The language uses an easy-to-learn syntax to accomplish the same goal that HTML does.

Markdown editors have existed since the turn of the decade but only became popular after John Gruber of Daring Fireball introduced Markdown back in 2004.Īfter getting frustrated having to write long, laborious HTML codes to format his content, he worked with the late computer programmer Aaron Swartz to create a plain text formatting syntax that would quickly and easily translate content into HTML. The idea is to produce web content that is as easy to read as plain text. You can use it to format lists, headers, and for emphasis, as well as to incorporate links and images. The end goal is to equip you with a minimalist writing tool that allows you to pen down your thoughts, and then export them to a CMS like WordPress without stressing too much about their appearance.Ī Markdown editor is an intuitive and lightweight text-to-HTML conversion tool for web content writers. In this post, we’ll give you a detailed explanation of what a Markdown editor is, and then provide you with an ultimate list of the best Markdown editors. When it comes to formatting, most people will use the built-in editor of their content management system to create headings, italicize the text, and build lists.įair enough, but guess what? You don’t need to rely on a complicated toolbar or apply text formatting. So, we figured it was time to introduce you to the magic of Markdown editors, and why you should be using them right now. These are disabled by default, but you can enable them in Preferences > Markdown.If you’ve ever written an article in Microsoft Word and tried moving the text into a CMS, you have probably spent a lot of time scouring for untidy formatting and obstructions that result from this cross-platform conversion. Enable in Preferences > Markdown.Īs an added bonus, MacDown provides support for several obscure elements. Enable in Preferences > Rendering.ĭisabled by default. ElementĮnabled by default in Preferences > Markdown.ĭisabled by default. MacDown provides support for the following Markdown elements. You can enable and disable support for many syntax elements, a nice feature for people who simply don’t want or need all of the bells and whistles. Basic export options for HTML and PDF file format are provided. MacDown sports two panes - you type on the left and preview the formatted text on the right. MacDown provides excellent Markdown support.

The application is free and open source, and it strikes a good balance between power and simplicity. MacDown is one of the best Markdown editors available for macOS.

Help.md macdown