Markdown is a simple syntax for adding formatting to plain text. No menus. No buttons. Just a few easy symbols. This guide covers the essentials — everything you need to write formatted text without ever reaching for a mouse.

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Headings

A # at the start of a line makes a heading. More # symbols means a smaller heading.

# Heading 1 (largest)
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
#### Heading 4

This renders as:

Heading 1

Heading 2

Heading 3

Heading 4

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Bold and Italic

Use asterisks or underscores for bold. Use single asterisks or single underscores for italic.

**bold text**
*italic text*
***bold and italic***

Renders as:

bold text italic text bold and italic

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Lists

Bullet Lists

Start a line with -, *, or + to create a bullet point:

- First item
- Second item
- Third item

Renders as:

• First item
• Second item
• Third item

Numbered Lists

Start with a number and a period:

1. First step
2. Second step
3. Third step

Renders as:

1. First step
2. Second step
3. Third step

Nested Lists

Indent items with two spaces:

- Parent item
  - Child item
  - Another child
- Another parent

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Links

Put the link text in square brackets, then the URL in parentheses:

[Click here](https://openmarkapp.com)
[OpenMark](https://openmarkapp.com)

Renders as:

Click here

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Images

Same as links, but with an ! at the start:

![Alt text](https://example.com/image.jpg)

The alt text (in square brackets) is important — it describes the image for accessibility and appears if the image fails to load.

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Code

For code within a sentence, use backticks:

Use the `function()` to process the data.

Renders as:

Use the function() to process the data.

For a block of code, use three backticks:

function hello() {
  console.log("Hello, world!");
}

You can specify the language for syntax highlighting:

function hello() {
  console.log("Hello, world!");
}

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Blockquotes

Start a line with >:

> This is a quote.
> It can span multiple lines.

Renders as:

This is a quote. It can span multiple lines.

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Horizontal Rules

Three or more dashes, asterisks, or underscores create a divider:

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Line Breaks and Paragraphs

In markdown, a single line break doesn't create a new paragraph. You need a blank line:

This is paragraph one.

This is paragraph two.

If you need to break a line without starting a new paragraph, end the line with two spaces.

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The Next Step

This covers the basics that will handle 90% of what you write in markdown. For a more complete reference including tables, task lists, and strikethrough, see Markdown Quick Reference for a cheat sheet you can bookmark.

If you're interested in more advanced features like LaTeX math formulas and Mermaid diagrams, Markdown for Developers covers those in detail.

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