Markdown cheat sheet
Keep it open while you write, and the syntax is always at hand.
PrivateNo uploadsRuns in your browserBasic syntax
The original 2004 syntax. Every Markdown app renders these.
Heading
# Heading 1 ## Heading 2 ### Heading 3Heading 1
Heading 2
Heading 3
Put a space after the # and a blank line before and after the heading. Up to six levels.
Alternate heading
Heading 1 ========= Heading 2 ---------Heading 1
Heading 2
Any number of = or - under the text; only levels 1 and 2.
Bold
**bold text**bold text
Use asterisks inside a word: Love**is**bold.
Italic
*italic text*italic text
Inside a word use asterisks, not underscores: A*cat*meow.
Bold and italic
***really important***really important
Blockquote
> A quote. > > Second paragraph, nested: >> Deeper.A quote.
Second paragraph, nested:
Deeper.
Blank lines before and after. Headings, lists and code work inside.
Ordered list
1. First item 2. Second item 3. Third item- First item
- Second item
- Third item
Numbers need not be in order; the first one sets the start.
Unordered list
- First item - Second item - Nested item- First item
- Second item
- Nested item
Use one marker (-, * or +) per list. Indent two spaces to nest.
Code
Run `npm install` first.Run
npm installfirst.Backticks inside code: ``a `literal` backtick``.
Code block
indented four spaces is a code blockindented four spaces is a code blockHorizontal rule
---Blank lines around it, or it becomes a heading.
Link
[sdev tools](https://www.sdev.in/tools "Browser tools")The title in quotes is optional. Replace spaces in a URL with %20.
Autolink
<https://www.sdev.in>Image
Wrap it in a link to make it clickable: [](https://…).
Line break
Two spaces at the end break the line.<br>So does the br tag.Two spaces at the end
break the line.
So does the br tag.Trailing spaces are easy to miss; <br> is the visible option. A backslash at the end works in CommonMark.
Escaping
\* Not a bullet 1968\. Not a list \# Not a heading* Not a bullet
1968. Not a list
# Not a heading
A backslash shows the next punctuation mark literally.
Extended syntax
Added by CommonMark, GitHub Flavored Markdown and others. Most apps render most of them.
Table
| Syntax | Description | | --- | --- | | Header | Title | | Paragraph | Text |Syntax Description Header Title Paragraph Text Cell widths need not line up. Show a pipe inside a cell with |.
Table alignment
| Left | Center | Right | | :--- | :---: | ---: | | a | b | c |Left Center Right a b c Fenced code block
```json { "name": "sdev", "tools": 60 } ```{ "name": "sdev", "tools": 60 }Three backticks or tildes, no indenting. The language after the fence enables highlighting where supported.
Footnote
A claim with a footnote.[^1] [^1]: The footnote text.Heading ID
### My heading {#custom-id} Jump to [the heading](#custom-id).My heading
Jump to the heading.
Definition list
First term : Definition of the first term. Second term : One definition. : Another definition.- First term
- Definition of the first term.
- Second term
- One definition.
- Another definition.
Strikethrough
~~The world is flat.~~ We now know it is round.The world is flat.We now know it is round.Task list
- [x] Write the press release - [ ] Update the website - [ ] Contact the media- Write the press release
- Update the website
- Contact the media
Emoji
Gone camping! :tent: Be back soon. :joy:Gone camping! ⛺ Be back soon. 😂
Shortcode names vary between apps; pasting the emoji itself always works.
Highlight
I need to highlight these ==very important words==.I need to highlight these very important words.
Subscript
H~2~OH2O
Some apps use a single tilde for strikethrough instead.
Superscript
X^2^X2
Reference link
See the [tools page][tools] and the [docs]. [tools]: https://www.sdev.in/tools [docs]: https://www.sdev.in/courses "Courses"See the tools page and the docs.
Keeps long URLs out of the sentence. Definitions can sit anywhere in the document.
Plain URL
Linked: https://www.sdev.in Not linked: `https://www.sdev.in`Linked: https://www.sdev.in
Not linked:
https://www.sdev.inBare URLs become links; wrap one in backticks to keep it as text.
Hacks syntax
Plain HTML and entities for what Markdown has no syntax for.
Underline
Some words <ins>will be underlined</ins>.Some words will be underlined.
Keyboard key
Press <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> + <kbd>S</kbd> to save.Press Ctrl + S to save.
Indent
An indented first line.An indented first line.
Markdown has no tab indent; non-breaking spaces are the last resort.
Comment
Visible paragraph. [This comment is hidden.]: # Another visible paragraph.Visible paragraph.
