How do I make text bold in Markdown?

Wrap the text in double asterisks, like **bold text**. Single asterisks (*italic text*) create italics instead.

Why is Markdown popular for documentation instead of a word processor?

Markdown files remain readable in their raw form, work well with version control systems like Git, and convert cleanly to HTML or other formats without the bloat of a rich text file.

How do I create a numbered list in Markdown?

Start each line with a number followed by a period, like “1. First item” — most renderers automatically handle the numbering sequence even if every line starts with the same number.

Markdown Previewer

Write Markdown on the left and see a live HTML preview on the right as you type.

Markdown

0 words 0 chars 0 lines

Preview

Your preview will appear here...

How to use

Type or paste Markdown in the left pane — the preview updates live as you type.
Click Starter Template to load a sample showing common Markdown syntax.
Use Copy HTML to grab the rendered HTML output.
Use Copy Markdown to copy your raw Markdown text.
Click Download .md to save your Markdown as a file.
Word count, character count, and line count update automatically.

About this Markdown Previewer

Markdown is a lightweight text formatting syntax that turns plain characters into structured formatting — headers, bold text, lists, links — without a word processor. It's the standard for README files, documentation, forum posts, and note-taking apps because it stays readable even before it's rendered.

Core Markdown syntax

# Header — one to six # symbols create heading levels 1 through 6
**bold** and *italic* — double asterisks for bold, single for italic
- item or 1. item — hyphens for bullet lists, numbers for ordered lists
[text](url) — creates a clickable link
`code` — backticks for inline code; triple backticks for a code block

Why plain text formatting caught on

Markdown files stay readable even in their raw, unrendered form, unlike HTML or rich text formats cluttered with tags. This makes Markdown well suited for version control (Git diffs on a Markdown file are easy to read) and for writing that needs to move cleanly between different platforms without losing formatting.

Where you'll encounter it

GitHub README files, Reddit and Discord message formatting, static site generators, note-taking apps like Obsidian and Notion, and most developer documentation all use Markdown or a close variant as their primary writing format.