Use Markdown in Google Docs, Slides, & Drawings

To add formatting to plain text documents, you can use a markup language called Markdown. For example, to create a heading, start a line with a hashtag followed by a space, like "# Heading". You can use Markdown to quickly add formatting elements to your Google Docs, Slides, and Drawings. With Markdown, you can format text to add:

  • Italics
  • Bold
  • Strikethrough
  • Links

On Google Docs, you can also use Markdown to create different headings.

Turn Markdown on or off

  1. On your computer, open a file in Google Docs, Google Slides, or Google Drawings.
  2. Go to Tools and then Preferences.
  3. Check or uncheck the box next to "Enable Markdown”.

Convert Markdown to Google Docs content on paste

  1. Copy the Markdown content to your clipboard
  2. On your computer, open a document in Google Docs.
  3. Right-click and select Paste from Markdown. The Markdown will be converted to Google Docs content and be pasted.

Copy Google Docs content as Markdown

  1. On your computer, open a document in Google Docs.
  2. Select the content you want to copy.
  3. Right-click and select Copy as Markdown.

Export a Google Doc as Markdown

You can export the document as Markdown for use in another application. You’ll download a Markdown file (.md).

  1. On your computer, open a document in Google Docs.
  2. Click File and then Download.
  3. Select Markdown (.md).

Import Markdown as a Google Doc

When in Google Docs:

  1. Click File and then Open and then Upload.
  2. Select your Markdown file, this is uploaded and opens up automatically.

When in Drive:

  1. Upload your Markdown file.
  2. Right-click the uploaded file and then Open with and then Google Docs.

Create headings with Markdown in Google Docs

If you’re on Google Docs, you can also use Markdown to create up to 6 different headings.

To create a heading,

  1. Start at the beginning of a paragraph.
  2. Add number signs (#) in front of your heading text. The number of number signs you use corresponds to the heading level.
    • For example, to create a heading 2, use two number signs (e.g., ## My Header).
  3. Write your heading text.
    • Important: Make sure you include a space between the number sign(s) and the heading text.

Text in Markdown

How it appears

# Heading 1

Heading 1

## Heading 2

Heading 2

### Heading 3

Heading 3

#### Heading 4

Heading 4

##### Heading 5

Heading 5

###### Heading 6

Heading 6

Italicize, bold, and strikethrough text with Markdown

  • To format text as italic, enclose it in a single asterisk or underscore.
  • To format text as bold, enclose it in two asterisks or underscores.
  • To format text as italic and bold, enclose it in three asterisks or underscores.
  • To format text in strikethrough, enclose it in a single tilde.

Text in Markdown

How it appears

This text is _italic_.

This text is *italic*.

This text isitalic.

This text is __bold__.

This text is **bold**.

This text isbold.

This text is ___italic and bold___.

This text is ***italic and bold***.

This text isitalic and bold.

This text is in ~strikethrough~.

This text is instrikethrough.

Add links with Markdown

To create a link with Markdown:

  1. Write the linked text in brackets (e.g. [Google Docs]).
  2. After the bracketed text, write the URL in parentheses (e.g. (https://docs.google.com/document/)).
    • Important: Don’t include a space between the text in brackets and the URL in parentheses.

Text in Markdown

How it appears

Open a file in [Google Docs](https://docs.google.com/document/).

Open a file in Google Docs.
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