Another visible paragraph.
Blank lines before and after the comment line.
Admonition
> :warning: **Warning:** Do not push the big red button. > :bulb: **Tip:** Blockquotes with an emoji and bold stand in for callouts.⚠️ Warning: Do not push the big red button. 💡 Tip: Blockquotes with an emoji and bold stand in for callouts.
Image caption
 *The sdev logo, as a caption in italics.*
The sdev logo, as a caption in italics.Symbols
Copy © 2026 · 25°C · → ← π €Copy © 2026 · 25°C · → ← π €
Any HTML character entity works, or paste the symbol itself.
Line break in a table
| Syntax | Description | | --- | --- | | Paragraph | First line.<br>Second line. |Syntax Description Paragraph First line.
Second line.Table of contents
- [Install](#install) - [Usage](#usage) ## Install ## Usage
Specifications
For the busy writer
Every mark on one page.
Mid-draft. Arun needs a table and finds it in seconds.
BeforeSearching for that one symbol
With sdevFind it, copy it, carry on
On the go
The sheet is right there on his commute.
Back to writing
He never loses his flow.
How to use the cheat sheet
Find the element
Jump to Basic, Extended or Hacks. Each row shows the name, the Markdown source and the rendered result side by side, with a note where apps differ.
Copy or insert
Copy the source with the button under the name, or use the Insert button on the same sheet under the Markdown editor to drop it at the cursor.
Learn the rest
New to Markdown? The lessons take twenty minutes and the quiz checks what stuck; this sheet is step three, for looking things up later.
Good to know
- Space after the # in headings, blank lines around headings, lists, quotes, rules and code blocks. Processors disagree when they touch.
- Emphasis inside a word needs asterisks: Love**is**bold. Underscores in the middle of a word are left alone by many processors.
- Do not indent paragraphs. Four spaces or a tab at the start of a line is a code block.
- One bullet character per list. Switching between -, * and + mid-list starts a new list in some processors.
- A line that starts with a number and a period becomes a list. Write 1968\. to keep it as text.
- Spaces in a URL break the link: use %20, or put the whole URL in angle brackets.
- Only attribute-less inline tags such as <br>, <sub>, <kbd> and <ins> pass through here. For centred or coloured text, image sizes and link targets, switch to the HTML tab.
- Markdown inside HTML blocks is not processed. Keep the two on separate lines with a blank line between.
Where people use it
Quick look while writing
Find the syntax for a table, a link or a code block in seconds.
Extended syntax
See task lists, footnotes and fenced code with the result next to each.
Try it out
Paste a line into the editor and see it rendered.
Markdown editor and previewLearn it properly
Short lessons with exercises teach the whole thing step by step.
Learn Markdown
Why this one
Every example shows the plain text and the finished result together, so you see what each mark does.
- Source and result side by side.
- Basic, extended and handy HTML tricks on one page.
- Easy to read on a phone.
People find this page by searching
- markdown cheat sheet
- markdown syntax
- markdown table syntax
- markdown link syntax
- markdown code block
- markdown bold and italic
- markdown image syntax
- markdown checkbox
Cite this tool
- APA
sdev.in. (n.d.). Markdown cheat sheet [Web tool]. https://www.sdev.in/tools/markdown-cheat-sheet
- MLA
"Markdown cheat sheet." sdev.in, https://www.sdev.in/tools/markdown-cheat-sheet.
- Chicago
sdev.in. "Markdown cheat sheet." https://www.sdev.in/tools/markdown-cheat-sheet.
- BibTeX
@misc{sdev-markdown-cheat-sheet, title = {Markdown cheat sheet}, author = {{sdev.in}}, howpublished = {\url{https://www.sdev.in/tools/markdown-cheat-sheet}}, note = {Web tool} }
Questions people ask
What is the difference between basic and extended syntax?
Basic is the syntax from the original 2004 design: headings, emphasis, lists, quotes, code, links, images and rules. Every Markdown app renders it. Extended elements such as tables, fenced code, footnotes, task lists and strikethrough were added later, and support varies by app.
Will these render in my app?
Basic syntax, yes. For extended syntax check the note under the element and test in the app you write for; each app picks a slightly different set. Hacks rely on the app allowing inline HTML.
How do I use a snippet?
Copy it with the button next to its name, or open the Markdown editor, where the same sheet sits under the editor with an Insert button that drops the element at the cursor.
Where is the full specification?
The links at the bottom go to the original syntax description, the CommonMark specification and the GitHub Flavored Markdown specification, which are the sources this sheet follows.