Markdown Syntax Guide: Every Format You Need
This guide covers all the Markdown formatting syntax you'll ever need, from basic text styling to advanced layout techniques. Each section includes copy-paste examples.
Line Breaks & New Lines
One of the most common questions in Markdown: how to add a line break. Unlike word processors, pressing Enter once doesn't create a new line in rendered Markdown.
This is line one.··(two spaces at end)
This is line two.
— OR use a backslash —
This is line one.\
This is line two.
— OR use HTML —
This is line one.<br>
This is line two.New paragraph: Simply leave a blank line between two blocks of text.
Blockquotes
Use the > character to create blockquotes. Great for citing sources or highlighting important information.
> This is a blockquote.
> It can span multiple lines.
> **Nested quote**
>> This is a nested blockquote.
> Blockquotes can contain other **Markdown** formatting:
> - Lists
> - *Emphasis*
> - `Code`Bold, Italic & Underline
**Bold text** → bold
*Italic text* → italic
***Bold and italic*** → both
__Bold with underscores__
_Italic with underscores_
Underline: <u>underlined text</u> (HTML tag)Note: Standard Markdown doesn't have native underline syntax. Use the HTML <u> tag.
Bullet Points & Lists
## Unordered lists
- Dash items
* Asterisk items
+ Plus items
## Nested lists
- Parent item
- Child item
- Grandchild
## Ordered lists
1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item
## Task lists (GitHub-flavored)
- [x] Done
- [ ] Not doneHorizontal Rules
Create visual dividers using three or more dashes, asterisks, or underscores:
---
***
___Text Alignment & Centering
Markdown doesn't have native centering. Use HTML for centered text:
<div align="center">
This text is centered.
</div>
—or—
<center>Centered text</center>Comments in Markdown
Markdown has no official comment syntax, but these workarounds are widely used:
[comment]: <> (This is a comment, won't appear in output)
<!-- HTML comment also works -->
[//]: # (Another comment style)Subscript & Superscript
Standard Markdown doesn't support sub/superscript natively. Use HTML:
H<sub>2</sub>O → H₂O
E = mc<sup>2</sup> → E = mc²Indentation
## Code indentation
Four spaces or one tab creates a code block.
## List indentation
- Parent
- Two spaces for child
- Four spaces for grandchild
## Paragraph indentation
Indented with HTML non-breaking spaces.Tables
| Left | Center | Right |
|:-----|:------:|------:|
| L1 | C1 | R1 |
| L2 | C2 | R2 |Convert Your Markdown
After writing your Markdown, convert it to professional output:
- Markdown → PDF — Styled documents
- Markdown → Word — Editable .docx
- Markdown → HTML — Web-ready HTML
- Markdown → Image — Shareable PNG