Markdown cheat sheet

Headings

Use one to six `#` symbols at the start of a line. The number of hashes sets the heading level.

Keep one H1 per document and nest the rest in order. Clear heading hierarchy helps readers, search engines, and AI tools understand structure.

Bold, italic, and strikethrough

Lists and task lists

Use `-`, `*`, or `+` for bullet lists, and numbers for ordered lists. Indent to nest. GitHub Flavored Markdown adds task lists with `- [ ]` and `- [x]`.

- Bullet item
  - Nested item
1. First step
2. Second step

- [ ] Open task
- [x] Completed task

Links and images

Links wrap text in square brackets followed by the URL in parentheses. Images use the same pattern with a leading `!`.

[Link text](https://example.com)
[Link with title](https://example.com "Tooltip")
![Alt text](/path/to/image.png)

[Reference link][ref]
[ref]: https://example.com

Always write descriptive alt text for images. It improves accessibility and SEO.

Code blocks

Wrap inline code in single backticks. For multi-line code, use three backticks (a fenced code block) and add a language name for syntax highlighting.

```js
function hello() {
  return "hi";
}
```

Blockquotes and rules

Start a line with `>` for a blockquote. Use three or more dashes on their own line for a horizontal rule.

> This is a quote.
>> Nested quote.

---

Tables

Use pipes `|` to separate columns and a row of dashes to mark the header. Colons set column alignment: `:---` left, `:---:` center, `---:` right.

| Name  | Role    | Count |
| :---- | :-----: | ----: |
| Alice | Admin   |    12 |
| Bob   | Editor  |     7 |

Tables are part of GitHub Flavored Markdown. You can build and preview them instantly in the online Markdown editor.

Escaping characters

To show a Markdown character literally, put a backslash before it. For example, `\*not italic\*` renders as plain text with asterisks instead of italics. This is useful when writing about Markdown syntax itself.

Standard Markdown vs GitHub Flavored Markdown

Core Markdown (CommonMark) covers headings, emphasis, lists, links, images, code, and blockquotes. GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) adds tables, task lists, strikethrough, and automatic URL links. Most modern tools, including Markdown Docs, support both, but very simple renderers may only handle the core syntax.

Practice with a live preview

The fastest way to learn Markdown is to type it and watch it render. Open the Markdown Docs online editor to test this cheat sheet, or download Markdown Docs to edit `.md` files on Windows with live preview. For more, see online Markdown editing and opening .md files on Windows.

Related references

• CommonMark specification for standard Markdown syntax.
• GitHub Flavored Markdown spec for GFM extensions like tables and task lists.