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About this Markdown Formatter Online Markdown Formatter

Got a README full of weird spacing and misaligned tables? This Markdown formatter runs your text through Prettier’s Markdown engine to normalize indentation, wrap paragraphs, clean GFM tables, and keep your docs consistent—without changing the actual content.

Key Features of This Markdown Formatter

  • Powered by Prettier’s Markdown parser, tuned for GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) and typical docs workflows
  • Normalizes headings, lists, blockquotes, and fenced code blocks for a clean, consistent style
  • Cleans up Markdown tables (GFM) with aligned pipes and consistent spacing
  • Respects front matter and common metadata blocks while formatting the Markdown body
  • Configurable indent size and wrap line length so you can match your project’s style
  • Paste Markdown directly or drop .md/.markdown files (up to ~5 MB)
  • Great for READMEs, documentation pages, wikis, release notes, changelogs, and knowledge bases

🔧 How to Format Markdown Online for markdown-formatter

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1. Paste or drop your Markdown

Paste Markdown into the editor or drag-and-drop a .md/.markdown file. The tool prepares it for Prettier’s Markdown parser.

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2. Adjust formatting settings

Choose your indent size (1–8 spaces) and wrap line length. A smaller wrap length produces narrower paragraphs; use 0 to disable automatic wrapping.

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3. Format your Markdown

Run the formatter. Prettier parses your Markdown and rewrites it with consistent spacing, headings, lists, and tables while preserving content.

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4. Copy or save the result

Copy the formatted Markdown back into your editor or save it as a cleaned-up file. Use your usual Git workflow to commit the result.

Technical Specifications

Formatting Engine

This tool uses Prettier’s Markdown support via a shared runtime. Markdown is parsed into an AST and reprinted with deterministic formatting rules.

AspectBehavior
EnginePrettier markdown + supporting plugins
InputPlain-text Markdown (GFM-friendly)
OutputReformatted Markdown (UTF-8)
ExecutionClient-side Prettier adapter with secure backend fallback if required
Timeout~25s safety timeout for very large or complex inputs

Supported Content

Designed for everyday Markdown used in documentation and developer workflows.

FeatureSupportedNotes
GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM)✅ YesTables, task lists, fenced code blocks, autolinks, etc.
YAML front matter✅ YesFront matter blocks are preserved; body is formatted.
Inline HTML✅ With careInline HTML is kept as-is; surrounding Markdown is formatted.
Code fences (```)✅ YesCode blocks are preserved and can be re-indented as Markdown.
Non-standard extensions⚠️ PartiallyExotic syntaxes may be preserved but not perfectly formatted.

Indentation & Line Wrapping

You can control how the Markdown is wrapped and indented to match your project’s conventions.

SettingRange / OptionsRecommended Use
Indent size1–8 spaces2 spaces for compact docs; 4 for extra readability in nested lists.
Wrap line length0–120 columns80 is a classic choice; 0 disables automatic wrapping.
Tabs vs spacesSpaces (default)Spaces are the de-facto standard for Markdown docs.
Consistent wrapping makes diffs smaller and reviews easier—especially for long paragraphs and nested lists.

Limits & Performance

Optimized for docs, READMEs, blog posts and typical content-heavy Markdown files.

InputLimitDetails
Text input≈ 2 MBHard limit enforced in the formatter logic.
File uploads≈ 5 MBBounded by the tool’s configured max file size.
Typical formatting time< 1 sDepends on browser, device, and document complexity.
Timeout handlingGraceful errorIf formatting hangs, a timeout error is raised instead of freezing the UI.

Command-Line Markdown Formatting

Use this online formatter for quick cleanups, then automate formatting with Prettier in your editor or CI.

Linux / 🍏 macOS / 🪟 Windows (Node.js)

Format a single Markdown file

npx prettier --parser markdown README.md

Runs Prettier’s Markdown formatter on README.md in place (with --write).

Format all Markdown files in a repo

npx prettier --parser markdown "**/*.md" --write

Applies consistent Markdown formatting across your entire project.

Check formatting in CI (no writes)

npx prettier --parser markdown "**/*.md" --check

Exits non-zero if any Markdown file is not formatted.

Editor integration (VS Code, JetBrains, etc.)

Format on save

Enable Prettier as default formatter and turn on “format on save” for Markdown.

Your docs stay consistent automatically every time you save.

Use this web tool when you’re on a different machine or reviewing someone else’s Markdown quickly; use Prettier locally for everyday development.

Practical Use Cases

Project README & OSS Docs

Keep your public-facing docs clean, readable and easy to diff.

  • Normalize headings, sections, and code examples in README.md.
  • Clean up messy bullet lists and nested checklists in CONTRIBUTING.md.
  • Align GFM tables for feature matrices, compatibility tables, or API overviews.
# Project Name

-     item 1
* item 2

```js
console.log('hello');
```

Documentation Sites & Knowledge Bases

Format content for static site generators and doc portals.

  • Clean Markdown pages before pushing to Docusaurus, Next.js, or Hugo-based sites.
  • Standardize front matter and body layout across many docs files.
  • Prepare content for translation or localization by keeping structure stable.
---
 title: Getting Started
 sidebar_position: 1
---

# Getting Started

Welcome to the docs...

Internal Wikis, Runbooks & Notes

Make internal Markdown easier to maintain by teams.

  • Format long incident reports and runbooks stored in Markdown.
  • Clean meeting notes so tasks and decisions are easy to scan.
  • Normalize formatting for templates shared across teams.
## Incident Summary

- [x] Root cause identified
- [ ] Follow-up tasks assigned

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

❓What does this Markdown formatter actually do?

It takes your Markdown text, parses it using Prettier’s Markdown engine, and rewrites it with consistent spacing, headings, lists, and tables. Content stays the same—only layout and whitespace change.

🧪Does it support GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM)?

Yes. It is tuned for typical GFM usage, including fenced code blocks, tables, task lists, and common GitHub-style docs. Your Markdown stays compatible with GitHub and most static site generators.

📏Can I control line wrapping and indentation?

You can set the indentation size between 1 and 8 spaces and configure the wrap line length. A value of 0 disables automatic line wrapping and lets Prettier keep long lines as they are.

📄Does it change front matter or metadata?

Front matter blocks at the top of the file are preserved. The body of the Markdown document is formatted, but metadata sections are not rewritten in invasive ways.

🔒Is my Markdown uploaded to a remote server?

The formatter is designed as client-first, running in your browser using a shared Prettier runtime. In some environments a secure backend formatter may be used as a fallback, but your Markdown is treated as transient input and not intended for long-term storage.

📉Will it ever break the rendered output?

Prettier’s goal is to preserve the rendered meaning of your Markdown, but edge cases exist—especially with deeply custom syntax or embedded HTML. For critical docs, run the formatter on a copy first and preview the result.

Pro Tips

Best Practice

Run the Markdown formatter before opening a pull request so reviewers focus on content, not whitespace.

Best Practice

Pick a single wrap length (e.g., 80) for all docs in a repo to keep diffs small and predictable.

Best Practice

Combine this tool with a .prettierrc file in your repo so local formatting matches what you see online.

Security Tip

Avoid putting secrets or credentials into Markdown notes and docs—formatted or not, they don’t belong in plain text.

Additional Resources

Prettier – Markdown Formatting Docs
Documentation
CommonMark Specification
Technical specification
GitHub Flavored Markdown Spec
Technical specification

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