app-specific database. What you open is what stays on disk.
Will it reorganize or clutter my folder?
It opens and edits the .md files you edit; it does not import your folder into a library or convert it. Its file view only shows .md and .markdown files and skips dot-files and dot-folders, so it leaves things like a .git or .obsidian folder alone and does not reshuffle your layout.
Can I edit files that are not in a structured vault?
Yes, that is the point. It works on any local folder of .md files, whether that is AI output, a repo’s docs folder, or notes you exported from somewhere else. You do not have to adopt them into a vault first; mount the folder and edit.
Is this a full note-taking app or a replacement for Obsidian or Notion?
No. It reads and edits your .md files in place. It has no graph, plugins, remote sync, or database. It is a lightweight editor for the files you already have, not a full personal knowledge base.
Which browser does it need?
A Chromium-based desktop browser: Chrome, Edge, or Arc. It uses the browser’s File System Access API, which Firefox, Safari, and mobile browsers do not support yet.

Edit your files where they already are

Open NoteLoom in Chrome / Edge / Arc, mount the folder your .md files are already in, and edit them in place, saved straight back as plain Markdown. No import, no conversion, no second copy, and no account.

Open NoteLoom and try it