---
title: Getting Started with Prettify | Prettify Docs
description: Open the Prettify editor, paste or open a file, load a URL, try an
  example, and find the view or tool you need for your data.
url: https://prettify.tools/docs/getting-started
---

[Docs](https://prettify.tools/docs) / Getting started

# Getting started

Last updated: October 29, 2026

Prettify is a viewer and editor for structured data. It handles JSON, YAML, CSV, XML, Mermaid, Markdown, MDX, HTML, and SVG. It runs as a web app and as a desktop app. This page shows how to open the editor, load a document, and find each feature.

Prettify works on your device. Parsing, editing, queries, and conversion run in the browser. Your documents are not uploaded, except when you create a Pro short share link.

## Open the editor

On the web, open [the editor](https://prettify.tools/app/editor). From the home page, select Open app.

On the desktop app, the editor opens when you launch Prettify. See [Desktop app](https://prettify.tools/docs/desktop-app).

The [Dashboard](https://prettify.tools/app) is the start page. It lists your recent documents and a card for each format. See [Tabs and the Dashboard](https://prettify.tools/docs/tabs).

## Load a document

You can load a document in five ways.

### Paste

1. Focus the editor.
2. Press `Cmd+V` (Mac) or `Ctrl+V` (Windows, Linux).
3. The Paste dialog opens and reads your clipboard.

Prettify detects the format and shows the document. If clipboard access is blocked, paste inside the dialog.

You can also select Paste from clipboard on the Dashboard.

### Open a file

1. Select Open file on the Dashboard.
2. Choose a file.

On the desktop app, use the File menu or press `Cmd+O` (Mac) or `Ctrl+O` (Windows, Linux).

Prettify picks the format from the file extension.

### Drop a file

Drag a file onto the editor or the Dashboard. Prettify opens it in the editor.

### Load from URL

1. Press `Cmd+K` (Mac) or `Ctrl+K` (Windows, Linux) to open the Command Palette.
2. Select Fetch URL.
3. Enter the address and confirm.

The response limit is 100 MB. On the web, if the site blocks the request, Prettify asks to use a public proxy before it sends the address. On the desktop app, the request runs locally and refuses private addresses.

Refresh from URL re-fetches the same address. Refresh from URL is Pro.

### Example files

Each format has a built-in example. On the Dashboard, select Example under a format card. Use an example to see the views and tools before you load your own data.

## Format detection

Prettify detects the format from the content and the file extension. It recognizes JSON, JSONL, YAML, CSV and TSV, XML, Mermaid, Markdown, MDX, HTML, and SVG.

JSONL (JSON Lines, also called NDJSON) is detected and shown as JSON. See [JSONL](https://prettify.tools/docs/jsonl).

You can change the format from the sidebar or the Command Palette if the detection is wrong.

## First steps per format

| Format   | Common first view | Guide                      |
| -------- | ----------------- | -------------------------- |
| JSON     | Tree              | [JSON](https://prettify.tools/docs/json)         |
| YAML     | Tree              | [YAML](https://prettify.tools/docs/yaml)         |
| CSV      | Table             | [CSV](https://prettify.tools/docs/csv)           |
| XML      | Tree              | [XML](https://prettify.tools/docs/xml)           |
| Mermaid  | Preview           | [Mermaid](https://prettify.tools/docs/mermaid)   |
| Markdown | Preview           | [Markdown](https://prettify.tools/docs/markdown) |
| MDX      | Preview           | [MDX](https://prettify.tools/docs/mdx)           |
| HTML     | Preview           | [HTML](https://prettify.tools/docs/html)         |
| SVG      | Image             | [SVG](https://prettify.tools/docs/svg)           |

## Free and Pro

Most features are free. These include the Tree, Raw, and Table views, syntax highlighting, validation, [Search and Replace](https://prettify.tools/docs/search-and-replace), [format conversion](https://prettify.tools/docs/conversion), Load from URL, unlimited tabs, and share links up to about 32 KB.

