What Is Markdown?
Markdown is a lightweight markup language created by John Gruber in 2004. It lets you write formatted text using simple, readable syntax that converts to HTML. Instead of clicking toolbar buttons or writing raw HTML, you type natural symbols: **bold** for bold, *italic* for italic, # Heading for headings. Markdown is used everywhere in software development: GitHub READMEs, documentation sites, blog platforms, note-taking apps, and technical writing. Its simplicity means you focus on content, not formatting.
Markdown was created by John Gruber in 2004 and is now used by over 10 million developers on GitHub alone, plus millions more on platforms like Reddit, Stack Overflow, and Notion.
How to Use This Editor
Type Markdown in the left pane and see it rendered instantly in the right pane. Use the formatting toolbar for quick insertions — click Bold, Italic, Link, or any other button to insert the syntax at your cursor. For tables, click the Table button to open the visual builder where you can create tables by clicking cells instead of typing pipes. When you're done, export your work: Copy as Markdown, HTML, or Rich Text (which pastes perfectly into Gmail and Google Docs), or download as a file.
Key Features
The live preview updates as you type with scroll synchronization between editor and preview. The formatting toolbar makes Markdown accessible to beginners who haven't memorized the syntax. The visual table builder eliminates the pain of typing pipe-delimited tables manually. Copy as Rich Text is the killer feature — write in Markdown and paste beautifully formatted text into any application. Ten starter templates cover READMEs, blog posts, meeting notes, changelogs, and more.
Markdown Syntax Quick Reference
Headings use hash symbols: # H1, ## H2, ### H3. Bold uses double asterisks **bold**, italic uses single *italic*. Links: [text](url). Images: . Code blocks use triple backticks with an optional language. Lists start with - or 1.. Blockquotes start with >. Task lists use - [x] and - [ ].