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Markdown Preview

Write Markdown and preview rendered HTML in real time.

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Markdown

What Is Markdown

Markdown is a lightweight markup language created by John Gruber in 2004. It lets you add formatting to plain text using simple symbols like asterisks for bold, hashes for headings, and brackets for links. The goal is to make text readable in its raw form while also being easy to convert into HTML for the web.

Markdown is used everywhere: GitHub README files, documentation sites, blog platforms like Ghost and Jekyll, note-taking apps like Obsidian and Notion, and messaging platforms like Slack and Discord. Learning Markdown gives you a single syntax that works across dozens of tools and platforms.

Markdown Syntax Guide

Headers are created with hash symbols. One hash for H1, two for H2, up to six for H6. Bold text uses double asterisks or underscores around the word. Italic uses a single asterisk or underscore. Strikethrough uses double tildes.

Links use the format [text](url) and images use ![alt text](url). Code blocks use triple backticks with an optional language name for syntax highlighting. Inline code uses single backticks. Blockquotes start with a greater-than symbol. Unordered lists use dashes, asterisks, or plus signs. Ordered lists use numbers followed by periods.

Horizontal rules are created with three or more dashes, asterisks, or underscores on their own line.

Markdown vs HTML

Markdown is designed to be simpler and faster to write than HTML. Where HTML requires opening and closing tags like <strong>bold</strong>, Markdown uses **bold**. The tradeoff is that Markdown supports fewer formatting options than full HTML.

For most content writing tasks like blog posts, documentation, and READMEs, Markdown covers everything you need. When you need advanced layouts, forms, or interactive elements, HTML is the better choice. Many platforms let you mix Markdown with raw HTML for the best of both worlds.

Common Use Cases for Markdown

Technical documentation is the most popular use case. GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket all render Markdown files automatically. Developers use it for README files, API docs, changelogs, and contribution guides.

Content writers use Markdown for blog posts on platforms like Ghost, Hugo, and Gatsby. The plain text format makes it easy to version control content with Git and collaborate with editors without dealing with rich text formatting issues.

Note-taking apps like Obsidian, Logseq, and Bear use Markdown as their native format. This means your notes are portable plain text files that you own and can move between tools at any time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this tool store my Markdown?

No. This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your Markdown text is processed locally using JavaScript and is never sent to any server or stored anywhere. When you close the tab, the content is gone. It is safe to use for drafts, documentation, or any content you are working on.

Can I copy the generated HTML?

Yes. Click the Copy HTML button to copy the rendered HTML markup to your clipboard. You can paste it directly into any HTML editor, CMS, or email builder. The Copy Markdown button copies your raw Markdown text instead.

What Markdown features are supported?

This tool supports headings (H1 through H6), bold, italic, strikethrough, links, images, inline code, fenced code blocks with language hints, blockquotes, unordered lists, ordered lists, and horizontal rules. It covers the most commonly used Markdown syntax for writing and documentation.

Why does my Markdown look different on other platforms?

There are several Markdown flavors including CommonMark, GitHub Flavored Markdown, and MultiMarkdown. Each flavor adds or changes some features. This tool uses a core Markdown parser that covers the standard syntax shared across all flavors. Advanced features like tables, task lists, or footnotes may render differently depending on the platform.

Can I use this for writing blog posts?

Absolutely. Many blogging platforms accept Markdown as input, including Ghost, Hugo, Jekyll, Gatsby, and WordPress with plugins. Write your post in the editor, preview it on the right, then copy the Markdown or HTML to paste into your publishing platform.

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