Markdown Editor
MARKDOWN
PREVIEW
Welcome to Markdown Editor
Features
- Live preview
- Bold and italic text
- Links
Code blocks- Lists and more!
Try editing this text!
Markdown Syntax Cheatsheet
# H1 - Heading 1## H2 - Heading 2**bold** - Bold text*italic* - Italic text[link](url) - Link - Image`code` - Inline code```code``` - Code block- item - Unordered list1. item - Ordered list> quote - Blockquote--- - Horizontal ruleHow It Works
Markdown is a lightweight markup language created by John Gruber in 2004 with the philosophy that it should be readable in plain text form without rendering, unlike HTML. Markdown syntax maps to HTML elements: # creates , ** creates , [text](url) creates , and so on.
, ** creates , [text](url) creates , and so on.
This editor uses a Markdown parser (typically marked.js or a similar library) to convert Markdown syntax to HTML in real time as you type. The split-pane interface shows the raw Markdown source on the left and the rendered HTML output on the right, updating with each keystroke.
The parser handles all CommonMark specification elements plus GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) extensions: tables, strikethrough, task list checkboxes, and fenced code blocks with language-specific syntax highlighting. The rendered output uses CSS to match common documentation styles, giving an accurate preview of how the Markdown will appear when published.
Use Cases
1. README File Writing
GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket repositories display README.md files as rendered Markdown on repository home pages. Developers write and preview README files in a Markdown editor to ensure proper formatting before committing. A live preview catches syntax errors (unrendered asterisks, broken link syntax) before they reach production.
2. Documentation Drafting
Technical documentation sites using static site generators (Docusaurus, MkDocs, Hugo, Jekyll) store content as Markdown files. Writing in a live preview editor allows technical writers to work with the final output in mind, formatting tables, code blocks, and callouts correctly.
3. Blog Post Composition
Many blogging platforms (Ghost, DEV.to, Hashnode) accept Markdown for post composition. Writing in a dedicated editor with preview provides a cleaner writing environment than platform editors and allows drafts to be saved locally as .md files before publishing.
4. Note-Taking and Knowledge Management
Markdown note-taking systems like Obsidian, Notion (partial), and Bear store notes as Markdown. An online editor is useful for quickly drafting and formatting notes before importing them, or for writing Markdown when you're away from your primary note-taking app.
5. Learning Markdown Syntax
New users learning Markdown benefit enormously from a live preview editor where they can see the effect of each syntax element immediately. The instant feedback accelerates learning compared to writing blind and refreshing a GitHub page to see results.
GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket repositories display README.md files as rendered Markdown on repository home pages. Developers write and preview README files in a Markdown editor to ensure proper formatting before committing. A live preview catches syntax errors (unrendered asterisks, broken link syntax) before they reach production.
2. Documentation Drafting
Technical documentation sites using static site generators (Docusaurus, MkDocs, Hugo, Jekyll) store content as Markdown files. Writing in a live preview editor allows technical writers to work with the final output in mind, formatting tables, code blocks, and callouts correctly.
3. Blog Post Composition
Many blogging platforms (Ghost, DEV.to, Hashnode) accept Markdown for post composition. Writing in a dedicated editor with preview provides a cleaner writing environment than platform editors and allows drafts to be saved locally as .md files before publishing.
4. Note-Taking and Knowledge Management
Markdown note-taking systems like Obsidian, Notion (partial), and Bear store notes as Markdown. An online editor is useful for quickly drafting and formatting notes before importing them, or for writing Markdown when you're away from your primary note-taking app.
5. Learning Markdown Syntax
New users learning Markdown benefit enormously from a live preview editor where they can see the effect of each syntax element immediately. The instant feedback accelerates learning compared to writing blind and refreshing a GitHub page to see results.
Tips & Best Practices
• Use heading hierarchy properly: Don't use ## just because you want a certain visual size—use it because it represents a second-level section in your document hierarchy. Screen readers and documentation indexers rely on proper heading structure.
• Fenced code blocks with language hints: Use backtick-fenced code blocks with a language identifier (```javascript) instead of indented code blocks. Language hints enable syntax highlighting in renderers that support it.
• Tables need separator rows: Markdown tables require a separator row with dashes between the header and body rows. Without it, the table won't render.
• Escape special characters when needed: If you need literal asterisks, brackets, or backticks in your text (not as Markdown syntax), prefix them with a backslash: \* \[ \`.
• Check rendering in target platform: Different platforms implement Markdown slightly differently. Always verify rendering in your target platform (GitHub, blog, docs site) since some extensions or features may not be supported.
• Fenced code blocks with language hints: Use backtick-fenced code blocks with a language identifier (```javascript) instead of indented code blocks. Language hints enable syntax highlighting in renderers that support it.
• Tables need separator rows: Markdown tables require a separator row with dashes between the header and body rows. Without it, the table won't render.
• Escape special characters when needed: If you need literal asterisks, brackets, or backticks in your text (not as Markdown syntax), prefix them with a backslash: \* \[ \`.
• Check rendering in target platform: Different platforms implement Markdown slightly differently. Always verify rendering in your target platform (GitHub, blog, docs site) since some extensions or features may not be supported.