Markdown is an elegant markup language for writing that has countless benefits, whatever you’re writing. We think you should embrace the format wherever you can, and here’s why.
Markdown Is Powerful and Easy to Use
Markdownis a set of formatting rules that use easy-to-follow syntax. It was designed primarily for publishing written content on the web, removing the need to learn or implement cumbersomeHTMLtags.
With Markdown, you can quickly format text as headers, with bold or italics, add links, create tables, feature blocks of code devoid of formatting, and so on. This all takes place with simple-to-learn tags that mean your writing is still highly readable even in its most raw format.
Though there are a few different implementations of markdown, the basic rules when writing are the same in all of them. For example, using hash symbols to signify headers (## is an H2 header since there are two hash symbols) or using asterisks and underlines to bolden (bold) and emphasize (italic) in-line text.
Once you’ve learned the basics of Markdown, you can use it wherever you want. This could be a simple app like a plain text editor, or one of the many markdown-focused writing and note-taking apps that now exist. Many of these apps “hide” or de-emphasize your markup, while others use a dual-pane code and preview layout. Some even use the same keyboard shortcuts you’re used to in standard word processors.
If you’re vaguely familiar with HTML, you’ll pick up markdown quickly. For example, you might have used a tag like this to create a link before:
In Markdown, the same link would be created using the following tag:
Not only is the Markdown version more readable, but it’s a lot simpler to type removing the need to add quotes or “close” the tag with a trailing .
Markdown Converts to Other Formats Easily
Not only is Markdown easier to type and read, but it’s also a highly versatile format. It converts very easily into other formats, particularly HTML. Exporting Markdown as HTML produces a “raw” copy of whatever you’ve written, devoid of style (which on a webpage is normally handled by the stylesheet).
The same cannot be said of word processors, which often make for a miserable experience during the HTML transition. You’ll often find that copying text from a word processor introduces garbage and tags, and adds in-line style that messes with the rules set about by the stylesheet.
With text formatted in Markdown, it’s easy to tweak the way a document looks without touching the original text. Some Markdown editors include themes and styles that you can apply to both the editor and the document when it comes time to print or share.
You’ve got options with your writing in such a versatile format. With the right editor, you’re able to produce a plain text document with all of your formatting stripped out. You can export to PDF so that your document maintains its look and is easy to share online. You can even create ePub and Word formats if you want.
These tasks can also be accomplished with a word processor or similar, but the process often introduces more overhead. Markdown is a universal format that doesn’t rely on proprietary apps.
You Can Use Markdown (Almost) Anywhere
Markdown is nothing new, but it has gained traction over the past decade or so. It’s always been possible touseMarkdown, just as you could write everything in HTML if you wanted to (though we wouldn’t recommend it). After all, it’s just a set of rules and you could author your MD documents in a plain text editor like Notepad or Text Edit.
If you go the plain text route you can quickly convert your Markdown to HTML either using your editor of choice (assuming it supports it) or a free online conversion service likeMarkdown to HTML.
Outside of dedicated Markdown editors (which we’ll get to), there’s been a surge in note-taking apps embracing Markdown too. Apps likeBear,Joplin,Znotes,Simplenote,Notable,Obsidian, andSupernotesall use the format with varying degrees of in-line formatting integration. Organizational apps like reminders appsThingsandTodoist, kanban boardTrello, personal wiki appNotion, and open-source wiki softwareWiki.jsalso support the format in some way.
BothDiscordandMicrosoft Teamssupport Markdown in chat messages, and are arguably the two biggest communications tools to adopt the format so far.Slackusers can toggle “Format message with markup” to use a limited form of Markdown instead of the WYSIWYG editor.
You canturn on Markdown detection in Google Docs too, though this only converts the markdown you type (like ## into Heading 2). You can installDocs to Markdownto convert Docs back to Markdown. Microsoft Word can be a markdown editor if you’re happy to pay for theWritageplug-in.
Reddithas supported Markdown in posts and comments for a long time, making it easy to add in-line links and formatting to your comments. Most major blogging engines have plugins that allow you to craft your posts in Markdown format, likeJetpackfor WordPress.
If you want to turn your Markdown files into a website, there are lots of options for that too. Try usingGitHub Pages,Hugo, orJekyllto create a website, or make your resumé in Markdown withResumey.Pro.
Markdown Editors Are Lightweight and Plentiful
Markdown editors are designed specifically for creating written content using the Markdown syntax. They often make it simpler to write by integrating in-line formatting (which hides or minimizes markup), and introduce time-saving features like keyboard shortcuts and fast publishing.
Many of these writers have a zen-like quality that eschews the traditional and cluttered word processor aesthetic. There’s lots of white space, an emphasis on clean typography (after all, it’s only set decoration since your content is ultimately format-free), a sprinkling of useful features like word counters, find and replace tools, and interesting ways of syncing and organizing content.
There are a good number of free markdown editors that are available like cross-platform freebieMarkText, online toolDillinger, browser toolStackEdit, web-basedEditor.md, free Mac editorMacDown, and an editor focused on academic writing calledZettlr.
There are also a good number of freemium and premium options available if you feel like a good editor is worth shelling out for. This article was written inUlysses, a powerful editor that includes iCloud sync between devices, themes for exporting and printing your work, and an integrated revision tool for spotting errors.
Others include the beautifully minimalistTypora, the powerfuliA Writer, no-frills editorByword, longform-focused editorDeepdwn, an editor focused on professional content calledMadoko,
There are also tools aimed at developers like the collaborativeCodiMDandHackMD, plus development environments likeAtomfrom GitHub andVisualStudio Codefrom Microsoft.
There Are Advanced Markdown Formats Too
As is often the case with open-source platform-agnostic formats, Markdown has undergone a bit of fragmentation. Some markdown editors introduce additional syntax, and there have been a few off-shoot markdown implementations that expand on the original set of features.
The most important thing to remember is that the basic syntax that applies to headers, links, unordered lists, and other simple formatting is always the same. The most common implementation of Markdown is known asCommonMark, and it maintains the same rules for a large number ofbasic functions.
On top of this, you may want to find an editor that supports other Markdown implementations such asR Markdownwhich “provides an authoring framework for data science”,Markdown Extrawhich supports things like class names (for stylesheet hooks) and footnotes, andGitHub Flavored Markdownwhich introduces support for mathematical expressions using LaTeX.
