Markdown cheat sheet

This page lists the Markdown you will use most, in one place. Each element shows the source first, then how it renders. Everything here is CommonMark unless it is marked as GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM).

Headings

Start a line with one to six # characters, then a space. One # is the top level.

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3

Result: headings are not rendered here, because they would mix into this page’s own outline. # Heading 1 becomes the largest heading, ### Heading 3 a smaller one. The space after the # is required in CommonMark: #Heading is a plain paragraph.

Emphasis

Use one asterisk or underscore for italic, two for bold, three for both.

*italic* or _italic_, **bold** or __bold__, ***bold italic***

Result:

italic or italic, bold or bold, bold italic

Strikethrough (GFM)

~~No longer true~~

Result:

No longer true

Paragraphs and line breaks

A blank line starts a new paragraph. A single line break inside a paragraph is treated as a space. To force a line break, end the line with a backslash or two spaces.

First line\
Second line, same paragraph.

A new paragraph.

Result:

First line
Second line, same paragraph.

A new paragraph.

Blockquotes

> Quoted text.
>
> > A nested quote.

Result:

Quoted text.

A nested quote.

Lists

Use -, * or + for bullets and a number with . or ) for ordered lists. Indent nested items to line up with the parent’s text. See Markdown lists for the full rules.

- Apples
- Pears
  - Williams

1. First
2. Second

Result:

• Apples
• Pears
  • Williams

1. First
2. Second

Task lists (GFM)

- [x] Write the draft
- [ ] Review it

Result:

• Write the draft
• Review it

Links

[CommonMark](https://commonmark.org "The spec") and <https://github.github.com/gfm/>

Result:

CommonMark and https://github.github.com/gfm/

In GFM, a bare www. or https:// address also becomes a link without the angle brackets.

Images

An image is a link with ! in front. The text in brackets is the alt text.

![A hash sign on a yellow highlighter stroke](/favicon.svg)

Result:

Code

Wrap inline code in backticks. For a block, put three backticks on the lines before and after, with an optional language name.

Run `ls -la` in the terminal.

```js
console.log("hello");
```

Result:

Run ls -la in the terminal.

console.log("hello");

Tables (GFM)

| Name  | Price |
|-------|------:|
| Basic |     0 |
| Pro   | 12.99 |

Result:

Horizontal rule

Three or more -, * or _ on their own line. Leave a blank line above ---, or the line above becomes a heading.

Text above.

---

Result:

Text above.

Escaping characters

A backslash turns a Markdown character into plain text.

\*not italic\* and \# not a heading

Result:

*not italic* and # not a heading

Footnotes

Footnotes are not part of CommonMark or the GFM spec, but GitHub and many other apps support them.

Markdown was created in 2004.[^1]

[^1]: By John Gruber, with Aaron Swartz.

Result: not rendered here, because a footnote adds its own section to the end of the page. The sentence gets a small superscript number that links to the note, and the note links back to the sentence.

Where it works

Headings, emphasis, paragraphs, blockquotes, lists, links, images, code and escapes are CommonMark. Every app that follows CommonMark renders them the same way.

Tables, task lists, strikethrough and bare-URL autolinks come from GFM. GitHub and GitLab render all of them. Obsidian renders tables, task lists and strikethrough. The built-in Markdown preview in VS Code renders tables and strikethrough; for task lists and footnotes there, check your version and extensions. Footnotes work on GitHub, GitLab and in Obsidian. For any other app, check your app.

If you want to read .md files like these without the raw syntax, Markko shows them formatted on a Mac and in Quick Look.

FAQ

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