What is a Markdown file?
Markdown is a plain text file where a few simple marks stand in for headings, bold text, links and lists. It stays readable while you write it and turns into a clean web page or document whenever you need one. You can convert Markdown files here, both into the format and out of it.
Specification
| Full name | Markdown |
|---|---|
| Extensions | .md, .markdown, .mdown |
| Media type | text/markdown |
| Compression | Uncompressed |
| Transparency | — |
| Animation | — |
| Multiple pages | — |
| Colour depth | UTF-8 plain text, parsed to an HTML document tree |
| Size limits | — |
| Introduced | 2004 |
| Developed by | John Gruber and Aaron Swartz |
| Standard | Open |
| Browser support | Not displayed by browsers |
What Markdown is used for
- README files and technical documentation in code repositories
- Notes and knowledge bases in tools like Obsidian and Notion
- Static site and blog content compiled to HTML at build time
- Writing prose in an editor without a formatting toolbar
Strengths and limitations
What Markdown does well
- Readable and editable as plain text with no special software
- Diffs cleanly in version control, unlike binary document formats
- Converts predictably to HTML, PDF and word processor formats
Where Markdown falls short
- Dialects differ, so tables and footnotes work in some parsers and not others
- No control over layout, page breaks or typography
- Anything beyond basic structure means falling back to raw HTML
Convert Markdown to
Every target this format can be written out as, each on its own page.
Convert to Markdown
Everything that can be turned into a Markdown file.
Questions about Markdown
What is a .md file?
Markdown is a plain text file where a few simple marks stand in for headings, bold text, links and lists. The extension .md or .markdown or .mdown identifies it, and its media type is text/markdown.
How do I open a Markdown file?
Browsers do not display Markdown natively, so you either need software that understands it or you convert it to something more common first. Converting is usually the faster route when you only need to look at the contents once.
Is Markdown lossy or lossless?
Uncompressed. Nothing is discarded, so repeated saves never degrade the contents.
What is Markdown good for?
Readable and editable as plain text with no special software. Diffs cleanly in version control, unlike binary document formats. Converts predictably to HTML, PDF and word processor formats. In practice that makes it a good fit for README files and technical documentation in code repositories, and Notes and knowledge bases in tools like Obsidian and Notion.
What are the drawbacks of Markdown?
Dialects differ, so tables and footnotes work in some parsers and not others. No control over layout, page breaks or typography. Anything beyond basic structure means falling back to raw HTML.