Free Markdown Preview Editor
Write and preview Markdown in real-time with HTML export. Free, fast, and works entirely in your browser with no sign-up required.
Updated
Markdown Preview
Write and preview GitHub Flavored Markdown with syntax highlighting, table of contents, templates, and multiple themes.
Markdown Source
Preview
Start typing to see the preview...
Supported Syntax (GitHub Flavored Markdown)
Formatting
- **bold**, *italic*, ***both***
- ~~strikethrough~~
- ==highlighted==
- `inline code`
- ~subscript~, ^superscript^
Blocks
- # Headings (1-6)
- > Blockquotes
- > [!NOTE] Alerts
- ``` Code blocks (15+ langs)
- --- Horizontal rule
Lists & Tables
- - Unordered lists
- 1. Ordered lists (auto-continue)
- - [x] Task lists
- | Tables | with | headers |
- Term / : Definition lists
Links & More
- [text](url) links
-  images
- Autolinks (URLs, emails)
- [^id] footnotes
- :emoji: shortcodes (40+)
Privacy First: All Markdown rendering happens locally in your browser. Your content is never sent to any server. Autosave uses localStorage on your device. Drag-and-drop .md files to load them instantly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Markdown Preview tool?
The Markdown Preview tool is a free online editor that lets you write Markdown and see the rendered output in real-time, with HTML export capability.
Is the Markdown Preview free?
Yes, it is completely free with no registration required. All rendering happens client-side in your browser.
Can I export the output as HTML?
Yes, the Markdown Preview tool lets you export your rendered Markdown as clean HTML that you can use directly in your web projects.
Is my data safe with this tool?
Absolutely. The Markdown Preview Editor processes everything client-side in your browser. No data is uploaded to or stored on any server. Your content remains private on your device at all times.
Does the Markdown Preview Editor work on mobile devices?
Yes, the Markdown Preview Editor is fully responsive and works on smartphones and tablets. You can use it on any device with a modern web browser -- no app download required.
Do I need to create an account to use this tool?
No account or registration is needed. Simply open the Markdown Preview Editor in your browser and start using it immediately. There are no sign-up walls or usage restrictions.
How do I use the Markdown Preview Editor?
Simply enter your input in the provided field, adjust any settings to your preference, and the tool will process it instantly. You can then copy the result to your clipboard or download it.
Which browsers are supported?
The Markdown Preview Editor works in all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera. For the best experience, use the latest version of your preferred browser.
What is GitHub Flavored Markdown and does this editor support it?
GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) is the dialect of Markdown that GitHub uses in README files, issues, and pull requests. It extends the original 2004 Markdown spec with extras that plain Markdown lacks: tables built from pipes and a divider row, task lists written as "- [ ]" and "- [x]" checkboxes, strikethrough with double tildes, and automatic linking of bare URLs. This editor renders full GFM, so the syntax you write previews the same way it will appear once committed to a GitHub repo. It also adds highlighted text with "==marks==", footnotes, definition lists, and GitHub-style alert callouts such as "> [!NOTE]". That means you can draft a README or issue here and trust the rendered result. Type or paste your Markdown above to see GFM rendered live as you write.
Why does my Markdown table or code block look broken in the preview?
Markdown is whitespace- and symbol-sensitive, so small mistakes that look fine in raw text break once rendered. A table needs a header row, a divider row of dashes and pipes like "|---|---|", and a consistent pipe count on every line; drop a divider or misalign a pipe and the whole block falls back to plain text. Code blocks need matching triple-backtick fences — an unclosed fence swallows everything after it into one big code span. Lists break when indentation is uneven or a blank line splits them unexpectedly. A live side-by-side preview is the fastest way to spot these, because you see the failure the moment you type it rather than after committing a malformed README. Watch the right-hand panel update as you edit above and fix the divider, fence, or indentation until it renders cleanly.
How do I export Markdown as clean HTML or a PDF?
Once your document renders the way you want, this editor gives you several export paths. You can copy the rendered HTML straight to your clipboard to paste into a CMS, an email template, or a web page, or download a styled HTML file that preserves the preview's formatting and theme. You can also copy or download the raw Markdown as a ".md" file to commit to a repo or keep as a backup. For a fixed-layout, shareable copy, use Print to PDF through your browser's print dialog, which captures the rendered preview rather than the raw source. Because conversion happens locally in your browser, none of your text is uploaded during export, so private specs and drafts stay on your device. Finish your document above, then pick the export format that matches where the content is headed.
