markdown preview

How to use the markdown preview

  1. Type or paste Markdown in the left pane — GitHub-Flavored Markdown (GFM), CommonMark, and MDX are all supported.
  2. The right pane renders HTML live with the same styles GitHub uses by default. Toggle between GitHub, Readme.com, and plain-CSS themes.
  3. For tables, code blocks, task lists, and footnotes, the preview matches the final rendering on GitHub and most static-site generators exactly.
  4. Switch to MDX mode to embed React components — the preview renders the JSX alongside the markdown.
  5. Export as HTML, PDF, or a standalone README.md file.

When to use it

The web preview is fastest for one-off drafts — a PR description, a blog outline, a README update. Use a desktop editor (Typora, Obsidian) when you're writing long-form content where you need local file sync, plugins, or offline work. Alternative: Dillinger covers the same web-preview niche but the editor is older and lacks MDX rendering.

Example

A GitHub task list renders identically in the preview:

- [x] Ship the SEO audit
- [ ] Fix the selfhosted override bug
- [ ] Run keyword research

Frequently asked questions

Does it support GitHub's task lists and mentions?
Task lists (- [ ]) render as checkboxes. @mentions and issue references render as plain text — they only become links on github.com itself.
What markdown flavor is this?
GitHub-Flavored Markdown (GFM) by default, with toggles for CommonMark and MDX. GFM is a strict superset of CommonMark.
Can I use HTML inside markdown?
Yes — raw HTML passes through unchanged. Use it sparingly because not every markdown renderer (Reddit, some docs sites) supports inline HTML.
Does it run on mobile?
Yes — the editor is responsive. Use landscape mode for comfortable editing on phones.
Is my markdown saved?
Drafts autosave to browser localStorage so you don't lose work on refresh. Nothing is sent to our server.

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Last updated: 2026-04-22