Format at a glance
- Full name
- Markdown Text Document
- File extensions
- .markdown, .md
- MIME types
- text/markdown;charset=utf-8
- Category
- Text and data
- Compression
- Depends on the contained codec
- Transparency
- Not applicable
- Animation
- Not applicable
- Properties
Suitable tools
What is this format?
Markdown marks headings, emphasis, lists, links, images and code with simple punctuation. A renderer converts the source into HTML or another presentation format.
A common core is supplemented by variants such as CommonMark and GitHub Flavored Markdown. Tables, footnotes and task lists therefore do not work identically everywhere.
What is it used for?
- README files and project documentation
- Notes, knowledge bases and static websites
- Technical articles containing code blocks
- Version-controlled collaborative content
Which programs can open it?
- Visual Studio Code and Typora
- Obsidian and MarkText
- GitHub, GitLab and documentation systems
- Any text editor
Support across devices and browsers
Markdown opens in text editors and suitable spreadsheet, development or data tools.
TextEdit, development editors and format-specific applications can read Markdown.
Text editors, command-line tools and programming libraries support Markdown.
Text and data editors can open Markdown, with varying validation and editing features.
Files-compatible editors and development tools can display Markdown.
A browser can show the text, but correct presentation or validation requires a suitable parser.
Advantages
- Source remains readable without specialist software
- Excellent for version control
- Easy to transform into HTML and documents
Disadvantages
- Extensions differ between renderers
- Complex page layout is limited
- Embedded HTML may be filtered for security
Comparison with alternatives
HTML provides complete web structure and layout control; Markdown is shorter and easier to author.
TXT has no standardized markup, while Markdown adds readable structure.
DOCX suits visual page layout; Markdown is more open and easier to diff.
LocalFileLab support
Markdown is recognized as an input. Text is read locally and handled by the matching parser.
Markdown is available as a local output; available settings depend on the format.
LocalFileLab can compress Markdown locally or package it in a supported archive; already compressed content will not necessarily become smaller.
A complete Markdown preview is not currently available.
Complete preservation of format-specific metadata is not guaranteed.
Related formats
Frequently asked questions
Is .md the same as Markdown?
Yes. .md is the most common extension; .markdown is another extension for the same format type.
Why does Markdown look different between programs?
Renderers support different extensions and style generated HTML with their own themes.
Can Markdown contain images?
Markdown normally references external or relative images. Some applications also support embedded data or managed attachments.