Markdown to HTML Converter

Convert Markdown to HTML with live preview. Supports headings, lists, code blocks, links, and more. Free converter.

What is Markdown to HTML Converter?

A Markdown to HTML converter transforms Markdown-formatted text into valid HTML that browsers can render. Markdown is the standard writing format for developers — used in GitHub READMEs, documentation, blog posts, and note-taking. It uses simple syntax like # for headings, ** for bold, and - for lists. This tool converts that readable plain-text format into properly structured HTML with semantic tags, making it ready for web pages, email templates, or CMS content fields that require HTML input.

How It Works

The tool processes Markdown syntax using a CommonMark-compliant parser. It converts headings (#) to <h1>-<h6> tags, paragraphs to <p>, emphasis (*italic*, **bold**) to <em> and <strong>, lists (- or 1.) to <ul>/<ol> with <li> items, links [text](url) to <a> tags, images ![alt](src) to <img>, and code blocks to <pre><code>. It handles nested structures, inline HTML passthrough, and extended syntax like tables and task lists. You can view both the raw HTML output and a rendered preview.

Examples

Headings, emphasis and links
Input
## Getting started

Install with **npm** or see the [docs](https://example.com).
Output
<h2>Getting started</h2>
<p>Install with <strong>npm</strong> or see the <a href="https://example.com">docs</a>.</p>
Fenced code block with a language hint
Input
```js
const x = 1;
```
Output
<pre><code class="language-js">const x = 1;
</code></pre>

Common Use Cases

  • •Converting README.md files to HTML for embedding in web pages or documentation sites
  • •Preparing blog posts written in Markdown for CMSs that accept HTML content
  • •Converting technical documentation from Markdown to HTML for self-hosted doc sites
  • •Generating HTML email content from Markdown-formatted drafts
  • •Creating static page content from Markdown files for websites without a build tool
  • •Previewing how Markdown will render before publishing to GitHub, GitLab, or dev.to

Frequently Asked Questions

What Markdown syntax is supported?▼

Full CommonMark specification including headings, emphasis, lists, code blocks, links, images, and tables.

Which Markdown flavour does this follow?▼

CommonMark, plus the GitHub Flavored Markdown extensions people expect in practice: tables, fenced code blocks, strikethrough, task lists and automatic linking. The original 2004 Markdown specification left many cases ambiguous, which is precisely why CommonMark exists.

Is raw HTML inside my Markdown preserved?▼

Yes, Markdown allows inline HTML and it passes through to the output. That is powerful and also a security consideration: if the Markdown came from an untrusted user, the HTML must be sanitised before you render it, or you have an XSS hole.

Why is my list not rendering as a list?▼

Nearly always a blank line problem. A list needs a blank line before it to separate it from the preceding paragraph, and nested items need consistent indentation — two or four spaces, not a mixture. A tab where spaces are expected causes the same symptom.

How do I write a code block with syntax highlighting?▼

Use a fenced block: three backticks, the language name, your code, then three closing backticks. The language becomes a `class="language-x"` attribute on the `<code>` element. The highlighting itself is done by a library such as Prism or highlight.js at display time, not by the conversion.

Are single line breaks preserved?▼

In standard Markdown, no — consecutive lines are joined into one paragraph. To force a break, end the line with two spaces or a backslash, or use `<br>`. Some editors enable a "hard breaks" option that treats every newline as a break, which is why the same file can render differently in different tools.

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