Quick reference guide for Markdown syntax with examples and previews
# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
#### Heading 4
**bold text**
This is bold
*italic text*
This is italic
***bold and italic***
This is bold and italic
~~strikethrough~~
This is strikethrough
- Item - Item - Item
1. Item 2. Item 3. Item
- Item - Nested item - Nested item
- [ ] Unchecked - [x] Checked
[Link text](URL)
[Link](URL "Title")
`code`
Use console.log() to print
``` code here ```
const x = 10;
console.log(x);
```language code here ```
def hello():
print('Hello')
> Quote
This is a quote
> Line 1 > Line 2
First line of quote Second line of quote
> Quote >> Nested
Main quote
Nested quote
| Col1 | Col2 | |------|------| | A | B |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| John | 25 |
| Jane | 30 |
| Left | Center | Right | |:-----|:------:|------:| | A | B | C |
| Left | Center | Right |
|---|---|---|
| L | C | R |
---
Above
Below
***
Above
Below
Markdown is a lightweight markup language that you can use to add formatting elements to plaintext text documents.
Created by John Gruber in 2004, Markdown is now one of the world's most popular markup languages.
This cheatsheet covers GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM), which includes additional features like tables and task lists.
Escaping: Use backslash (\) to escape Markdown characters: \*not italic\*
Line Breaks: End a line with two spaces for a line break
HTML: You can use HTML tags directly in Markdown
Blank Lines: Use blank lines to separate paragraphs and blocks
A Markdown cheatsheet is a quick reference guide that displays all the essential Markdown syntax elements with examples. It helps writers, developers, and content creators quickly look up the correct syntax for formatting text, creating lists, adding links and images, code blocks, tables, and other Markdown elements without memorizing every command.
This comprehensive cheatsheet covers all essential Markdown syntax including headers (H1-H6), text formatting (bold, italic, strikethrough), lists (ordered, unordered, nested, task lists), links and images, inline and block code, blockquotes, tables with alignment, and horizontal rules. It also includes GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) features like task lists and tables.
Each syntax example in the cheatsheet shows two panels: the Markdown syntax on the left and the rendered preview on the right. You can copy any syntax example using the 'Copy' button next to each item. The examples are ready to use - simply paste them into your Markdown editor and modify as needed. The live preview shows exactly how the syntax will render.
The most commonly used Markdown elements include headers (# for H1, ## for H2, etc.), bold text (**text**), italic text (*text*), unordered lists (- item), ordered lists (1. item), links ([text](url)), images (), inline code (`code`), and code blocks (```code```). These cover the majority of documentation and content creation needs.
GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) is an extension of standard Markdown with additional features commonly used on GitHub. GFM adds support for strikethrough text (~~text~~), task lists (- [ ] todo), tables with column alignment, automatic URL linking, and fenced code blocks with syntax highlighting. This cheatsheet includes all GFM features for comprehensive reference.
Markdown text formatting is simple: use **double asterisks** or __double underscores__ for bold, *single asterisks* or _single underscores_ for italic, ***triple asterisks*** for bold and italic combined, and ~~double tildes~~ for strikethrough. These can be combined and nested for various text styling effects in your documents.
For inline code, wrap text in single backticks: `code`. For code blocks, use triple backticks (```) with an optional language identifier for syntax highlighting: ```javascript. Tables use pipes and hyphens: | Header | Header | followed by |--------|--------| for separators, then | Cell | Cell | for data rows. Use colons for alignment: :--- (left), :---: (center), ---: (right).
Yes, this Markdown cheatsheet is completely safe to use. It is a static reference guide that runs entirely in your browser with no data transmission. There is no server-side processing, no data storage, and no tracking. The copy-to-clipboard functionality only accesses your clipboard when you explicitly click the copy button. Your browsing and reference activities remain completely private.