Markdown Cheat Sheet — Complete Quick Reference Guide

Markdown is everywhere in 2026. ChatGPT and Claude output Markdown. GitHub renders it. Slack, Notion, and Discord all support it. If you work with text online, you use Markdown — whether you realize it or not.

This cheat sheet covers every Markdown syntax you'll ever need: basic formatting, extended GFM (GitHub Flavored Markdown), tables, code blocks, footnotes, emoji, and escape characters.

Bookmark this page. Or use our Markdown Editor to practice live.

Basic Syntax

Headings

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
#### Heading 4
##### Heading 5
###### Heading 6

Text Formatting

**bold text**
*italic text*
***bold italic text***
~~strikethrough~~
==highlighted text== (mark)
<ins>underlined</ins> (HTML)

Links

[Basic link](https://example.com)
[Link with title](https://example.com "Click me")
<https://automatic-link.com>
[Reference-style][ref]

[ref]: https://example.com

Images

![Alt text](image.jpg)
![Alt text with title](image.jpg "Photo caption")

![Reference image][img-ref]
[img-ref]: image.jpg

Blockquotes

> Single line quote

> Multi-line
> paragraph quote
>
> — Author

> Nested
>> blockquote

Horizontal Rules

---
***
___

Lists

Unordered Lists

- Item one
- Item two
  - Nested item (2 spaces indent)
  - Another nested
- Item three

You can also use * or + interchangeably:

* First level
  + Second level
    - Third level

Ordered Lists

1. First item
2. Second item
   1. Nested ordered
   2. Another nested
3. Third item

Start at any number:

57. Start from 57
58. Continues from here

Task Lists (GFM)

- [ ] Not started
- [x] Completed
- [ ] ~~Cancelled task~~

Result:

[ ] Not started
[x] Completed
[ ] ~~Cancelled task~~

Code

Inline Code

Use the `console.log()` function.

Fenced Code Blocks

```javascript
const greeting = "Hello, world!";
console.log(greeting);
```

Supported Language Tags

javascript  python  typescript  bash  html  css  json
sql  rust  go  java  php  ruby  yaml  markdown  diff

Diff Highlighting

function add(a, b) {
+  return a + b;
-  return a - b;
}

Tables

| Header 1 | Header 2 | Header 3 |
|----------|:--------:|---------:|
| Left     | Center   | Right    |
| Data     | Data     | Data     |

Result:

| Header 1 | Header 2 | Header 3 | |----------|:--------:|---------:| | Left | Center | Right | | Data | Data | Data |

Alignment syntax:

:--- — left-aligned
:---: — center-aligned
---: — right-aligned

Need to build a complex table quickly? Use our Markdown Table Generator — it's visual and instant.

Extended Syntax

Footnotes (GFM)

Here's a sentence with a footnote.[^1]

[^1]: This is the footnote content.

Strikethrough (GFM)

~~This text is crossed out.~~

Emoji Shortcodes

:rocket: → 🚀
:fire: → 🔥
:warning: → ⚠️
:white_check_mark: → ✅
:bookmark: → 🔖

Automatic URLs

<https://toolcraftbox.com>
<email@example.com>

Heading IDs

## My Section {#custom-id}

Link to it:

[Jump to section](#custom-id)

Definition Lists

Term
: Definition line 1
: Definition line 2

Superscript & Subscript

X^2^ (superscript)
H~2~O (subscript)

Escape Characters

Use backslash to display literal markdown characters:

\* Not italic \*
\# Not a heading
\- Not a list
\` Not code
\[ Not a link

HTML in Markdown

Markdown supports raw HTML for extended formatting:

<details>
<summary>Click to expand</summary>
Hidden content here.
</details>

<kbd>Ctrl</kbd> + <kbd>C</kbd>

<p style="color: red;">Red text</p>

ChatGPT & AI Output: Markdown Is the Bridge

Every major AI tool — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini — outputs in Markdown by default. That means:

AI → Markdown → DOCX: Use Markdown to DOCX to turn AI responses into editable Word documents
AI → Markdown → PDF: Use our Markdown Editor to preview, then print as PDF
AI → Markdown → HTML: Use Markdown to HTML for publishing to websites
Clean up AI formatting: If the output is messy, run it through Markdown Formatter first

Quick Reference: AI to Document Workflow

| Step | Tool | What Happens | |------|------|-------------| | 1 | Copy AI output | ChatGPT/Claude gives you Markdown | | 2 | Format it | Clean up messy spacing | | 3 | Preview it | See how it renders | | 4 | Export it | Download as DOCX or PDF |

Common Questions

Is Markdown the same everywhere?

Mostly, but there are flavors. Standard Markdown works everywhere. GFM (GitHub Flavored Markdown) adds tables, task lists, strikethrough, and footnotes. Our Markdown Editor supports GFM.

Can I convert Markdown to other formats?

Yes. Our tools let you convert Markdown to:

HTML — for web publishing
DOCX (Word) — for editing and sharing
PPTX (PowerPoint) — for presentations
PDF — for print and archiving

Is Markdown good for documentation?

Absolutely. It's the standard for README files, technical docs, API references, and knowledge bases. GitHub, GitLab, and most static site generators use Markdown natively.

