DocumentsverifiedReviewed 2026-08-08

Markdown

Markdown · text/markdown · .md .markdown

Overview

Markdown uses lightweight punctuation to mark headings, links, lists, and emphasis in plain text. It is designed for readability and conversion to HTML, which makes it the standard for documentation, README files, and developer notes.

Typical use cases

  • Documentation
  • README files
  • Notes and wikis
  • Blog and content source

Advantages

  • Designed for documentation
  • None storage
  • Open specification
  • Browser support: Rendered by many platforms; not a fixed browser format

Disadvantages

  • No fixed layout
  • Rendering differs across implementations
  • Limited control for complex documents

How to open or use it

Open Markdown files with an application that supports text/markdown. Plain-text editing anywhere. For delivery, use a viewer or converter that reads md, markdown.