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Markdown → HTML

Write Markdown, see the visual preview instantly, and copy the raw HTML output. Supports headings, bold, italic, links, images, code blocks, tables, and more.

What Is Markdown?

Markdown is a lightweight markup language created in 2004. It provides a simple, readable way to write formatted text using plain-text syntax that converts to HTML. Today, Markdown is the standard writing format for developer documentation, README files, blog posts, and content platforms.

If you have used GitHub, Stack Overflow, Notion, or Slack, you have already written Markdown. Its greatest strength is that the source text remains human-readable even without rendering.

Basic Markdown Syntax Guide

Markdown 
# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
Result

Heading 1

Heading 2

Heading 3

Markdown 
**bold text**
*italic text*
~~strikethrough~~
Result

bold text

italic text

strikethrough

Markdown 
- Item one
- Item two
- Item three

1. First
2. Second
Result
  • Item one
  • Item two
  • Item three
  1. First
  2. Second
Markdown 
[Link text](https://url.com)
![Alt text](image.jpg)
`inline code`
> Blockquote text
Result

Link text

[Image placeholder]

inline code

Blockquote text

Why Developers Prefer Markdown Over HTML

  1. 1

    Speed. Writing # Title is faster than <h1>Title</h1>. Markdown reduces the syntax overhead so you can focus on content.

  2. 2

    Readability. Markdown files are readable as plain text, even without rendering. HTML source code is cluttered with tags that obscure the actual content.

  3. 3

    Version control. Markdown diffs are clean and meaningful in Git, making it easy to review documentation changes in pull requests.

  4. 4

    Portability. Markdown can be converted to HTML, PDF, DOCX, slides, and more. Write once, publish anywhere.

  5. 5

    Universal adoption. GitHub, GitLab, Notion, Slack, Discord, Reddit, Stack Overflow, Jira, and countless other platforms support Markdown natively.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Markdown?

Markdown is a lightweight markup language that lets you write formatted content using simple plain-text syntax — like # for headings and ** for bold — that converts to clean HTML. It is the standard format for README files, documentation, and many content platforms.

Why do developers prefer Markdown over HTML?

Markdown is faster to write, easier to read in source form, and produces clean semantic HTML. Markdown files are also version-control-friendly, making them ideal for documentation stored in Git repositories.

What is the basic Markdown syntax?

Core syntax includes: # for headings, **text** for bold, *text* for italic, - for lists, [text](url) for links, ![alt](url) for images, > for blockquotes, and backticks for code blocks.

What is the difference between Markdown and MDX?

MDX extends Markdown by allowing you to use JSX (React components) directly inside your Markdown content. This means you can import and render interactive components alongside static text. MDX is widely used in modern documentation sites built with React or Next.js.

Can I use Markdown on social media or email?

Most social media platforms do not natively support Markdown. However, GitHub, Reddit, Discord, Slack, and Notion do support it. For email, you can convert Markdown to HTML and paste the rendered version into rich-text email composers.