Markdown tutorial for beginners

Step 1: a title

A line that starts with # and a space is a heading. One # is the title of the document.

# Trip to Lisbon

Step 2: a paragraph

Plain lines of text are paragraphs. Leave an empty line between paragraphs. Lines next to each other join into one paragraph, so you can wrap long lines however you like.

# Trip to Lisbon

Four days in May with Sam and Priya.
We fly out on Thursday morning.

The hotel is near the river.

Step 3: bold and italic

Wrap words in two asterisks for bold and one for italic.

Flights are **booked**. The hotel is *not paid yet*.

Step 4: sections

Two # make a section heading, three make a smaller one. Use them to break the document into parts. A reader can turn them into a contents list.

## Travel

## Places to see

### Day one

Step 5: lists

Start lines with - for a bullet list, or with numbers for a numbered list. Indent a line by two or more spaces to put it under the line above.

- Passports
- Chargers
  - Phone
  - Camera

1. Check in online
2. Print boarding passes
3. Leave by 6:30

Step 6: a checklist

Add [ ] after the dash for a box to tick, and [x] for one already done.

- [x] Book flights
- [x] Book hotel
- [ ] Buy travel insurance

Step 7: links

Put the text in square brackets and the address straight after it in round brackets.

We are staying at the [Rio Hotel](https://example.com/rio).

Step 8: a table

A table is rows of cells split by |. The second line, made of dashes, tells Markdown the first line is the header.

| Day      | Plan            |
| -------- | --------------- |
| Thursday | Arrive, walk    |
| Friday   | Belém, museums  |
| Saturday | Sintra day trip |

Step 9: a quote and a note

Start a line with > to quote someone. Add [!NOTE] on the first line to make it a highlighted note instead.

> The 28 tram is always full by nine.

> [!NOTE]
> Most museums are closed on Monday.

Step 10: code

Wrap a word in backticks to show it as code. For several lines, put three backticks on the line before and after. Add the language name after the first three to get colors.

The booking code is `LIS-4471`.

```json
{
  "flight": "TP 1351",
  "seat": "14C"
}
```

{
  "flight": "TP 1351",
  "seat": "14C"
}

The finished document

Put together, the steps make a complete plan:

# Trip to Lisbon

Four days in May with Sam and Priya. Flights are **booked**, the hotel is
*not paid yet*.

## Before we go

- [x] Book flights
- [x] Book hotel
- [ ] Buy travel insurance

## Plan

| Day      | Plan            |
| -------- | --------------- |
| Thursday | Arrive, walk    |
| Friday   | Belém, museums  |
| Saturday | Sintra day trip |

> [!NOTE]
> Most museums are closed on Monday.

We are staying at the [Rio Hotel](https://example.com/rio).

That is most of Markdown. The rest is detail: how to add an image, how to break a line without starting a new paragraph, how to link to a section. Each has its own guide.

Common beginner mistakes

• No space after #. #Title is just text. # Title is a heading.
• No empty line before a numbered list. A numbered list that does not start at 1 joins the paragraph above it. An empty line before any list keeps it safe.
• Expecting a single return to start a new line. It does not. See Markdown line breaks.
• Mixing tabs and spaces in nested lists. Pick spaces and stay with them.

Questions

How long does it take to learn Markdown?

The basics in this lesson take about ten minutes. Most people know everything they need after writing two or three documents.

Where can I practise Markdown?

Any example on this page opens in the free reader, where you can edit it and see the result. You can also paste your own text there.

Do I need to remember all of this?

No. Keep the Markdown cheat sheet open while you write. After a few documents you will stop looking.

Next

• Markdown cheat sheet, every symbol on one page.
• Try your own Markdown in the reader, free and private.