What Is Markdown?

Markdown is a lightweight markup language created by John Gruber in 2004. It lets you add formatting to plain text using simple symbols — no HTML required. Markdown is the universal standard for documentation, README files, blog posts, and technical writing.

Why Markdown Became Universal

  • ✍️ Human-readable — Plain text is still readable even without rendering.
  • 🔄 Portable — Works everywhere: GitHub, GitLab, Notion, Obsidian, Reddit, Discord.
  • ⚡ Fast to write — Format text without leaving your keyboard.
  • 🌐 Converts to HTML — Trivially converts to web-ready HTML.

Essential Markdown Syntax Cheat Sheet

# H1 Heading
## H2 Heading
### H3 Heading

**Bold text**
*Italic text*
~~Strikethrough~~
`Inline code`

- Unordered list item
1. Ordered list item

[Link text](https://example.com)
![Alt text](image.png)

> Blockquote

```javascript
// Code block
const x = 42;
```

| Column 1 | Column 2 |
|----------|----------|
| Cell 1   | Cell 2   |

---
Horizontal rule

GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) Extensions

GitHub added extensions to standard Markdown:

  • ✅ Task lists: - [x] Done item
  • 🎨 Syntax highlighting: ```python
  • 📊 Tables: Full table support.
  • 🔗 Auto-links: URLs become clickable without brackets.
  • 🎯 Footnotes: text[^1] and [^1]: note

How to Use FavorTool Markdown Editor

  1. Open FavorTool Markdown Editor.
  2. Type Markdown in the left panel — the right panel shows a live preview.
  3. Use the toolbar for quick formatting.
  4. Export as formatted HTML when ready.
  5. Access recent documents through the history panel.