Markdown to HTML Converter

About This Tool

Markdown is the standard for writing documentation, README files, blog posts, and technical content. GitHub, GitLab, Stack Overflow, Reddit, and thousands of content management systems support Markdown syntax. But when you need to embed that content into a web page, email template, or CMS that only accepts raw HTML, you need a converter. This Markdown to HTML converter provides a live, side-by-side preview that updates as you type, so you can see exactly how your content will render. It handles all standard Markdown elements: headings, bold and italic text, links, images, ordered and unordered lists, code blocks with language hints, blockquotes, horizontal rules, and tables. The generated HTML is clean and semantic, using proper tags like <code>&lt;h1&gt;</code> through <code>&lt;h6&gt;</code>, <code>&lt;strong&gt;</code>, <code>&lt;em&gt;</code>, <code>&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;</code>, and <code>&lt;table&gt;</code>. Toggle between the visual preview and the raw HTML source to copy exactly what you need.

Supported Markdown Syntax

This converter supports all common Markdown elements:

• Headings: # H1 through ###### H6
• Bold: **text** or __text__
• Italic: *text* or _text_
• Links: [text](url)
• Images: ![alt](url)
• Unordered lists: - item or * item
• Ordered lists: 1. item
• Inline code: `code`
• Code blocks: Triple backticks with optional language
• Blockquotes: > quoted text
• Horizontal rules: --- or ***
• Tables: Pipe-separated columns with header separator
• Strikethrough: ~~text~~

How the Converter Processes Markdown

The converter works in two phases. First, it processes block-level elements by scanning each line to identify headings, lists, code blocks, blockquotes, and paragraphs. Block-level elements define the structure of the document.

Second, it processes inline elements within each block. Inline elements include bold, italic, links, images, inline code, and strikethrough formatting. The order of processing matters: images are processed before links (since image syntax contains link syntax), and bold is processed before italic (since ** would otherwise match as two * patterns).

Code blocks receive special treatment. Content inside fenced code blocks is escaped to prevent HTML interpretation, preserving angle brackets, ampersands, and quotes as literal characters. This ensures code examples display correctly in the HTML output.

Using the Live Preview

The split-panel layout provides instant feedback as you write:

• Left panel: Type or paste your Markdown content
• Right panel: See the rendered HTML update in real-time
• Preview mode: Shows visually rendered output, similar to how a browser displays the HTML
• Source mode: Shows the raw HTML tags for copying into your project

The preview updates instantly with each keystroke, so you can experiment with formatting and see results without waiting for any conversion step.

When to Use Markdown vs HTML

Each format has strengths for different situations:

• Use Markdown when: Writing documentation, README files, blog drafts, technical notes, or any content where readability of the source matters. Markdown files are easy to version control with Git and diff across revisions.
• Use HTML when: Building web pages, email templates, CMS content areas, or any output that needs precise layout control. HTML gives you full control over classes, attributes, and semantic structure.
• Use this converter when: You wrote content in Markdown but need to paste it as HTML into a CMS, email builder, or web project that does not support Markdown natively.

Frequently Asked Questions