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Markdown Cheat Sheet

Every syntax you need, with examples ready to copy. Click any snippet and paste it straight into your doc.

Headings

Use # symbols to create headings. More # symbols = smaller heading.

Largest heading (page title)
# Heading 1
Preview

Heading 1

Section heading
## Heading 2
Preview

Heading 2

Subsection heading
### Heading 3
Preview

Heading 3

Smaller subsection
#### Heading 4
Preview

Heading 4

Minor heading
##### Heading 5
Preview
Heading 5
Smallest heading
###### Heading 6
Preview
Heading 6

Text Formatting

Add emphasis to your text with bold, italic, or strikethrough styling.

Bold (strong emphasis)
**bold text**
Preview

bold text

Italic (emphasis)
*italic text*
Preview

italic text

Bold + Italic combined
***bold and italic***
Preview

bold and italic

Strikethrough (deleted text)
~~strikethrough~~
Preview

strikethrough

Inline code (monospace)
`inline code`
Preview

inline code

Images

Embed images with alt text for accessibility.

Basic image
![Alt Text](image.jpg)
Preview

Alt Text

Image with tooltip
![Alt Text](image.jpg "Image caption")
Preview

Alt Text

Image as a link
[![Clickable](img.jpg)](https://link.com)
Preview

Clickable

Lists

Organize content with bullet points or numbered steps.

Unordered list (-, *, or +)
- Apple
- Banana
- Cherry
Preview
  • Apple
  • Banana
  • Cherry
Ordered (numbered) list
1. First step
2. Second step
3. Third step
Preview
  1. First step
  2. Second step
  3. Third step
Nested list (2-space indent)
- Fruits
  - Apple
  - Banana
- Vegetables
  - Carrot
Preview
  • Fruits
    • Apple
    • Banana
  • Vegetables
    • Carrot

Task Lists

Create interactive checklists for to-do items.

[x] = checked, [ ] = unchecked
- [x] Write documentation
- [x] Push to GitHub
- [ ] Deploy to production
- [ ] Celebrate ๐ŸŽ‰
Preview
  • Write documentation
  • Push to GitHub
  • Deploy to production
  • Celebrate ๐ŸŽ‰

Blockquotes

Highlight quoted text or important callouts.

Single line quote
> This is a quote.
Preview

This is a quote.

Multi-line quote with attribution
> "The only way to do great work
> is to love what you do."
>
> โ€” Steve Jobs
Preview

"The only way to do great work
is to love what you do."

โ€” Steve Jobs

Nested blockquotes
> Note: Important information
>> Warning: Be careful here
Preview

Note: Important information

Warning: Be careful here

Code Blocks

Display code with optional syntax highlighting.

Inline code
`const x = 42;`
Preview

const x = 42;

JavaScript with syntax highlighting
```javascript
function greet(name) {
  return `Hello, ${name}!`;
}
```
Preview
function greet(name) {
  return `Hello, ${name}!`;
}
Python with syntax highlighting
```python
def greet(name):
    return f"Hello, {name}!"
```
Preview
def greet(name):
    return f"Hello, {name}!"
Plain code (no highlighting)
```
No language specified
Plain code block
```
Preview
No language specified
Plain code block

Tables

Display structured data in rows and columns.

Basic table
| Name    | Role      |
|---------|-----------|
| Alice   | Developer |
| Bob     | Designer  |
Preview
Name Role
Alice Developer
Bob Designer
Column alignment with :
| Left   | Center  | Right  |
|:-------|:-------:|-------:|
| L      |    C    |      R |
| Text   |  Text   |   Text |
Preview
Left Center Right
L C R
Text Text Text

Horizontal Rules

Add a visual divider between sections.

Three dashes (most common)
---
Preview

Three asterisks
***
Preview

Three underscores
___
Preview

Line Breaks & Paragraphs

Control spacing and line breaks in your text.

Line break: two spaces at end
Line one  
Line two
Preview

Line one
Line two

New paragraph: blank line
Paragraph one.

Paragraph two.
Preview

Paragraph one.

Paragraph two.

HTML line break (works in most renderers)
Line one<br>Line two
Preview

Line one
Line two

Escaping Characters

Display special Markdown characters literally.

Escaped asterisks
\*not italic\*
Preview

*not italic*

Escaped hash
\# Not a heading
Preview

# Not a heading

Escaped brackets
\[Not a link\](url)
Preview

[Not a link](url)

Escaped dollar sign
Price: \$100
Preview

Price: $100

Pro Tips

  • Preview as You Type

    VS Code, Typora, and Obsidian all show live previews. You'll learn faster when you see results immediately.

  • Learn the Core Four First

    Headings, bold/italic, links, and code cover 90% of real-world Markdown. Get those down before moving on.

  • Steal Syntax, Don't Memorize It

    Professional writers use references constantly. Bookmark this page and copy what you need.

  • Every Platform Is Slightly Different

    GitHub, Notion, and Obsidian each have their own variations. When in doubt, test it where it counts. See our Discord markdown guide or the blockquote guide or the horizontal rules guide or the underline guide or the Reddit markdown guide for more examples.