Markdown is a plain-text way to write formatted text. A few symbols turn into headings, lists, links and code, and the result converts to HTML. It is used by GitHub, README files, documentation sites, forums and note apps. Preview yours in the Markdown Previewer. Every row below was rendered with a Markdown processor to confirm it works.
The basics
| You type | You get |
|---|---|
# Heading 1<br>## Heading 2 |
Headings: one to six # signs |
bold |
Bold |
italic |
Italic |
text |
Link |
|
Image (the text in brackets is the alt text) |
- item<br>- item |
Bulleted list (-, * or +) |
1. first<br>2. second |
Numbered list |
> quoted |
Block quote |
`code` |
Inline code |
```<br>code block<br>``` |
Fenced code block (add a language after the first fence for highlighting) |
--- |
Horizontal rule |
| a | b |<br>|---|---|<br>| 1 | 2 | |
Table (an extension in some processors; supported by most) |
Tips
- Leave a blank line between paragraphs, before lists and around code blocks.
- End a line with two spaces (or a backslash in some processors) for a line break without a new paragraph.
- Indent a nested list item by two to four spaces.
- Escape a symbol with a backslash to show it literally, as in
\*not italic\*. - Raw HTML usually works inside Markdown, but some sites strip it for safety.
Flavours differ
Original Markdown is small. Most platforms add extensions: GitHub Flavored Markdown adds tables, task lists (- [ ] todo), strikethrough (~~text~~) and autolinks; others add footnotes, definition lists or math. If something does not render, check which flavour the site uses.
Converting
Turn Markdown into HTML with any processor, and the other way round with the HTML to Markdown Converter or the CSV to Markdown Table for tables.