The Complete Markdown Cheat Sheet (2026)

Every syntax, no fluff. Left = you write, right = you get.

Headings

Syntax	Result
# Heading 1	Heading 1
## Heading 2	Heading 2
### Heading 3	Heading 3
#### Heading 4	Heading 4
##### Heading 5	Heading 5
###### Heading 6	Heading 6

Text Formatting

Syntax	Result
bold	bold
italic	italic
bold italic	bold italic
strikethrough	strikethrough
inline code	inline code
==highlight==	highlight

Blockquote

Syntax	Result
> quote	quote
>> nested	nested

Lists

Syntax	Result
- item	• item
- nested	• nested
1. item	1. item
1. nested	1. nested
- [x] done	✅ done
- [ ] todo	⬜ todo

Links

Syntax	Result
text	text
text	text
anchor	anchor
	https://auto.com

Images

Syntax	Result
	image with alt text
	clickable image

Code

Syntax	Result
`code\	code
```lang\nblock\n``\	block

Tables (GFM)

Syntax	Result
| H1 | H2 |\n|----|----|\n| a | b |	H1	H2
a	b

Horizontal Rule

Syntax	Result
---

Footnotes

Syntax	Result
text[^1]\n\n[^1]: note	text1 ¹ note

Math / LaTeX

Syntax	Result
$E = mc^2$	E = mc²
$$\int x dx$$	∫ x dx

Definition List

Syntax	Result
Term\n: def	Termdef

Emoji

Syntax	Result
:smile: :heart: :rocket:	😄 ❤️ 🚀
:fire: :star: :thumbsup:	🔥 ⭐ 👍
:check: :x: :warning:	✅ ❌ ⚠️

Escaping

Syntax	Result
\*not italic	not italic
\# not heading	# not heading
\- not list	- not list

HTML in Markdown

Syntax	Result
Ctrl	Ctrl
H2O	H2O
x2	x2

Comments

Syntax	Result
[//]: # (hidden)	(nothing renders)
	(nothing renders)

Front Matter

Syntax	Result
---\ntitle: ...\n---	metadata, not rendered

Flavor Support

Feature	Basic MD	GFM	Pandoc
Tables	❌	✅	✅
Task list	❌	✅	✅
Strikethrough	❌	✅	✅
Footnotes	❌	❌	✅
Math	❌	✅	✅
Emoji	❌	✅	✅
Highlight	❌	❌	✅
Def list	❌	❌	✅

Convert

• Markdown → PDF
• Markdown → HTML
• Markdown → LaTeX

FAQ

Markdown vs GFM?

GFM = standard Markdown + tables, task lists, strikethrough, fenced code. Most tools support GFM.

Can I mix HTML?

Yes. Use HTML when Markdown isn't enough. GitHub strips <script>.

Syntax not rendering?

Check: blank lines around blocks, spaces not tabs, your tool's flavor.