Free Markdown to HTML Converter
A writing workflow built on Markdown
Markdown is a way of writing formatted text with plain symbols: a hash for a heading, asterisks for bold, a hyphen for a list item. Many writers like it because it keeps your hands on the keyboard and your files readable anywhere. The catch is that web pages need HTML. This converter bridges the gap. Type or paste Markdown on one side, see a live preview, and copy clean HTML or download it as a file. Everything runs in your browser.
Markdown cheat sheet
| You type | You get |
|---|---|
# Heading | The top-level heading |
## Subheading | A second-level heading |
**bold** and *italic* | Bold and italic text |
[text](https://example.com) | A link |
 | An image with alternative text |
- item or 1. item | Bulleted or numbered lists |
> quote | A blockquote |
| Backticks around code | Inline code, or a code block with three |
Getting the HTML into WordPress
- Convert your Markdown here and click Copy HTML.
- In the WordPress editor, add a Custom HTML block.
- Paste the HTML and preview the page.
Alternatively, paste the HTML into the code editor view of a classic post. Remember that your theme controls the styling, so the output will look like the rest of your site, because the converter produces plain, semantic tags with no inline styles.
Heading levels matter
A page should have one main heading, the H1, which is usually the post title that your theme already outputs. If your Markdown also starts with a single hash heading, you may end up with two H1s. Many writers begin their Markdown body with second-level headings, using two hashes, and let the title be the H1. Check the document outline, and do not skip levels, for example jumping from H2 to H4, because screen readers and search engines use the heading structure to understand the page.
Tables, code blocks and other extras
Basic Markdown has no tables or task lists, but widely used extended versions add them. This converter understands pipe tables, fenced code blocks and strikethrough, which is what most AI chat tools and developer sites use. Other flavours differ in small ways, such as how they handle line breaks and nested lists, so if you paste text from a different system and something looks off, adjust the Markdown rather than the HTML.
Converting AI chat answers for your site
ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini all write in Markdown, which makes this tool a good bridge for turning drafts into web content. Two cautions. First, always edit and fact-check the result. Second, clean up anything that does not belong, such as stray emoji or overly chatty openings. If you only want plain text without the formatting symbols, the AI text cleaner removes them, and if you need a Word file, use the Markdown to Word converter.
A complete example
This short Markdown: a hash and a title, a line of text with a bold word, a hyphen list of two items, and a link, becomes HTML with an h1, a paragraph with a strong tag, an unordered list and an anchor. Type it in the left box and watch the preview on the right to see it update line by line. Switch to the HTML code tab to read the tags. It is the quickest way to learn what each piece of Markdown produces.
Wrapping in a full page
Tick Wrap in a full HTML page to get a complete document with a doctype, head and body, ready to save as an .html file and open in a browser. This is handy for quick documents, handouts and notes you want to share as a single file. For real websites, copy just the body content instead and let your theme provide the rest.
Common problems
- Lists do not appear because there is no blank line before them.
- Headings do not work because a space after the hash is missing.
- A line break is lost because Markdown joins lines in a paragraph unless you leave a blank line.
- Special characters look odd, so check that your page uses UTF-8.
Accessibility and safe output
- Always write meaningful alt text for images, not the file name.
- Use descriptive link text, not click here.
- Raw HTML typed into the Markdown is escaped rather than run, so a stray script tag cannot do anything.
- Link addresses are checked, and unsafe schemes are not turned into clickable links.
FAQ
A lightweight way to format plain text using simple symbols, widely used in documentation, chat apps and AI tools.
Yes. Use pipe-separated rows with a dashed line under the header.
Yes. Tick Wrap in a full HTML page and download the .html file.
No. It is escaped for safety and shown as text.
No. Conversion happens in your browser.
It uses plain semantic tags and escapes raw HTML typed into the Markdown. Still, preview the page after pasting, as your theme controls the styling.