Documents conversion
Convert TXT to Markdown
Updated Jul 2026
TXT is plain text with no formatting at all, and Markdown is plain text too, but with a light syntax for headings, bold, and lists that many apps understand. To convert TXT to Markdown, open the file in a converter and save it with a .md extension, escaping any characters that could be misread as formatting. It can be done on your own computer without uploading anything.
- Extension
- .txt
- Type
- Documents
- Typically
- Plain text files
- Extension
- .md
- Type
- Documents
- Typically
- Docs, READMEs, notes
Convert TXT to Markdown on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert TXT to Markdown
- Open Morphjet and drag in the TXT file you want to convert, or a whole folder of notes at once.
- Choose Markdown as the output format.
- Convert. The .md files are written next to your originals, and nothing leaves your machine.
TXT vs Markdown: what actually changes
| TXT | Markdown | |
|---|---|---|
| File size | Plain text, no overhead | Plain text, nearly identical size |
| Quality | Lossless, exactly what you typed | Lossless, though stray asterisks or pound signs may need escaping so they don't read as formatting |
| Formatting support | None, just lines of text | Headings, bold, italics, and lists, if you add the syntax |
| Opens everywhere | Yes, any text editor | Yes, any text editor, plus renders nicely on code hosts and in note apps |
| Metadata | None | None |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert TXT to Markdown when you're moving plain notes into a system that expects .md files, like a wiki, a static site, or a note app that renders Markdown automatically.
Keep the TXT if the file needs to stay perfectly plain, since asterisks, underscores, or pound signs in your original text could get read as formatting once the file is treated as Markdown.
Why not just use an online converter?
TXT files often hold things you'd rather not hand to a stranger, meeting notes, journal entries, drafts, logs. Running them through a website means that text sits on someone else's server, even for a moment. Converting on your own computer means it never leaves your machine.
Questions
Does converting TXT to Markdown lose any content?
No, the text itself stays intact. The only real change is the file extension, and if needed, escaping characters like * or # so they don't get misread as formatting when a Markdown app opens the file.
Will my plain text accidentally turn into headings or bold text?
It can, if your original TXT has lines starting with # or words wrapped in asterisks. A proper TXT to Markdown conversion escapes those characters so the text still looks the way you wrote it.
Is the Markdown file about the same size as the TXT?
Yes. Markdown is plain text, so the converted file is close in size to the original, sometimes a few bytes larger if characters needed escaping.
What can open a Markdown file?
Any text editor, since it's still plain text underneath. Apps built for notes, docs, or code will also render the headings, bold text, and lists.
Can I convert TXT to Markdown without uploading it anywhere?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet does the conversion on your own computer, so the file never travels over the internet. You could even do it with your wifi off.
Morphjet converts TXT, Markdown, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.