HTML to Markdown

HTML to Markdown rewrites HTML markup into clean Markdown syntax directly in your browser. Paste HTML into the input box and the Markdown appears in the panel beside it right away, with no button to press for the conversion itself. It maps headings, bold and italic text, inline code, links, images, line breaks, and horizontal rules to their Markdown equivalents, strips any leftover tags, and decodes common HTML entities like   and &.

Upload HTML file

Click or drag & drop · .html, .htm, .txt

HTML Input

Markdown Output

# Hello World This is **bold** and *italic*.

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Why use HTML to Markdown?

This HTML to Markdown converter takes raw HTML and rewrites it into Markdown syntax using a set of pattern replacements. Headings h1, h2, and h3 become #, ##, and ###. The strong and b tags become double-asterisk bold, while em and i become single-asterisk italic. Inline code tags become backtick-wrapped code, anchor tags turn into [text](url) links using the href, and images become ![alt](src) using the alt and src attributes. Line breaks convert to newlines, horizontal rules become a --- separator, and paragraphs are spaced out with blank lines. After that, any remaining tags are stripped and common HTML entities such as  , &, <, >, and " are decoded back to their plain characters. The interface is deliberately simple. On the left you have an HTML Input textarea that opens with a small example, an h1 heading plus a paragraph with bold and italic text, so you can see the format expected. On the right, the Markdown Output panel reflects your input in real time, because the conversion recomputes on every change rather than waiting for a submit. Once the output looks right, the Copy Markdown button places it on your clipboard for pasting into a README, a docs page, a note, or any Markdown-aware editor. It is worth knowing the boundaries so the output matches your expectations. The converter works by matching tag names, not by building a full document tree, so it focuses on the common inline and block elements listed above. It does not reconstruct ordered or unordered lists, tables, or blockquotes as Markdown structures. Those tags are removed and their text is kept, so you may need light manual cleanup for heavily nested or list-based HTML. For typical formatted prose with headings, emphasis, links, images, and paragraphs, it produces clean, ready-to-use Markdown with no account and no upload to a server.

Key benefits

Conversion happens live as you edit, so there is no separate run step and you see the Markdown update on every keystroke
Everything runs in your browser, so the HTML you paste or upload is never sent to a server
Handles the common inline and block elements: h1 to h3, strong/b, em/i, inline code, anchor links, images, br, hr, and paragraphs
Decodes HTML entities including  , &, <, >, and " so the output reads as plain text
One-click Copy Markdown button puts the result straight on your clipboard
Free to use with no account and no upload to a server

Features

Two-panel layout: HTML Input textarea on the left, Markdown Output preview on the right
Live conversion with no submit button for the core operation
Heading mapping for h1, h2, and h3 to #, ##, and ###
Inline formatting: strong and b to bold, em and i to italic, code to inline backticks
Link and image conversion using href and src plus alt attributes
Copy Markdown button that writes the output to the clipboard

Popular use cases

Turning HTML copied from a web page or CMS into Markdown for a GitHub README or docs file
Migrating formatted content into a Markdown-based blog or static site generator
Cleaning up HTML snippets from an email or rich-text editor into portable Markdown
Quickly extracting readable text and links from HTML by dropping the surrounding tags

How to use HTML to Markdown

1
Paste your HTML
Type or paste your HTML into the HTML Input textarea on the left. It starts with a short example (an h1 heading followed by a paragraph with bold and italic text) that you can replace.
2
Read the live Markdown output
The Markdown Output panel on the right updates as you type. Headings become #, ## and ###, strong and b tags become **bold**, em and i become *italic*, code becomes backticks, and links and images convert to Markdown link and image syntax.
3
Copy the result
Click the Copy Markdown button below the output to copy the converted Markdown to your clipboard, then paste it into your README, notes, CMS, or docs.
4
Or upload an HTML file
Instead of pasting, use the upload area above the HTML Input box to drop or select a .html, .htm, or .txt file. Its contents load into the input box and the Markdown Output updates immediately since the conversion is live.

Frequently asked questions

Does my HTML get uploaded anywhere?

No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser using client-side JavaScript, whether you paste text or upload a file, so the HTML never leaves your device and is not sent to any server.

Which HTML elements does it convert?

It converts h1, h2, and h3 headings, strong/b and em/i for bold and italic, inline code, anchor links with an href, images with alt and src, br, hr, and paragraph tags. Any other tags are stripped out, and entities like   and & are decoded.

Does it handle lists, tables, or blockquotes?

Not as Markdown structures. The converter targets headings, inline formatting, links, images, and basic block breaks. List, table, and blockquote tags are removed rather than turned into Markdown lists or tables, so their text remains but the formatting is not rebuilt.

Do I need to click a button to convert?

No. The Markdown Output updates live as you type or paste in the HTML Input box, or as soon as an uploaded file loads. The only button is Copy Markdown, which copies the finished output to your clipboard.

Can I upload an HTML file instead of pasting?

Yes. Use the file upload area above the HTML Input box to drop or select a .html, .htm, or .txt file, and its contents load into the box and convert automatically. There is no multi-file batch mode; you convert one file or block of HTML at a time.

Why do some tags get removed instead of converted?

The tool uses pattern matching on tag names, so it recognizes a defined set of elements and strips the rest. Attributes it does not read (like class or style) are dropped, and unsupported tags are removed while their inner text is kept.

Last reviewed: July 2026

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