What is Markdown?
Markdown is a lightweight markup language created by John Gruber in 2004. It allows you to write formatted text using a plain-text editor with simple syntax like asterisks for bold, hashes for headings, and dashes for lists. Markdown files typically use the .md or .markdown extension.
Markdown is widely used for README files, documentation, blog posts, note-taking, and static site generators. Its simplicity makes it easy to learn, while its portability ensures your content can be converted to HTML, PDF, and many other formats.
Markdown Syntax Reference
| Element | Syntax | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Heading 1 | # Heading | Largest heading |
| Heading 2 | ## Heading | Second-level heading |
| Bold | **text** | Bold text |
| Italic | *text* | Italic text |
| Strikethrough | ~~text~~ | Crossed-out text |
| Inline code | `code` | Monospace code |
| Code block | ```code``` | Fenced code block |
| Link | [text](url) | Clickable link |
| Image |  | Embedded image |
| Unordered list | - item | Bullet list |
| Ordered list | 1. item | Numbered list |
| Blockquote | > text | Indented quote |
| Horizontal rule | --- | Divider line |
| Table | | col | col | | Data table |
GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM)
GitHub Flavored Markdown extends the original Markdown spec with features commonly used in software development. GFM adds support for tables (pipe syntax), strikethrough (~~text~~), fenced code blocks with language syntax highlighting, task lists, and autolinked URLs.
This tool supports the most common GFM features including tables, strikethrough, and fenced code blocks. It's perfect for previewing README files, pull request descriptions, and documentation before pushing to GitHub.
Common Use Cases
README files
Preview your project README before committing to Git or pushing to GitHub
Blog posts
Write and preview blog content in Markdown for static site generators like Hugo, Jekyll, or Astro
Documentation
Draft technical docs, API references, and guides with proper formatting
Note-taking
Organize notes with headings, lists, and code snippets in a portable plain-text format
Pull requests
Preview PR descriptions with tables, checklists, and formatted text before submitting
Emails and messages
Draft formatted content and copy the HTML output for use in emails or other tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, completely free with no limits. Write and preview as much Markdown as you want. No account or signup needed.
Yes. Everything runs 100% in your browser using JavaScript. Your Markdown text never leaves your device — nothing is sent to any server.
This tool supports headings (h1-h4), bold, italic, strikethrough, inline code, fenced code blocks, links, images, unordered and ordered lists, blockquotes, horizontal rules, and tables with pipe syntax.
Yes! Click the 'Copy HTML' button to copy the rendered HTML to your clipboard. You can paste it into any HTML editor, CMS, or email tool.
This tool supports the most common GFM features including tables, strikethrough (~~text~~), and fenced code blocks. It covers the syntax used in README files, issues, and pull requests.
Markdown is a simplified syntax that gets converted to HTML. It is easier to write and read as plain text, while HTML provides full control over page structure. Markdown is ideal for content-focused writing.
Absolutely. Paste your README.md content and see exactly how it will look when rendered. Great for checking formatting before pushing to GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket.
Tables require a header row, a separator row (with dashes and pipes), and at least one body row. Each row must start and end with a pipe character (|). Make sure there are no blank lines between the rows.