What is the difference between split view, source-only, and preview-only?
This editor offers three layouts for different stages of writing. Split view shows the editor and the live preview side by side, so you watch formatting render as you type — ideal for catching mistakes while drafting. Source-only hides the preview for distraction-free writing when you already know the syntax and just want a clean canvas. Preview-only hides the raw Markdown and shows just the finished, rendered result, which is best for reading or proofreading the final output. In split view, scroll syncing keeps both panels aligned as you move through a long document, and you can toggle it off to scroll each panel independently. You can also switch among five preview themes — GitHub, Dark, Minimal, Academic, and Sepia — to match where the content will be published. Pick the layout above that fits whether you are drafting, focusing, or reviewing.
How does the editor count words and estimate reading time?
A live statistics panel updates as you type and counts more than just words. It tracks words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and structural elements specific to Markdown — headings, links, images, code blocks, tables, and completed-versus-total task list items — so you can size up a document at a glance. Reading time is estimated at roughly 200 words per minute, the commonly cited average for adult silent reading, which makes it a quick gauge for a blog post or documentation page rather than an exact measurement; dense technical content with lots of code naturally reads slower. Because everything is computed in your browser, the stats refresh instantly even on long documents with no upload or delay. Start typing above and watch the word count, structure tallies, and reading-time estimate update in real time as your draft grows.
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About the Markdown Preview Editor
The Markdown Preview Editor is a free online tool for writing Markdown and seeing it rendered as you type. The editor sits on the left and a live preview updates on the right, so you always know exactly how your headings, lists, links, code blocks, and tables will look before you publish them. It is built for developers writing README files, technical writers maintaining documentation, bloggers drafting posts, and anyone who keeps notes in Markdown and wants a faster way to check their formatting.
Everything runs entirely in your browser. Your text is never uploaded to a server, so a private README, an internal spec, or an unpublished draft stays on your own device. There is no sign-up, no document limit, and nothing to install — open the page and start typing.
What it renders and how
Markdown is a lightweight markup language created in 2004 that turns plain-text symbols into formatted HTML — for example, # Title becomes a heading and **bold** becomes bold. This editor supports GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM), the same dialect used in GitHub README files and issues, so the syntax you write here behaves the way it does on GitHub:
- Tables built with pipes (
|) and a divider row - Task lists using
- [ ]and- [x]checkboxes - Strikethrough with
~~text~~and highlighted text with==text== - Footnotes, definition lists, and GitHub-style alert callouts like
> [!NOTE] - Code blocks with syntax highlighting for 15+ languages, including JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Java, Go, Rust, SQL, Bash, and more
Headings automatically receive anchor IDs, and the editor generates a table of contents from them so you can navigate longer documents. A formatting toolbar inserts common syntax for you, and keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl/Cmd+B for bold, Ctrl/Cmd+I for italic, Ctrl/Cmd+K for a link) speed up writing without lifting your hands from the keyboard.
Views, themes, and live stats
You can switch between three layouts: split view with editor and preview side by side, source-only for distraction-free writing, and preview-only to read the finished result. In split view, scroll syncing keeps both panels aligned as you move through the document, and it can be toggled off when you prefer to scroll them independently.
Five preview themes change how the rendered output looks: GitHub, Dark, Minimal, Academic, and Sepia. A live statistics panel counts words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, headings, links, images, code blocks, tables, and completed-versus-total tasks, and it estimates reading time at roughly 200 words per minute — useful when you are sizing up a post or a documentation page.
Exporting your work
When the document is ready, the Markdown Preview Editor lets you take it anywhere:
- Copy or download the Markdown source as a
.mdfile - Copy the rendered HTML to paste straight into a CMS, email template, or web page
- Download a styled HTML file that keeps the preview's formatting
- Print to PDF through your browser's print dialog for a shareable, fixed-layout copy
You can also load a .md file from your computer to preview or edit it, and seven built-in templates — README, Blog Post, Documentation, Changelog, Meeting Notes, Contributing Guide, and Release Notes — give you a structured starting point instead of a blank page.
Why a live preview matters
Markdown's strength is that the raw text stays readable, but small mistakes — an unclosed code fence, a mis-indented list, a broken table divider — often look fine in source and only break once rendered. A side-by-side preview catches those errors immediately, so you fix formatting while you write rather than after you have committed a broken README or published a malformed post. Because the rendering happens locally, it also works once the page has loaded and handles large documents at the speed of your own hardware. Paste or type your Markdown above to see it rendered instantly.