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Markdown to PDF: What Formatting Is Supported
Markdown to PDF supports the Markdown syntax people actually use day to day, rendered as real, selectable PDF text rather than a screenshot. This guide lists exactly what is supported and calls out the handful of places the tool intentionally draws a line.
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What is supported
- Headings, levels 1 through 6.
- Paragraphs and line breaks (a trailing double-space or backslash, per standard Markdown).
- Bold, italic, and bold+italic emphasis.
- Unordered and ordered lists, including nested lists.
- Blockquotes, including nested blockquotes.
- Inline code and fenced code blocks.
- Horizontal rules.
- Tables (GitHub-flavored Markdown syntax).
- Hyperlinks, rendered as real, clickable links in the PDF.
- Images embedded as base64 data URIs.
Where the tool draws the line
A few choices keep the tool fast, small, and fully local rather than adding complexity for edge cases most documents do not need.
- Remote images (an `https://` URL) are not fetched — only images already embedded as a base64 data URI are rendered. This keeps conversion 100% local with zero network requests.
- Inline and fenced code render in a shaded block using the same font as body text — there is no separate monospace font bundled.
- A single newline without a trailing double-space is treated as a soft line break (a space), matching standard Markdown — not every line break in your source becomes a new line.
Markdown to PDF Formatting Support FAQ
- Are nested lists supported?
- Yes. Both ordered and unordered lists render with visibly deeper indentation for each nesting level.
- Are tables supported?
- Yes, using standard GitHub-flavored Markdown table syntax.
- Will an image linked from a website show up in the PDF?
- No. Only images embedded as a base64 data URI are rendered — remote image URLs are replaced with a placeholder rather than being fetched, so conversion stays fully local.
- Are links clickable in the generated PDF?
- Yes. Markdown links become real, clickable link annotations in the output PDF.
- Does fenced code get syntax highlighting?
- No. Code renders in a shaded block for readability, but without language-specific syntax highlighting or a monospace font.
Related guides
- How to Convert Markdown to PDFConvert Markdown into a formatted PDF with real, selectable text in your browser. Covers pasting vs. uploading, supported syntax, and privacy.
- Markdown to PDF Without UploadingHow Markdown to PDF processes pasted text or an uploaded .md file entirely in the browser, with no upload to Looty Tools, and no network requests for images.
- Word to PDF Formatting LimitsWhat Word to PDF preserves — headings, paragraphs, bold/italic, lists, tables, and images — and where complex layouts, fonts, and multi-column designs fall short.
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