Pro unlocks the query engines ([jq](https://prettify.tools/docs/jq), [SQL](https://prettify.tools/docs/sql), [XPath](https://prettify.tools/docs/xpath)), [JSON Schema validation](https://prettify.tools/docs/json-schema), the [Diagram view](https://prettify.tools/docs/diagram-view), multi-column charts, the [Feed view](https://prettify.tools/docs/rss-feeds), [Diff](https://prettify.tools/docs/diff), [Split view](https://prettify.tools/docs/split-view), and full [History](https://prettify.tools/docs/history). Pro is a one-time purchase. See [Pro](https://prettify.tools/docs/pro).

## More guides

Views and display: [Views](https://prettify.tools/docs/views), [Diagram view](https://prettify.tools/docs/diagram-view), [Chart view](https://prettify.tools/docs/chart-view), [Split view](https://prettify.tools/docs/split-view).

Query and transform: [jq](https://prettify.tools/docs/jq), [SQL](https://prettify.tools/docs/sql), [XPath](https://prettify.tools/docs/xpath), [Transforms](https://prettify.tools/docs/transforms), [Type generation](https://prettify.tools/docs/type-generation), [JSON Schema](https://prettify.tools/docs/json-schema).

Work with data: [Search and Replace](https://prettify.tools/docs/search-and-replace), [Conversion](https://prettify.tools/docs/conversion), [Diff](https://prettify.tools/docs/diff), [Tabs](https://prettify.tools/docs/tabs), [History](https://prettify.tools/docs/history), [Sharing](https://prettify.tools/docs/sharing).

Formats: [JSON](https://prettify.tools/docs/json), [JSONL](https://prettify.tools/docs/jsonl), [YAML](https://prettify.tools/docs/yaml), [CSV](https://prettify.tools/docs/csv), [XML](https://prettify.tools/docs/xml), [RSS and Atom feeds](https://prettify.tools/docs/rss-feeds), [Mermaid](https://prettify.tools/docs/mermaid), [Markdown](https://prettify.tools/docs/markdown), [MDX](https://prettify.tools/docs/mdx), [HTML](https://prettify.tools/docs/html), [SVG](https://prettify.tools/docs/svg).

Reference: [Keyboard shortcuts](https://prettify.tools/docs/keyboard-shortcuts), [Desktop app](https://prettify.tools/docs/desktop-app), [Privacy](https://prettify.tools/docs/privacy), [Pro](https://prettify.tools/docs/pro), [Troubleshooting](https://prettify.tools/docs/troubleshooting).

## Try it online

Tool pages for this topic. Each one runs in your browser.

- [JSON Formatter](https://prettify.tools/json-formatter)
- [JSON Viewer](https://prettify.tools/json-viewer)
- [CSV Viewer](https://prettify.tools/csv-viewer)
- [YAML Validator](https://prettify.tools/yaml-validator)
- [XML Formatter](https://prettify.tools/xml-formatter)
- [Markdown Preview](https://prettify.tools/markdown-preview)

[Next JSON](https://prettify.tools/docs/json)

## Structured data

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
  "name": "Prettify",
  "url": "https://prettify.tools",
  "description": "Multi-format data viewer, editor, and query engine for JSON, YAML, CSV, XML, Mermaid, Markdown, MDX, HTML, and SVG",
  "applicationCategory": "DeveloperApplication",
  "operatingSystem": "Web, macOS, Windows, Linux",
  "offers": [
    {
      "@type": "Offer",
      "price": "0",
      "priceCurrency": "USD",
      "description": "Free tier with core features"
    },
    {
      "@type": "Offer",
      "price": "19.99",
      "priceCurrency": "USD",
      "description": "Pro: lifetime access to all features"
    }
  ],
  "publisher": {
    "@id": "https://prettify.tools/#organization"
  }
}
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "@id": "https://prettify.tools/#organization",
  "name": "Prettify",
  "legalName": "Off Leash Labs",
  "url": "https://prettify.tools/",
  "logo": {
    "@type": "ImageObject",
    "url": "https://prettify.tools/icon-512.png",
    "width": 512,
    "height": 512
  },
  "contactPoint": {
    "@type": "ContactPoint",
    "contactType": "customer support",
    "email": "offleashlabs@gmail.com",
    "availableLanguage": "English"
  }
}
```