Markdown Preview
Write and preview Markdown with real-time rendering. Perfect for documentation, README files, and content creation.
Key Features
- Live Preview β Real-time rendering as you type
- GitHub Flavored Markdown β Full GFM support
- Syntax Highlighting β Code blocks with language detection
- Tables Support β Create and preview tables
- Task Lists β Checkbox to-do lists
- Export Options β Download as HTML or Markdown
- Copy to Clipboard β One-click HTML copying
- Split View β Side-by-side editor and preview
- Browser-Based β No installation required
- Auto-Save β Local storage backup
Markdown Syntax Guide
Basic Formatting
# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
**Bold text**
*Italic text*
~~Strikethrough~~
- Bullet list
1. Numbered list
[Link text](url)

Advanced Features
```javascript
// Code block with syntax
function example() {
return true;
}
```
| Header 1 | Header 2 |
|----------|----------|
| Cell 1 | Cell 2 |
- [ ] Task item
- [x] Completed task
> Blockquote text
Common Use Cases
π Documentation
- README files β GitHub/GitLab project documentation
- Technical docs β API documentation and guides
- Wikis β Internal knowledge bases
- Release notes β Version changelogs
βοΈ Content Writing
- Blog posts β Draft articles in Markdown
- Technical articles β Code-heavy tutorials
- Notes β Personal note-taking
- Presentations β Markdown-based slides
π¬ Communication
- GitHub issues β Format issue descriptions
- Pull requests β PR descriptions and reviews
- Forums β Stack Overflow, Reddit
- Slack/Discord β Formatted messages
π Education
- Course materials β Lesson plans and syllabi
- Study notes β Class notes with code
- Assignments β Problem sets and solutions
- Research β Lab notebooks and reports
Markdown Best Practices
β Best Practices
- Use semantic headings β Proper H1-H6 hierarchy
- Add blank lines β Between blocks for readability
- Specify code languages β Enable syntax highlighting
- Use relative links β For internal documentation
- Alt text for images β Accessibility and SEO
- Consistent formatting β Pick style and stick to it
β Avoid These
- Don’t skip heading levels β H1 to H3 without H2
- Don’t use HTML unless necessary β Keep it Markdown
- Avoid multiple H1s β One H1 per document
- Don’t hardcode line breaks β Use paragraphs instead
- Avoid inconsistent styles β Mix * and _ for emphasis
- Don’t use tables for layout β Tables for data only
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Markdown?
Markdown is a lightweight markup language created by John Gruber in 2004. It uses plain text formatting syntax that converts to HTML. The goal is readability β Markdown documents are readable as plain text, unlike HTML with tags.
What’s the difference between Markdown flavors?
Original Markdown has limited features. GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) adds tables, task lists, strikethrough, and auto-linking. CommonMark is a standardized spec. Most modern tools support GFM since it’s the most feature-rich and widely used.
How do I add syntax highlighting to code blocks?
Specify the language after the opening backticks: ```javascript
, ```python
, ```bash
. The renderer will automatically highlight keywords, strings, and syntax based on the language. Supported languages include JavaScript, Python, Java, C++, Go, Rust, and 100+ others.
Can I use HTML in Markdown?
Yes, but sparingly. Markdown allows inline HTML for features it doesn’t support (like custom styling, iframes, or complex layouts). However, mixing too much HTML defeats Markdown’s purpose of simplicity. Use HTML only when Markdown can’t achieve what you need.
How do I create links that open in new tabs?
Standard Markdown doesn’t support target attributes. You need to use HTML: <a href="url" target="_blank">Link text</a>
. Some Markdown processors have extensions for this, but HTML is the most compatible solution.
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