# Using the Share Extension

Marked includes a macOS Share extension that appears in the system Share menu. Use it to send a file or selected text to Marked without switching apps or copying URLs by hand.

The Share extension is bundled with Marked 3. You do not download or install it separately. It ships with the Direct, Mac App Store, Marked Pro, and Setapp builds.

Contents

- How it works
- Using the Share menu
- Enable the Share extension
- If Marked does not appear in Share
- Tips

## How it works

When you choose Marked from a Share menu, Marked opens immediately. There is no intermediate compose window.

### Share a file

From Finder (or another app that shares files), choose Share → Marked.

Marked receives the file path and opens it with the same `x-marked-3://open` URL handler used elsewhere. The file opens in Marked like a document you dragged to the Dock icon or chose with File Open… (`⌘`+`O`).

Supported inputs include file URLs, local files, and web URLs when the sending app provides them.

### Share selected text

Select text in an app such as TextEdit, Safari, or Mail, then choose Share → Marked.

Marked places the text on the clipboard and opens a transient preview using the `x-marked-3://paste` handler. This is the same kind of unsaved preview you get from File New Clipboard Preview (`⇧`+`⌘`+`V`). You can save it later with File Save Transient Preview.

Plain text, HTML, RTF, and Markdown selections are supported when the source app provides them.

See URL Handler for details on the underlying commands.

## Using the Share menu

### From Finder

1. Right-click a Markdown or text file (or select it and click the Share button in the Finder toolbar).
2. Choose Marked from the Share menu.

If Marked is not visible, see Enable the Share extension below.

### From a text selection

1. Select the text you want to preview.
2. Open the app’s Share menu (menu bar Share item, toolbar Share button, or right-click context menu).
3. Choose Marked.

Marked launches (or comes to the front) with a preview of the shared content.

## Enable the Share extension

Marked must be installed in `/Applications` (or your usual Applications folder) and launched at least once before macOS lists its Share extension.

### Turn on Marked in System Settings

1. Open System Settings.
2. Go to General → Login Items & Extensions (on some macOS versions this appears as Privacy & Security → Extensions).
3. Click Extensions (or the ⓘ button next to Extensions).
4. Select Sharing (or Share).
5. Enable Marked.

### Add Marked to an app’s Share menu

Even when the extension is enabled system-wide, each app lets you choose which Share destinations appear:

1. Open an app that supports Share (Finder and TextEdit are easy tests).
2. Open the Share menu.
3. Choose Edit Extensions… (wording may be More… or Extensions Preferences… on older macOS versions).
4. Under Share, check Marked.
5. Optionally drag Marked higher in the list so it is easier to reach.

Changes apply to that Share menu immediately in most apps.

## If Marked does not appear in Share

> The Share extension first became available in Marked 3.1.9. Make sure you've upgraded to at least that version.

Try these steps in order:

1. Launch Marked once after installing or updating. Quit and reopen Marked if you just upgraded.
2. Confirm the extension is enabled in System Settings as described above.
3. Customize the Share menu in the app you are sharing from. macOS hides infrequently used Share destinations until you enable them.
4. Check for multiple Marked copies. If both a Direct and Mac App Store build are installed, only the copy you are running registers its extension. Remove or rename the copy you are not using, then launch the one you want.
5. Restart the Mac if the extension still does not appear after an update. macOS caches Share extension registration and occasionally needs a restart to refresh it.
6. Reinstall Marked to `/Applications` if you are testing a build copied manually from Xcode or a disk image. The Share extension must be embedded inside the app bundle at `Marked.app/Contents/PlugIns/`.

## Tips

- The Share extension is ideal for quick previews of web snippets, email paragraphs, or notes without creating a file first.
- For whole pages or complex selections from a browser, the browser extensions may give more control (section selection, Markdownify URL, and so on).
- Shared files open as normal Marked documents with file watching enabled. Shared text opens as a transient preview until you save it.

#### Next up: Marked Quick Look ▶

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