Free Tool
Markdown to Word Converter
Paste Markdown or open a .md file and download a Word .docx. Headings land in Word's own Heading styles, so the Navigation pane and Table of Contents work, and lists, tables, links, and code come through formatted. No upload, no signup.
Preview
Nothing is uploaded: the .docx is assembled in your browser. It opens in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice, and Pages.
How to convert Markdown to Word
- Paste your Markdown into the left pane, or use Open .md file (dropping a file on the box works too).
- Pick Letter or A4. The preview on the right shows what will be converted.
- Click Download .docx and open the file in Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice, or Pages.
What each Markdown element becomes in Word
The Markdown is read as GitHub Flavored Markdown, so tables, task lists, and strikethrough are included. Each element maps to a Word feature rather than to text that only looks right:
| Markdown | In the .docx |
|---|---|
| # Heading to ###### Heading | Heading 1 to Heading 6 styles |
| **bold**, *italic*, ~~strike~~ | Bold, italic, strikethrough |
| [text](https://...) | A clickable hyperlink |
| - item, 1. item, nested lists | Word bullet and numbered lists, numbering kept |
| - [x] task | ☒ / ☐ checkbox characters |
| | pipe | table | | A Word table with a repeating header row |
| ```code```, `code` | Shaded Consolas block, inline code font |
| > quote | Quote style with a left border |
| --- | A horizontal line |
| YAML front matter | Removed; title: becomes the document title |
Why real heading styles matter
Word builds its Navigation pane and References > Table of Contents from the built-in Heading styles, and changing the document's theme restyles every paragraph that uses them. Text that is only big and bold is invisible to all three, which is the usual result of converters that draw headings with direct formatting.
This converter writes the .docx itself and uses Word's built-in style names, so a ## Heading in the Markdown is a Heading 2 in Word, the same as if you had picked it from the Styles gallery. Numbered lists use Word's list numbering, and each list keeps the number it started at, so a list that begins at 3 still begins at 3. The Markdown headings guide and lists guide cover the syntax on the Markdown side.
Can Word open Markdown directly?
No. Word has no Markdown import: opening a .md file shows the raw text with every # and ** intact. The 2026 Markdown editor in OneDrive and SharePoint is a separate browser editor for .md files, not a way into Word. Google Docs is the exception among the big word processors: it imports .md files and has a Paste from Markdown command once Tools > Preferences > Enable Markdown is on.
The common case now is Markdown that came out of ChatGPT or Claude. Paste it into the converter as it is; the Markdown for AI guide explains why chat assistants answer in Markdown in the first place.
Front matter is kept out of the document
Notes from Obsidian, Jekyll, and Hugo start with a YAML block between two --- lines. Left in, it would become a horizontal line and a heading reading title: My Note. The converter removes it and uses the title as the first line of the document, in Word's Title style, and as the file's Title property.
Other ways to convert Markdown to Word
A browser tool is the quickest route for one document. For many files, a corporate template, or embedded images, use one of these instead.
Pandoc
Batches, templates, imagespandoc notes.md -o notes.docx --reference-doc=template.docxPandoc reads Markdown and writes .docx natively. --reference-doc is optional: it copies the styles from a Word file you already like, which is the cleanest way to get a house font and colors. Run it from the folder that holds the images and they are embedded.
Google Docs
The document is going to Google Docs anywayFile → Open → Upload → notes.md
File → Download → Microsoft Word (.docx)Docs has imported .md files since July 2024. Opening the file there and downloading it as .docx is a two-step route to Word that needs no other tool.
VS Code
The file is already open in an editorCtrl+Shift+P → Markdown: Open Preview
Select all in the preview, copy, paste into WordVS Code has no Word export. Copying the rendered preview and pasting it into Word works for a few paragraphs, but how lists, code, and tables survive the clipboard depends on the Word version, and you end up with pasted text rather than a file.
Need a PDF instead? The Markdown to PDF converter keeps text selectable and links clickable.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I convert Markdown to Word?
- Paste the Markdown or open the .md file in the converter above and click Download .docx. The file opens in Word with headings, bold and italic, links, lists, tables, and code blocks already formatted. Nothing is installed and the text is not uploaded.
- Can Microsoft Word open a .md file?
- Not as formatted text. Word opens a .md file as plain text, so the # and ** characters show up literally. Microsoft added a Markdown editor to OneDrive and SharePoint in 2026, but that is a separate editor, not Word. To get a formatted Word document, convert the Markdown to .docx first.
- How do I convert Markdown to Google Docs?
- Google Docs imports .md files directly: File, Open, Upload, and pick the file. For pasting, turn on Tools, Preferences, Enable Markdown, then right-click and choose Paste from Markdown. The .docx from this converter also uploads to Google Docs if you want Word-style tables and headings there.
- Why use real Word heading styles?
- Word builds its Navigation pane and its automatic Table of Contents from the built-in Heading 1 to Heading 6 styles. Text that only looks like a heading (big and bold) is invisible to both. This converter maps # to Heading 1, ## to Heading 2, and so on, so References, Table of Contents works on the first try and restyling the document's theme restyles every heading at once.
- How do I convert Markdown to Word with Pandoc?
- Run pandoc notes.md -o notes.docx. Pandoc also maps headings to Word's styles, and adding --reference-doc=template.docx applies the fonts and colors from a Word file you already like. It is the better choice for a folder of files, citations, or images stored next to the Markdown.
- Do images come through?
- Not embedded. A browser tool only receives the text of the .md file, not the image files around it, so each image becomes a clickable [Image: alt text] link in the Word document. Insert the pictures in Word afterwards, or use Pandoc from the folder that holds them.
- Is my Markdown uploaded anywhere?
- No. The .docx file is assembled by JavaScript in your browser and handed straight to your downloads. Nothing is sent to a server, so the converter keeps working with your network disconnected.