Documents
What is a Markdown file?
Updated Jul 2026
Markdown (.md) is a plain text file that uses simple symbols, like pound signs for headings and asterisks for bold, to mark up formatting without any hidden codes. It's the standard for README files, technical docs, and notes in apps like Obsidian. The catch is that it looks like raw text with stray symbols until something renders it into proper formatting.
- Extension
- .md
- Type
- Documents
- Typically
- Docs, READMEs, notes
Why Markdown exists
A writer named John Gruber created Markdown in 2004 with one goal: let people write formatted text using a plain text file that's still easy to read even before it's converted to anything. No hidden formatting codes, no proprietary file structure, just text with a few extra symbols.
The syntax is small on purpose. A pound sign before a line makes it a heading, asterisks around a word make it bold, a dash starts a list item. Any text editor can open an MD file, and the symbols are readable enough that you can usually tell what the writer meant even if nothing renders it.
People run into Markdown constantly without choosing it directly. GitHub renders README.md files automatically, note apps like Obsidian and many wikis save everything as .md by default, and static site tools generate pages from it. The friction shows up when you need to hand that file to someone who wants a Word document or a PDF instead, or when you paste raw Markdown into an email and it shows up full of asterisks and pound signs instead of formatted text.
The trade-offs
Strengths
- Plain text, so it opens in literally any text editor
- Tiny file size compared to Word or PDF documents
- Readable even unrendered, and easy to track changes in
- Works well with version control tools built for code
Watch-outs
- Shows raw symbols instead of formatting until something renders it
- Different tools support slightly different Markdown 'flavors'
- Limited support for complex layouts, tables, or precise styling
- Most non-technical people don't recognize or want to read it
A note on privacy
Markdown is plain text, so it doesn't carry the hidden metadata that photo or document formats can, like GPS location or author details. That said, notes and docs written in Markdown often hold sensitive material of their own, drafts, journal entries, internal docs, and running them through an online converter to get a PDF or Word file means that content passes through someone else's server first. Converting on your own computer keeps the file, and whatever it says, on your machine.
Convert a Markdown file
- Convert Markdown to JPG
- Convert Markdown to PNG
- Convert Markdown to WebP
- Convert Markdown to GIF
- Convert Markdown to TIFF
- Convert Markdown to BMP
- Convert Markdown to PDF
- Convert Markdown to DOCX
Questions
How do I open an MD file?
Any text editor, including Notepad or TextEdit, will open it and show the raw text. For a properly formatted view, use a Markdown-aware app like Obsidian, Typora, or a code editor with a preview mode.
Is Markdown better than a Word document?
For quick notes, docs, and anything that lives alongside code, yes, it's smaller and easier to track changes in. For layout-heavy documents with precise formatting, a Word document still does more.
Why do my notes keep saving as .md?
Apps like Obsidian, many wikis, and static site generators use Markdown as their default format because it's plain text and easy to sync or back up. It's a deliberate choice by those tools, not a mistake.
Can I convert Markdown to PDF or Word without uploading it?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet converts MD files on your own computer, so notes or drafts never have to leave your machine to become a shareable document.
What's the difference between .md and .txt?
Both are plain text, but .md files use Markdown symbols that a compatible app can turn into headings, bold text, and lists. A .txt file has no such convention, it's just text.
Morphjet opens and converts Markdown and 1,800+ other formats, all on your own computer. Launching this July.