Free tool
Markdown Editor With Live Preview and HTML Export
Write notes, release text or a README on the left and watch it turn into formatted text on the right. You can keep several documents, open a .md file, and hand the result on as Markdown, HTML or a printed PDF.
Your writing stays in this browser and is saved on this device as you type. It is never uploaded, so use Save .md if you want a copy elsewhere.
From a rough draft to a clean page
A Markdown editor usually gets opened for a small job: a changelog entry, a help article, the text for a blog post that will be pasted into a CMS. Type in the left pane and the right pane redraws about every tenth of a second. The Write, Split and Preview buttons let you work with both panes, or give the whole width to one of them.
Below the text there is a word count, a character count and a reading time. The reading time assumes 238 words a minute, and fenced code blocks are left out of the word count.
When the draft is ready, the buttons under the editor handle the next step. Save .md downloads the source. Save as HTML page gives you a finished page you can open anywhere. Copy HTML puts only the markup on your clipboard. Print or save as PDF sends the preview to your browser's print dialog.
What the preview understands
| You type | You get |
|---|---|
# Title to ###### Title | Headings from level 1 to 6 |
**bold**, *italic*, ~~gone~~ | Bold, italic and struck-through text |
- item or 1. item | Bullet and numbered lists, with nesting |
- [ ] task | A list with check boxes |
> quote | A block quote |
| Pipes and dashes | A table, with left, centre or right alignment |
| Three backticks | A code block |
[text](address) | A link, and the same form with a mark in front makes a picture |
Bare web addresses become links, and links in the preview open in a new tab.
Toolbar, shortcuts and list handling
The toolbar wraps your selection in the right marks, so you do not have to remember them. Bold, Italic, Strike, Code, Link and Picture act on the selected words. H1, H2 and H3 change the line you are on. List, 1. List, Tasks, Quote, Table, Code block and Line add the matching block.
- Command or Ctrl with B, I and K make bold, italic and a link.
- Pressing Enter at the end of a list item starts the next item for you.
- Undo works on toolbar changes too, because they go through the browser's own typing.
- Drop a .md file on the text area to open it as a new document.
Keeping more than one document
The Document menu at the top holds every document you have started. New adds a blank one, Delete removes the one on screen, and each entry is named from its first heading. They are stored in the browser's local storage, which is why they are still there tomorrow. If the browser blocks or fills that storage, a red message tells you, and Save .md is the way to keep a copy.
Local storage belongs to one browser on one device. Clearing site data removes it, and a second computer will not see it.
A small routine that keeps drafts tidy
- Start a New document for each piece, so the Document menu stays a list of real projects.
- Write the headings first, since the first heading becomes the document's name in that menu.
- Fill in the body and check the Split view as you go.
- Read the word count against the length you were asked for.
- Save .md as a backup before you clear browser data or switch computers.
- Copy HTML or Save as HTML page when the text is ready to be placed somewhere else.
The Show the example button opens a sample as its own document, which is a gentle way to see every supported mark in one place without touching your own work.
Where it stops, and a note on moving content
This is a writing tool, not a publishing system. It does not upload pictures, so an image needs an address that already exists. Simple HTML tags typed inside the text are not carried into the preview, so write the Markdown form instead.
Writers sometimes keep a whole help centre as Markdown files and later need it inside a CMS. If you are planning that kind of move, our Webflow migration page explains how we think about carrying content across.
Frequently asked questions
Does the editor save my text automatically?
Yes. Each change is stored in this browser within a moment, and again when you leave the tab. It stays on this device only, so save a .md file if you need it elsewhere.
Can I open a Markdown file from my computer?
Yes. Use Open a file, or drop a .md, .markdown or .txt file onto the text area. It opens as a new document, so what you wrote before stays in the Document menu.
How do I get HTML out of it?
Choose Copy HTML for the markup alone, or Save as HTML page for a complete file. The preview you see is built from the same conversion.
How do I make a PDF?
Choose Print or save as PDF. Your browser opens its print dialog, and you pick Save as PDF as the destination.
Which Markdown features are supported?
Headings, emphasis, strike-through, code, links, pictures, lists with task boxes, quotes, tables and rules. Other add-ons such as footnotes are not part of that list.
Will I lose documents if I clear my browser data?
Yes, because the documents live in that browser's storage. Save a .md copy of anything you care about.
More free tools
- Markdown to HTML converter: Convert Markdown to clean HTML with a live preview, heading ids and a whole-page download.
- HTML viewer: Preview pasted HTML live at phone, tablet and laptop widths, with a console, format and minify.
- Word counter: Count words, characters, sentences and reading time, spot repeated words and set a length goal.
- Readability checker: Score English text with six readability formulas and highlight long sentences, hard words and passive voice.
- Diff checker: Compare two texts or files side by side, merge changes and export a diff.