The Ultimate Markdown Cheat Sheet: Level up Your Writing Skills!

Markdown offers a robust alternative to HTML when it comes to creating written content that can be effortlessly shared online, stored in a notes application, or converted into various formats. To quickly get acquainted with Markdown, refer to the following cheat sheet.

Basic Markdown Syntax

Below is a compilation of simple and widely used Markdown commands, known as CommonMark. While there are different implementations of Markdown, some of which offer additional features such as mathematical formats, the core syntax remains the same.

 **Bold** 

 __Bold__ 

 *Italic* 

 _Italic_ 

 # Heading 1

## Heading 2 

 Heading 1
==========

Heading 2
---------- 

 [How-To Geek](http://www.howtogeek.com) 

 ![Alt-Text](http://www.howtogeek.com/image.png) 

             - Item 1
            - Item 2
            - Item 3 

             1. Item 1
            2. Item 2
            3. Item 3 

 1) Item 1
2) Item 2
3) Item 3 

 `code` 

 ```
code
block
```
             

 --- 

 *** 

 ---- 

Advanced Markdown Syntax

On top of the basic syntax listed above, your Markdown editor may also support some more advanced functions, such as:

 | Column 1 | Column 2 |
| --- | --- |
| Item 1 | Item 2 |
| Item 3 | Item 4 | 

 ~~strikethrough~~ 

 - [ ] Unchecked item
- [X] Checked item 

 Example of a footnote[^1] within text.
[^1]: Description of footnote text 

 ## This is a Heading {#this-is-a-heading-id} 

 ==highlighted text== 

 $$ equation goes here $$ 

 :emoji-name: 

 E=MC^2^ 

 O~2~ 

 Term to define
: This is the definition of the term
: This is another definition
 
Another term
: Yet another definition 

Create Links in Markdown

Markdown is used to create links by placing the placeholder text in square brackets and immediately following it with the desired link in standard brackets. It is important to ensure that there is no gap between them when creating the link. For example:

[placeholder_text](desired_link)

[How-To Geek](http://www.howtogeek.com)

Inserting Images with Markdown

To insert images using Markdown, follow this format:


If you’re experiencing difficulty with the functionality, ensure that the specified location contains the image. In the case of dragging images into a Markdown editor, the link will refer to the image's location on your local drive instead of a web server.

How to Create a Table in Markdown

Tables in Markdown can be a bit challenging to understand, but they function well if you arrange the lines and spaces correctly. To designate the header row, you can use three dashes. Simply insert "| Column 1 | Column 2 |" and then "--- | --- |" to create the header row with two columns. Finally, add the desired items in each column such as "Item 1" and "Item 2".

If you wish, you can enhance the appearance of your table in code view by adding additional spaces and dashes to enhance its legibility. However, if the final outcome is your main concern, the aforementioned example is sufficient.

Please consider that numerous Markdown editors offer their own resources for building tables, such as rapidly increasing the number of rows and columns, and automatically formatting the copying and pasting of items within or outside of the column. If your preferred application supports these features, it may be more convenient to employ them.

How to Use Code Blocks in Markdown

There are two options available to create a code block in Markdown. You can either use a grave accent `, which is commonly referred to as a backward apostrophe or the key situated below the "Esc" key on most keyboards.

`code`

For a block of code, use three grave accents ``` at the start of the block, then three more at the end of the block. This allows you to quote multiple lines of code.

```code block```

Create Line Breaks (Horizontal Rules) in Markdown

Line breaks are useful for signifying the end of one section and the start of another. CommonMark supports line breaks through the use of three dashes:

---

Some editors (like Ulysses) require four dashes to trigger a line break.

How to Strikethrough Text with Markdown

Markdown editors often have limited support for strikethrough formatting, resulting in inconsistent implementation. To strike through text, a popular practice is to enclose it with two tilde symbols, as demonstrated below:

~~strikethrough text~~

Some editors include a “Delete” markup, which works like so:

||delete this text||

Using Subscript and Superscript in Markdown

Some editors allow you to use subscript using tilde symbols on either side of the input you want to format, like so:

O~2~

Others use chevrons to elevate text, like so:

E=MC^2^

If your editor doesn’t do this and you’re happy to use HTML, both the <sub> and <sup> HTML tags can be used for subscript and superscript, respectively.

Highlight Text in Markdown

Another non-standard function but one that some editors support, you may be able to highlight works using two equals symbols on either side of a word, like so:

You can't always =highlight text== in Markdown

Some editors use their own method of highlighting. Ulysses can use the “Mark” syntax:

Some editors use other syntax to ::highlight text:: with Markdown

Create Task Lists in Markdown (with Checkboxes)

Task lists are a useful tool for managing reminders. They function similarly to unordered lists but with an additional step. To define a task list item, begin the line with a dash. However, unlike an unordered list, you must also include a checkbox to indicate whether the item is checked or unchecked:

- [ ] This item is unchecked

- [X] This item is checked

Your Choice of Editor Matters

Markdown is a versatile and powerful language, but its potential can be enhanced with the use of a proficient editor. While applications such as Ulysses and iA Writer come with a price tag, they are undoubtedly valuable investments for individuals who dedicate substantial time to web writing.

Bear and Obsidian offer great free plans for note-taking, with reasonably priced upgrade options available if needed. Additionally, there are several free editors, such as MacDown, MarkText, and the web-based Editor.md. Furthermore, you can use Markdown in Google Docs by adjusting a single setting.