Markdown Cheat Sheet: The Syntax You'll Actually Use

Markdown is the quiet standard behind a huge share of the writing on the internet — README files, GitHub issues, documentation, notes apps, chat tools, and static-site blogs all speak it. The appeal is that you format text using plain characters you already type, so your writing stays readable even as raw text. This cheat sheet covers the syntax you will actually use, day to day.

Headings

Use one to six # characters for heading levels one through six:

• # Heading 1
• ## Heading 2
• ### Heading 3

Emphasis

• *italic* or _italic_ — renders as italic.
• **bold** — renders as bold.
• ***bold italic*** — both at once.
• ~~strikethrough~~ — crosses text out.

Lists

Unordered lists use -, *, or +; ordered lists use numbers followed by a period. Indent to nest:

• - First item
• - Second item
• 1. First step
• 2. Second step

Links and Images

The two look almost identical — an image is just a link with a leading exclamation mark:

• Link: [link text](https://example.com)
• Image: ![alt text](image.png)

Code

• Inline code — wrap it in single backticks: `code`.
• Code block — wrap it in triple backticks on their own lines, and optionally name the language after the opening fence: ```js to start, ``` to close.

Quotes, Rules, and Tables

• Blockquote: start a line with > — great for quoting or calling out a note.
• Horizontal rule: three or more dashes on their own line, ---.
• Table: separate columns with pipes and use a row of dashes under the header: | Name | Age | then | --- | --- |.

How to Preview Markdown with Toolism

Markdown is meant to be seen rendered. The Toolism Markdown Preview runs entirely in your browser, so your notes stay private:

1. Open the Markdown Preview tool on Toolism.
2. Type or paste your Markdown into the editor.
3. Watch the formatted result update live alongside your text.
4. Tweak the syntax until it looks right, then copy it wherever it needs to go.

Tips for Writing Good Markdown

• Leave blank lines between blocks. Paragraphs, lists, and headings need a blank line around them, or they can run together unexpectedly.
• Be consistent with list markers. Pick - or * and stick with it throughout a document.
• Preview before publishing. Flavors of Markdown differ slightly — checking the rendered output catches surprises with tables and nesting.
• Keep it simple. Markdown is for light formatting. If you find yourself fighting it, a little inline HTML is allowed in most flavors.

Markdown lets you format as you write without lifting your hands from the keyboard. Keep this cheat sheet nearby, preview as you go with the Toolism Markdown Preview, and clean formatting becomes second nature.