ZeroPad: Markdown in Your New Tab (How I Actually Use It)
Why I wanted “Markdown in a new tab” in the first place
I’ve had a tiny (but stubborn) friction for years: whenever I want to jot something down, I first have to find a place to write. Open Notes, open Notion, open a doc, wait for sync, close a popup… and the thought is gone. Half the time I only needed two lines—yet the tool pulled me into a whole workflow.
ZeroPad started from a very simple idea: turn the most accessible surface in your browser (a new tab) into a serious, minimal Markdown editor. Press Cmd+T / Ctrl+T, and you’re instantly writing—no warm-up, no context switch.
So what is ZeroPad?
ZeroPad is a Chrome extension (Manifest V3) that transforms your new tab page into a clean Markdown workspace. You can treat it like a quick notepad, a draft box, or a lightweight dev notebook—especially when code blocks and syntax highlighting matter.
The 6 things I care about most (and what ZeroPad is built around)
1) Startup speed: it has to be “new-tab fast”
Most tools aren’t bad—they’re just slow to enter. ZeroPad aims for “instant access”: the moment a new tab opens, you’re already in the editor. No loading screens, no mode switching.
2) Real-time rendering: write Markdown and see the shape immediately
If you’ve used Typora, you know the feeling: you keep writing because the preview doesn’t interrupt you. Headings, lists, quotes, tables—everything should feel immediate, not like a separate “preview step”.
3) Auto-save: 500ms debounce, so I never think about saving
I really dislike the “wait, did I save?” anxiety. ZeroPad auto-saves with a small debounce window (500ms). Pause for half a second and your content is persisted locally. No save button mindset.
4) Smart paste: especially for code blocks
Developer notes are basically copy → paste → wrap in backticks → label the language. ZeroPad tries to shorten that loop: when you paste code, it aims to format it like a human would—clean code fences, better structure, less manual cleanup.
5) Export: PDF / HTML / code-to-image
Writing is rarely the end. Sometimes you need to share, submit, archive, or paste it into a knowledge base. ZeroPad is designed around practical exports:
- PDF export: for sharing with non-technical teammates or keeping a clean archive
- HTML export: for publishing or dropping into docs/knowledge bases
- Code blocks → images: for quick sharing (chat, docs, social)
6) Privacy: local-first by default
ZeroPad is not “another cloud note app”. It’s a local canvas living in your browser. Your content is stored on-device by default: no uploads, no tracking, no data collection. That alone makes it feel safe to use for real work.
How I actually use it (real scenarios)
- Quick meeting notes: open a tab, write, export as PDF when done
- Debug logs: paste errors, paste snippets, write conclusions—future me will thank me
- Drafts: when I want to write, I don’t want to “open a writing app”—I just start
- Study notes: Markdown tables and lists keep knowledge structured instead of scattered
If you share this pain, ZeroPad is worth a look
ZeroPad is currently in a “Coming Soon” phase, but the direction is very clear: faster, cleaner, more private. If you want Markdown power without tool noise, this is exactly the kind of thing that fits.
Here’s the ZeroPad page: /zeropad
One last note: I’m biased toward tools that are offline by default, local by default, and quiet by default. ZeroPad comes from that same mindset.