Markdown Cheat Sheet - Complete Syntax Reference
The ultimate Markdown syntax reference. Learn headings, lists, links, images, code blocks, tables, and advanced formatting.
What is Markdown?
Markdown is a lightweight markup language created by John Gruber in 2004. It lets you write formatted text using plain text syntax that's easy to read and write. Markdown is used everywhere — GitHub, Reddit, Stack Overflow, documentation sites, and note-taking apps like Notion and Obsidian.
Basic Syntax
- Headings - Use # for h1, ## for h2, ### for h3 (up to ######)
- Bold - Wrap text with **double asterisks** or __double underscores__
- Italic - Wrap text with *single asterisks* or _single underscores_
- Links - [link text](URL) creates a clickable link
- Images -  embeds an image
- Code - Use backticks for inline code, triple backticks for code blocks
Lists and Blockquotes
Unordered lists use -, *, or + as bullet markers. Ordered lists use numbers followed by periods. Nest lists by indenting with 2-4 spaces. Blockquotes use > at the start of a line and can be nested with >>.
Tables
Markdown tables use pipes (|) and hyphens (-) to create rows and columns. Align columns with colons in the separator row — :--- for left, :---: for center, ---: for right alignment.
Try It Live
Practice and preview Markdown in real-time with our Markdown Editor. It features live preview, syntax highlighting, and export to HTML. Perfect for writing documentation, README files, or blog posts.