What flavor of Markdown?

GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM), which is a superset of CommonMark. That means everything in the CommonMark spec works (headings, emphasis, lists, links, images, fenced code blocks, blockquotes), plus the GFM additions: task lists with `[ ]` and `[x]`, tables, autolinked URLs, strikethrough with `~~`, and fenced code with language tags for syntax highlighting. Hard line breaks behave the GFM way (a single newline becomes a ` ` inside a paragraph), which matches how GitHub renders comments and READMEs.

Does it support tables?

Yes — pipe-delimited tables with a header row and a separator row. Column alignment is controlled by colons in the separator: `:---` left, `:---:` centre, `---:` right. Tables don't need to line up perfectly in the source — the renderer accepts ragged column widths — but lining them up makes the source readable. For very wide or complex tables, paste them as HTML; the renderer passes raw HTML through.

Can I export the rendered HTML?

Yes. The Copy HTML button copies the fully rendered HTML to your clipboard, ready to paste into an email client, a CMS, or a static site. You can also copy a self-contained HTML document with inline styles for archival, or download the rendered output as an `.html` file. The Markdown source is preserved in browser history so you can come back to it.

How do I create a table in Markdown?

You can create a table using pipes (|) and hyphens (-). Use pipes to separate columns and hyphens to define the header row. For example:\n| Header 1 | Header 2 |\n| -------- | -------- |\n| Cell 1 | Cell 2 |

What is GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM)?

GitHub Flavored Markdown is an extension of standard Markdown that adds support for features developers frequently use, such as tables, strikethrough (~~text~~), task lists (- [x]), and automatic URL linking.

How do I add images in this Markdown editor?

You can easily add images by dragging and dropping them directly into the editor pane. The image will be automatically converted to Base64 format and embedded directly into your document without needing an external image host.

Free Online Markdown Editor, Viewer & Live Preview

A desktop-grade writing environment with synchronized scrolling, PDF export, GFM, and drag-and-drop image support.

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Live Preview

Mastering Markdown Formatting

What is Markdown?

Markdown is a lightweight markup language that allows you to write using an easy-to-read, plain text format. It was designed to remain highly readable in its raw state, without looking like it's been marked up with tags or formatting instructions. Once written, Markdown is parsed and converted into structural HTML, allowing for rapid document, documentation, and blog post creation without writing complex HTML syntax.

Standard Markdown vs. GFM

While standard Markdown covers basic formatting like headings, bolding, italics, and lists, GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) introduces powerful extensions explicitly designed for technical writing.

Tables: Natively format grid layouts using pipes and hyphens.
Task Lists: Create rendering checkboxes using - [ ] format.
Strikethrough: Cross out obsolete text using ~~tildes~~.
Auto-linking: Standard URLs automatically become clickable links.

Editor Pro-Tips

Toggle the Cheatsheet and click any item to instantly inject the formatting syntax directly into your document at the cursor's position.

The Sync Toggle ensures that your raw text and visual rendering are always perfectly aligned, even in 10,000+ word technical documents.

Drag and drop screenshots straight from your desktop. The image is instantly embedded directly into your text via Data URI—completely offline and secure.

About Markdown Preview

A live Markdown editor with a side-by-side preview. Type in the left pane, see the rendered HTML on the right. Useful for drafting README files, GitHub issue bodies, blog posts, or anything where you want WYSIWYG-ish feedback while writing in plain text. Rendering uses GitHub Flavored Markdown so what you see here matches what GitHub will display.

What this tool does

Live preview — every keystroke re-renders the right pane.
GFM support — tables, task lists, strikethrough, autolinks, fenced code with language hints.
Copy HTML — grab the rendered HTML for an email, a CMS, or a doc tool.
Syntax highlighting — code blocks with a language tag (```ts, ```py) are highlighted in the preview.

What is Markdown, GFM vs CommonMark?

Markdown is a plain-text formatting syntax that converts to HTML — designed by John Gruber in 2004 to be readable as-is and to translate cleanly to web markup. The original spec was loose, so multiple incompatible variants emerged. CommonMark (2014) is a strict, unambiguous spec that fixes the edge cases — it defines exactly how nested lists, indented code blocks, and emphasis interact, so any conformant renderer produces the same output. GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) is CommonMark plus a few practical extensions for software docs: tables, task lists, strikethrough, autolinking bare URLs, and a stricter line-break rule. GFM is the de-facto standard on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and most documentation tools. If your target is one of those platforms, GFM is the right flavor — and that's what this preview uses.

Pipeline

Output from this tool can be sent directly to:

HTML ↔ Markdown — convert the other direction when you have HTML and want Markdown source.
Rich Text Editor — switch to a WYSIWYG view if you'd rather format visually and copy out HTML or Markdown when done.

Privacy

Markdown is parsed and rendered in your browser. Nothing is uploaded. Read our privacy policy.

Frequently asked

What flavor of Markdown?: GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM), which is a superset of CommonMark. That means everything in the CommonMark spec works (headings, emphasis, lists, links, images, fenced code blocks, blockquotes), plus the GFM additions: task lists with `[ ]` and `[x]`, tables, autolinked URLs, strikethrough with `~~`, and fenced code with language tags for syntax highlighting. Hard line breaks behave the GFM way (a single newline becomes a `<br>` inside a paragraph), which matches how GitHub renders comments and READMEs.
Does it support tables?: Yes — pipe-delimited tables with a header row and a separator row. Column alignment is controlled by colons in the separator: `:---` left, `:---:` centre, `---:` right. Tables don't need to line up perfectly in the source — the renderer accepts ragged column widths — but lining them up makes the source readable. For very wide or complex tables, paste them as HTML; the renderer passes raw HTML through.
Can I export the rendered HTML?: Yes. The Copy HTML button copies the fully rendered HTML to your clipboard, ready to paste into an email client, a CMS, or a static site. You can also copy a self-contained HTML document with inline styles for archival, or download the rendered output as an `.html` file. The Markdown source is preserved in browser history so you can come back to it.