Online Markdown Editor with Live Preview
Write Markdown and review the rendered preview beside your source. Use the editor to draft headings, lists, links, and formatted text.
Markdown Editor
Welcome! This is a powerful and simple markdown editor.
Features
- Live Preview: See changes instantly
- Responsive Design: Works on any device
- Easy Formatting: Standard markdown support
Code Example
console.log('Hello, toolk!');
"Markdown is a text-to-HTML conversion tool for web writers."
Markdown Editor with Live Preview: Write and See It Render
Write Markdown and review the rendered preview beside your source. Use the editor to draft headings, lists, links, and formatted text. Markdown renderers differ in their support for tables, task lists, and other extensions. Check the final output in the destination renderer before publishing. A local preview is a drafting aid, not a guarantee that every platform will display the document identically.
How to use the Markdown editor
- Type or paste Markdown into the Markdown Input box on the left — the live preview updates on every keystroke.
- Pick a view mode: Write for source only, Preview for rendered output only, or Split to see both side by side (Split shows on screens 1024px and wider).
- Watch the character count in the input header to keep READMEs, comments, or posts within length limits.
- Press Copy to send the Markdown source to your clipboard for pasting into a
.mdfile, GitHub, or a CMS. - Press Clear (with confirm) to empty the editor and start fresh.
What is Markdown and how does the preview work?
Markdown is a lightweight markup language created by John Gruber in 2004 to write formatted text using punctuation that reads cleanly even as plain source. A # becomes a heading, *stars* become emphasis, and a blank line starts a new paragraph. Because the source stays readable, Markdown is the default for GitHub READMEs, technical docs, static-site generators, and chat apps. The unambiguous rules are defined by the CommonMark specification, which this editor follows.
Under the hood the preview is rendered by the react-markdown library, which parses your text against CommonMark and outputs React elements — no dangerouslySetInnerHTML and no round-trip to a server. Parsing happens on every change, so what you see is exactly what a CommonMark renderer produces. To convert finished text into a standalone HTML file, send it to the Markdown to HTML converter.
Worked examples: Markdown → rendered output
Heading + bold + link
# Setup Run npm install then see the [docs](https://example.com).
Renders an h1 "Setup", a paragraph with bold npm install, and a clickable "docs" link.
Fenced code block
```js console.log('hi'); ```
Renders a monospaced code block; the js info string labels the language but does not add color highlighting here.
Nested list + blockquote
- Item - Sub-item > A quote
Renders a bulleted list with one indented sub-item, followed by an indented blockquote.
Edge case · GFM syntax renders as literal text
Typing a pipe table (| A | B |), a task list (- [x] done), or strikethrough (~~old~~) does not render — you will see the raw characters. Those are GFM extensions, not CommonMark, and this preview is CommonMark-only. Build tables with the Markdown Table Generator instead.
CommonMark syntax reference
These elements all render in the live preview. The right-hand column shows the type the parser produces.
| Element | Markdown syntax | Renders as |
|---|---|---|
| Heading | # to ###### Title | h1–h6 element |
| Bold / italic | **bold** *italic* | strong / em |
| Unordered list | - item | ul / li |
| Ordered list | 1. item | ol / li |
| Link | [text](url) | a href |
| Image |  | img |
| Inline code | `code` | code |
| Code block | ```lang ... ``` | pre > code |
| Blockquote | > quote | blockquote |
| Horizontal rule | --- | hr |
| Table (GFM) | | A | B | | literal text (not rendered) |
| Task list (GFM) | - [x] done | plain list item, no checkbox |
| Strikethrough (GFM) | ~~text~~ | literal tildes (not rendered) |
The CommonMark vs GFM gotcha most editors hide
GFM is a strict superset of CommonMark: it adds five extensions — tables, task lists, strikethrough, extended autolinks, and improved multi-paragraph list handling — on top of the core spec. This editor renders the CommonMark core only, so any GFM-specific syntax shows up as raw characters in the preview. According to the GitHub Flavored Markdown spec, the tables section is literally titled "Tables (extension)" precisely because it is not part of standard Markdown.
Practical rule: any valid CommonMark document renders identically on GitHub, but a GitHub README using tables or checkboxes will not preview faithfully in a CommonMark-only tool. If your target is GitHub, build the table with the Markdown Table Generator, generate a navigation index with the Markdown Table of Contents generator, then paste the result into your .md file.
Where Markdown is used
Markdown drives most developer and writer workflows because the source stays version-control friendly and diffs cleanly. Common destinations:
Code & docs
- GitHub / GitLab README and issue comments
- API and library documentation
- Static-site generators (Next.js MDX, Hugo, Jekyll)
- Wikis and changelogs
Writing & content
- Blog posts and newsletters
- Note apps (Obsidian, Notion export)
- Chat formatting (Slack, Discord, Reddit)
- Forum and Q&A posts
Need to check length before posting? Run the draft through the Word Counter, fix casing in headings with the Case Converter, or turn a heading into a clean slug with the URL Slug Generator.
Related Markdown & text tools
Convert Markdown into clean HTML markup
Markdown Table GeneratorBuild GFM pipe tables visually
Markdown TOCGenerate a table of contents from headings
Word CounterCount words, characters & reading time
Case ConverterFix heading and title capitalization
Find & ReplaceSwap text across your Markdown source
Text SorterAlphabetize list lines and bullets
URL Slug GeneratorTurn a heading into a clean URL slug
HTML FormatterBeautify the HTML you export
Lorem Ipsum GeneratorFill layouts with placeholder text
Guide: Markdown SyntaxRead the full Markdown syntax guide
Guide: Text Tools for CreatorsThe text-processing workflow guide
All ToolsBrowse the full Toolk tool hub
Last updated: September 15, 2026
Frequently asked questions
Does the preview support GitHub Flavored Markdown?
No — rendering follows the CommonMark spec, so GFM tables, task lists, strikethrough, and bare-URL autolinks show as literal text rather than formatted output. That is a faithful preview of what strict CommonMark parsers will produce; build GFM tables with Toolk’s Markdown Table Generator (/tools/markdown-table-generator) instead.
How do I turn the draft into HTML?
This editor copies the Markdown source itself. Paste the text into Toolk’s Markdown to HTML converter (/tools/markdown-to-html) when you need markup, then run the result through the HTML Formatter if you want it re-indented for a template file.
Is my writing stored or uploaded anywhere?
No. Parsing and preview rendering happen entirely in your browser tab, and Toolk’s page analytics do not receive your document. Nothing is persisted between visits either — copy your work out before closing the tab, since refreshing starts a blank page.
Why did my table or strikethrough not render as expected?
Because both are GFM extensions, the CommonMark preview shows them literally. The underlying Markdown source is still correct — it will render on platforms like GitHub that enable GFM by default, just not in this strictly spec-compliant pane.