Write Markdown and see the live HTML preview side by side. Supports headings, bold, italic, code blocks, links, lists, blockquotes, and more. Copy as HTML instantly.
Type or paste Markdown — write using Markdown syntax in the left panel.
See live preview — the right panel renders your Markdown as formatted HTML in real time.
Use the toolbar — click formatting buttons for bold, italic, headings, lists, links, and code without remembering syntax.
Copy HTML output — copy the rendered HTML for use in web pages, email templates, or CMS systems.
Copy raw Markdown — copy the Markdown source for use in GitHub, Notion, documentation systems, or any Markdown-supporting platform.
📝 Markdown is everywhere: GitHub README files, GitHub Issues and PRs, Notion, Obsidian, Confluence, Slack (partial), Discord, Reddit, Stack Overflow, Jekyll/Hugo static sites, Jupyter notebooks, VS Code documentation, API documentation (Swagger/OpenAPI), and virtually all modern developer tools support Markdown.
Understanding Markdown
📝 What Is Markdown?
A lightweight markup language created by John Gruber in 2004. Plain text format that converts to HTML. The philosophy: Markdown should be readable as-is without rendering. A #heading and **bold** are readable in source form unlike
heading
and bold. Written in a text editor, rendered anywhere.
📊 Common Syntax
# H1, ## H2, ### H3 for headings. **bold** or __bold__. *italic* or _italic_. `inline code`. ```code block```. - or * for bullet lists. 1. for numbered lists. [link text](URL). . > for blockquotes. --- for horizontal rule.
🔀 Markdown Flavours
Original Markdown has many extensions. CommonMark: strict specification for consistent parsing. GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM): adds tables, task lists, strikethrough, autolinks. MultiMarkdown: adds footnotes, tables, citations. MDX: Markdown with JSX for React documentation. Each platform may support different flavours.
🌐 Markdown vs HTML
Markdown is easier to write and read in source form than HTML. HTML provides complete control over rendering. Markdown converts to HTML, so you can mix HTML into Markdown when needed. Most Markdown parsers pass through raw HTML unchanged — useful for complex layouts or special elements not supported by Markdown.
📁 README Files
GitHub README.md files are the first thing visitors see on any repository. A good README includes: project description, installation instructions, usage examples with code blocks, screenshots or demos, contribution guidelines, and licence information. Well-written README files significantly increase project adoption and contribution rates.
📊 Tables in Markdown
GFM table syntax: | Column 1 | Column 2 | followed by | --- | --- | (alignment row) then data rows. Align columns: :--- (left), :---: (centre), ---: (right). Tables are not in the original Markdown spec but supported by GitHub, GitLab, Notion, and most modern platforms.
Markdown in Developer Workflows
Documentation as code
Modern development teams treat documentation like code: stored in the same repository, reviewed in pull requests, versioned alongside code changes. Markdown is the natural format for this approach. When code changes require documentation updates, the PR includes both — documentation stays synchronised with the code it describes. Tools like Docusaurus, MkDocs, and Sphinx build documentation websites directly from Markdown files in the repository.
Technical writing best practices
Effective technical Markdown: use code blocks with language hints for syntax highlighting (```javascript not just ```). Include practical examples — abstract descriptions without examples are rarely helpful. Use headings to create navigable structure — GitHub renders a table of contents from headings. Keep paragraphs short for readability. Use lists for steps and options. Include callout blocks (> Note: ...) for important information.
Markdown in note-taking and PKM
Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) tools like Obsidian, Logseq, and Roam Research use Markdown as their storage format — notes are plain text files on your filesystem. This approach prevents vendor lock-in (notes are accessible in any text editor), enables version control with Git, and makes notes portable and future-proof. Many knowledge workers have thousands of interconnected Markdown notes forming a searchable personal knowledge base.
📝 Essential Markdown cheatsheet: # Heading 1 through ###### Heading 6. **bold** *italic* ~~strikethrough~~. `code` and ```code block```. [text](URL) for links.  for images. - item for lists. 1. item for ordered. > quote. --- divider. | col | col | for tables. for comments. Mastering these 15 patterns covers 95% of Markdown use cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Markdown?
Markdown is a lightweight markup language created by John Gruber in 2004. It uses plain text symbols (#, *, **, `, >) to indicate formatting, which is then converted to HTML. Used by GitHub, Reddit, Stack Overflow, Slack, and countless other platforms.
What Markdown syntax does this support?
Headings (H1–H5), bold, italic, bold+italic, strikethrough, inline code, code blocks with language hints, blockquotes, unordered and ordered lists, links, images, and horizontal rules.
What is the difference between Markdown and HTML?
Markdown is simpler and more readable in raw form. HTML is more powerful but verbose. Markdown compiles to HTML. This editor shows the HTML output live so you can copy it directly into web pages, emails, or CMS systems.
How do I create a code block in Markdown?
Use triple backticks: ``` on one line, your code, then ``` on another line. Add a language name after the opening backticks for syntax hints: ```javascript, ```python, ```css. For inline code, wrap with single backticks.