How to use the Markdown preview
- Type or paste Markdown into the left box. A sample document is loaded so you can see the result immediately; click Clear to start from an empty page.
- The right-hand pane re-renders shortly after you stop typing, so you can check headings, lists, tables and code blocks as you write.
- Click Copy HTML to copy the generated markup to your clipboard, or Download .html to save a standalone page named
markdown.htmlthat opens in any browser.
Markdown cheat sheet
Markdown lets you format text with a few plain characters. Here are the essentials this editor supports:
| Type this | To get |
|---|---|
# Heading | A large heading (use ## and ### for smaller) |
**bold** | bold text |
*italic* | italic text |
- item | A bullet list (use 1. for numbered) |
[text](url) | A link |
`code` | Inline code |
> quote | A block quote |
| a | b | | A table row (GitHub-flavored) |
Tables and code blocks
Two features cause most of the trouble for beginners. A table needs a header row, a separator row of dashes, and then the data rows, with a pipe between columns. Without the separator line (| --- | --- |) the text renders as a plain paragraph. Colons in the separator, such as | :---: |, center or right-align a column. A fenced code block starts and ends with a line of three backticks, and the text between them is shown exactly as typed, in a monospaced box. Text inside the fence is not formatted, which is why it is the right place for commands, JSON and configuration. Adding a language name after the opening fence is common practice, but this preview does not color the code, so syntax highlighting will not appear here even if it does on your final site.
Line breaks, paragraphs and lists
This preview treats a single newline as a line break and a blank line as a new paragraph. That is friendlier for notes but differs from strict Markdown, where a single newline inside a paragraph is ignored and a hard break needs two trailing spaces. If your target platform follows the strict rule, your text may flow together there even though it looks line by line here, so insert blank lines between paragraphs and you will get the same result everywhere. For lists, leave a blank line before the list begins, indent nested items by two to four spaces, and keep the numbering style consistent. Prefer the plain - marker for bullets because it is the most widely compatible.
Using the HTML output
Copy HTML gives you the body markup only: headings, paragraphs, lists and tables, with no surrounding page and no styling. That is what you want for a CMS editor in HTML mode, an email builder or a template, where the destination theme supplies the fonts and spacing. Download .html wraps the same markup in a complete page with a small built-in stylesheet, so it looks readable by itself. It uses a generic title of “Document”, so edit the title tag if you plan to publish the file. Relative image paths such as  point to nothing here, so use full web addresses for pictures you want to see in the preview.
Is it private and safe?
Yes. Your Markdown is rendered inside your browser using your own device, and nothing is uploaded. Draft blog posts, internal docs and private notes never leave your computer, and the page keeps working offline once it has loaded. One caution: Markdown can contain raw HTML, and the preview displays it as written. Only paste text you trust, and review any raw HTML or script tags in text that came from someone else before you copy or publish the output.
Related tools
While writing, you may find these helpful: Word Counter for length targets, Text Diff to compare two drafts, Slugify for clean URLs and HTML Entity Encoder for escaping special characters.
Frequently asked questions
Does it support GitHub-Flavored Markdown?
Yes. Tables, fenced code blocks, strikethrough and similar GitHub-style extensions are turned on, so most README files look the way they do on GitHub. Platform-specific extras, such as emoji shortcodes or automatic syntax coloring, may differ.
Is my text uploaded?
No. Rendering runs entirely in your browser and your Markdown is never sent anywhere, so drafts and private notes stay on your device.
Can I export the result?
Yes. Copy HTML gives you the body markup to paste into a CMS or email builder, and Download .html saves a standalone page you can open in any browser. Neither option produces a PDF or Word file, but you can print the downloaded page to PDF from your browser.
What is Markdown?
Markdown is a plain-text way to format documents using simple characters, such as # for headings, ** for bold and - for lists. It converts to clean HTML and is used in README files, documentation sites and many note-taking apps.
How are single line breaks handled?
A single newline becomes a line break and a blank line starts a new paragraph. Strict Markdown ignores a single newline, so add blank lines between paragraphs if you want identical results on every platform.
Why is my table not rendering?
A table needs a separator row of dashes under the header, for example | --- | --- |, and the same number of columns in each row. Leave a blank line before the table, otherwise it may be read as part of the paragraph above.
Will code blocks be syntax highlighted?
No. Code in a fenced block is shown in a monospaced box exactly as typed, without coloring. If your final site adds highlighting, it will appear there, not in this preview.
Is it safe to paste Markdown from someone else?
Be careful. Markdown may contain raw HTML, and the preview displays it as written. Only paste content you trust, and check for script tags or unexpected HTML before you copy or publish the output.