Master Markdown in Minutes

Bookmark this page — quick reference anytime
Open our Markdown Editor — write on the left, see the result on the right
Practice the 5 essentials: headings, lists, links, code blocks, and tables
Convert AI output to real documents — use Markdown to DOCX for Word or Markdown Editor for PDF

All free. All in your browser. No sign-up. No upload.

You may also like:

Markdown Cheat Sheet — Complete Quick Reference Guide

This cheat sheet covers every Markdown syntax you'll ever need: basic formatting, extended GFM (GitHub Flavored Markdown), tables, code blocks, footnotes, emoji, and escape characters.

Bookmark this page. Or use our Markdown Editor to practice live.

Basic Syntax

Headings

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
#### Heading 4
##### Heading 5
###### Heading 6

Text Formatting

**bold text**
*italic text*
***bold italic text***
~~strikethrough~~
==highlighted text== (mark)
<ins>underlined</ins> (HTML)

Links

[Basic link](https://example.com)
[Link with title](https://example.com "Click me")
<https://automatic-link.com>
[Reference-style][ref]

[ref]: https://example.com

Images

![Alt text](image.jpg)
![Alt text with title](image.jpg "Photo caption")

![Reference image][img-ref]
[img-ref]: image.jpg

Blockquotes

> Single line quote

> Multi-line
> paragraph quote
>
> — Author

> Nested
>> blockquote

Horizontal Rules

---
***
___

Lists

Unordered Lists

- Item one
- Item two
  - Nested item (2 spaces indent)
  - Another nested
- Item three

You can also use * or + interchangeably:

* First level
  + Second level
    - Third level

Ordered Lists

1. First item
2. Second item
   1. Nested ordered
   2. Another nested
3. Third item

Start at any number:

57. Start from 57
58. Continues from here

Task Lists (GFM)

- [ ] Not started
- [x] Completed
- [ ] ~~Cancelled task~~

Result:

[ ] Not started
[x] Completed
[ ] ~~Cancelled task~~

Code

Inline Code

Use the `console.log()` function.

Fenced Code Blocks

```javascript
const greeting = "Hello, world!";
console.log(greeting);
```

Supported Language Tags

javascript  python  typescript  bash  html  css  json
sql  rust  go  java  php  ruby  yaml  markdown  diff

Diff Highlighting

function add(a, b) {
+  return a + b;
-  return a - b;
}

Tables

| Header 1 | Header 2 | Header 3 |
|----------|:--------:|---------:|
| Left     | Center   | Right    |
| Data     | Data     | Data     |

Result:

| Header 1 | Header 2 | Header 3 | |----------|:--------:|---------:| | Left | Center | Right | | Data | Data | Data |

Alignment syntax:

:--- — left-aligned
:---: — center-aligned
---: — right-aligned

Need to build a complex table quickly? Use our Markdown Table Generator — it's visual and instant.

Extended Syntax

Footnotes (GFM)

Here's a sentence with a footnote.[^1]

[^1]: This is the footnote content.

Strikethrough (GFM)

~~This text is crossed out.~~

Emoji Shortcodes

:rocket: → 🚀
:fire: → 🔥
:warning: → ⚠️
:white_check_mark: → ✅
:bookmark: → 🔖

Automatic URLs

<https://toolcraftbox.com>
<email@example.com>

Heading IDs

## My Section {#custom-id}

Link to it:

[Jump to section](#custom-id)

Definition Lists

Term
: Definition line 1
: Definition line 2

Superscript & Subscript

X^2^ (superscript)
H~2~O (subscript)

Escape Characters

Use backslash to display literal markdown characters:

\* Not italic \*
\# Not a heading
\- Not a list
\` Not code
\[ Not a link

HTML in Markdown

Markdown supports raw HTML for extended formatting:

<details>
<summary>Click to expand</summary>
Hidden content here.
</details>

<kbd>Ctrl</kbd> + <kbd>C</kbd>

<p style="color: red;">Red text</p>

ChatGPT & AI Output: Markdown Is the Bridge

Every major AI tool — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini — outputs in Markdown by default. That means:

AI → Markdown → DOCX: Use Markdown to DOCX to turn AI responses into editable Word documents
AI → Markdown → PDF: Use our Markdown Editor to preview, then print as PDF
AI → Markdown → HTML: Use Markdown to HTML for publishing to websites
Clean up AI formatting: If the output is messy, run it through Markdown Formatter first

Quick Reference: AI to Document Workflow

Common Questions

Is Markdown the same everywhere?

Mostly, but there are flavors. Standard Markdown works everywhere. GFM (GitHub Flavored Markdown) adds tables, task lists, strikethrough, and footnotes. Our Markdown Editor supports GFM.

Can I convert Markdown to other formats?

Yes. Our tools let you convert Markdown to:

HTML — for web publishing
DOCX (Word) — for editing and sharing
PPTX (PowerPoint) — for presentations
PDF — for print and archiving

Is Markdown good for documentation?

Absolutely. It's the standard for README files, technical docs, API references, and knowledge bases. GitHub, GitLab, and most static site generators use Markdown natively.

Master Markdown in Minutes

Bookmark this page — quick reference anytime
Open our Markdown Editor — write on the left, see the result on the right
Practice the 5 essentials: headings, lists, links, code blocks, and tables
Convert AI output to real documents — use Markdown to DOCX for Word or Markdown Editor for PDF

All free. All in your browser. No sign-up. No upload.

You may also like: