the only reader you need in 2026
Fold opens PDFs, Word docs, Pages, Markdown, MDX, HTML, JSON and code in one fast, good-looking app. Read it, edit it, save it as whatever you need. Nothing uploads. Ever.
go on. click something.
That's Fold, running right here in your browser. Take the tour, or drop a file of your own on it. It stays on your computer.
works best on a laptop. on a phone you get the tiny version.
your downloads folder is a zoo.
Every file type wants its own app, its own subscription, its own rules. Here's what that costs you, and what Fold does instead.
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01
every file wants its own app.
Word for .docx. Preview for PDFs. Pages for .pages. A code editor for .json. A browser for .html. That's five apps before lunch.
foldone window. every file.
Nine formats, side by side in tabs. ⌘1–9 jumps between them.
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02
no Word? enjoy read-only.
Editing a .docx usually means paying for a subscription you didn't want.
foldedit Word docs. free.
Comments and tracked changes survive the save. It's still a real .docx.
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03
your AI writes markdown. your mac shows asterisks.
ChatGPT and Claude hand you .md and .mdx files. TextEdit shows the raw syntax.
foldrendered properly.
Tables, callouts, wikilinks and MDX components. Code inside an MDX file never runs.
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04
"save as" quietly drops stuff.
Turn a doc into Markdown and the comments just vanish. No warning.
foldfold tells you first.
It counts what won't fit, from your actual file. Then you pick: Cancel, Text Only, or Keep Everything.
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05
converter sites keep a copy.
Changing a file type shouldn't mean uploading a private doc to a stranger's server.
foldit all happens on your machine.
No account. No cloud. Nothing uploads, not even in this demo.
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06
some files watch you back.
HTML can run scripts. One remote image tells a server you opened the file.
foldsealed by default.
Scripts and internet stay off until you say so. Remote images wait for your OK.
honest about what won't fit.
Turning a Word doc into Markdown? Markdown can't hold comments or tracked changes. Most apps drop them without a word. Fold counts them from your actual file, then lets you choose.
- Cancelnever mind.
- Text Onlyjust the new file.
- Keep Everythingthe new file plus your untouched original, zipped together. nothing lost.
A .md file can't hold everything in Launch Plan.docx
These won't come along:
- 3comments
- 5tracked changes
- 2headers and footers
- —fonts, colours and highlights
- —page size, margins and page breaks
Text Only saves Launch Plan.md with the words, headings, lists, tables and links. The things listed above are left out.
Keep Everything saves Launch Plan.zip with Launch Plan.md and your original Launch Plan.docx inside, untouched. Nothing is lost.
Tracked changes come out accepted, so the text reads the way the document reads now.
nine formats. one window.
What Fold opens today, and what it can turn each one into. Click any of them to open a real one in the live demo.
nothing leaves your machine.
Fold is local-first. It opens files from your disk, edits them there and saves them back. No account, no cloud, no sync you didn't ask for. It's careful with what you open, too:
- HTML opens sealed. No scripts, no internet, until you allow them.
- Images from the internet wait for your OK, so nobody learns you opened the file.
- Saves change only what you changed, and your original is backed up first.
free for people. paid for companies.
- every format, every feature
- no account, no ads, no upsell
- Mac now; Windows, Linux, iOS and Android next
- open source
- roll it out to every laptop at once
- single sign-on and admin rules (scripts off, house defaults)
- priority fixes and a licence your legal team likes
want it?
Fold is in preview on the Mac. Leave your email and we'll send exactly one message: when it's ready for you to download.
fair questions.
Is it really free?
Yes. Fold is free for people, for good: every format, every feature, no account. Companies pay for team features and support, and that keeps the lights on.
Mac only?
Mac comes first. Windows, Linux, iOS and Android are in development. Tell us which ones you need when you sign up, and that decides what ships next.
Do my files get uploaded anywhere?
No. Fold opens, edits and saves files on your own computer. There's no account and no cloud. The demo on this page works the same way: everything happens inside your browser.
Can it edit PDFs?
Not yet. Fold reads PDFs, lets you select text, and turns them into Markdown or plain text. Annotations are next.
Will it really open .pages files?
It shows the cover and the text, and can turn them into Word or Markdown. Apple keeps the format closed, so layouts don't come along yet.
What's an .mdx file?
Markdown with components in it, the kind docs sites and AI tools produce. Fold renders the common ones, shows the rest as cards, and never runs the code inside.
Is it open source?
Yes, under the AGPL. The code goes public with the first release, and contributions are welcome.