Converting...
Paste your Markdown above and click Convert → to see the rendered preview and raw HTML.
What Is Markdown?
Markdown is a lightweight markup language created by John Gruber in 2004. It is designed to be readable as plain text while being trivially convertible to HTML. A Markdown file uses simple punctuation — asterisks for bold, hashes for headings, backticks for code — so the source is as clear as the rendered output.
Today Markdown is the default authoring format for GitHub READMEs, developer documentation sites, static-site generators like Hugo and Jekyll, note-taking apps like Obsidian, and content management systems including Ghost. Knowing how it converts to HTML helps you debug rendering issues and embed output correctly in web projects.
This converter uses goldmark — the same CommonMark-compliant parser used by Hugo — with optional GitHub Flavored Markdown extensions for tables and strikethrough.
Markdown Syntax Quick Reference
| Element | Markdown | HTML output |
|---|---|---|
| Heading 1 | # Heading | <h1>Heading</h1> |
| Heading 2 | ## Heading | <h2>Heading</h2> |
| Bold | **text** | <strong>text</strong> |
| Italic | _text_ or *text* | <em>text</em> |
| Strikethrough (GFM) | ~~text~~ | <del>text</del> |
| Link | [label](url) | <a href="url">label</a> |
| Image |  | <img src="url" alt="alt"> |
| Unordered list | - item | <ul><li>item</li></ul> |
| Ordered list | 1. item | <ol><li>item</li></ol> |
| Inline code | `code` | <code>code</code> |
| Fenced code block | ```lang ... ``` | <pre><code class="language-lang"> |
| Blockquote | > text | <blockquote><p>text</p></blockquote> |
| Horizontal rule | --- | <hr> |
| GFM Table | | Col | Col | |-----|-----| | Val | Val | | <table><thead>...<tbody> |
GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) Extensions
CommonMark is the standard Markdown specification, but GitHub ships several popular extensions collectively called GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM). This converter supports the two most widely used:
GFM Tables
Pipe-separated columns with an alignment row. The header separator row determines column alignment: :--- (left), :---: (center), ---: (right).
| Name | Score | |-------|------:| | Alice | 95 |
Strikethrough
Double tildes wrap deleted or corrected text. Renders as an HTML <del> element.
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Hard Wraps converts every single newline character into a <br> tag — useful for content where line breaks are meaningful, such as poetry or chat transcripts. Without this option, a single newline in Markdown is ignored (two newlines create a new paragraph).
Why Convert Markdown to HTML?
Most web environments only render HTML — not raw Markdown. You need the conversion step when:
- → CMS embedding: You write content in Markdown but your CMS stores and renders HTML. Convert once and paste the output directly.
- → Email templates: HTML email clients render HTML directly. Converting your Markdown draft lets you preview and adjust the HTML structure before sending.
- → React / Vue apps: Use
dangerouslySetInnerHTMLorv-htmlto inject pre-converted HTML when you cannot run a Markdown parser client-side. - → Documentation sites: Tools like VitePress, MkDocs, and GitBook run the conversion server-side. Understanding the output helps you debug custom CSS themes.
- → Static site generators: Hugo, Jekyll, and Eleventy all convert Markdown at build time. Testing conversion options locally catches rendering surprises before deployment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Markdown and HTML?
Markdown is a shorthand authoring format designed to be readable as plain text. HTML is the markup language that browsers actually render. Markdown files are converted to HTML by a parser like goldmark before they can be displayed in a browser. They serve different purposes: Markdown is for writing, HTML is for rendering.
Does this support GitHub Flavored Markdown tables?
Yes. Enable the GFM Tables option (on by default) and your pipe-separated tables will convert to a full <table> element with <thead> and <tbody>. Column alignment is read from the separator row.
Is my Markdown stored anywhere?
No. Conversion happens server-side on each request and the input is discarded immediately after the response is sent. Nothing is logged, saved, or shared. The page holds no state between requests.
What does "Allow Raw HTML" mean?
By default, goldmark follows the CommonMark security recommendation and strips raw HTML tags embedded inside Markdown — a safety measure for multi-user platforms where untrusted users can submit content. Enabling Allow Raw HTML passes those tags through unchanged. Only use this when the Markdown source is trusted (your own content).
Can I download the output as an HTML file?
Yes. After converting, click the Download .html button in the results header. Your browser downloads the raw HTML fragment as output.html directly from memory — no server round-trip is made for the download.