Dev5 min read2025-01-25

Markdown Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need to Know

A complete reference for Markdown syntax. From basic formatting to tables and code blocks — everything in one place.

Markdown is the lightweight markup language that powers README files, GitHub, Discord, Notion, Obsidian, and countless other tools. Learning it takes 10 minutes and pays dividends forever.

Basic Formatting

**bold text**
*italic text*
~~strikethrough~~
`inline code`

Headings

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
#### Heading 4

Lists

// Unordered
- Item 1
- Item 2
  - Nested item

// Ordered
1. First
2. Second
3. Third

Links and Images

[Link text](https://example.com)
![Alt text](image.jpg)
![Alt text](image.jpg "Optional title")

Code Blocks

```javascript
const greeting = "Hello, World!";
console.log(greeting);
```

Tables

| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|----------|----------|----------|
| Cell 1   | Cell 2   | Cell 3   |
| Cell 4   | Cell 5   | Cell 6   |

Blockquotes and Horizontal Rules

> This is a blockquote
> It can span multiple lines

---  (horizontal rule)

Tip

GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) adds extra features like task lists (- [ ] unchecked, - [x] checked), @mentions, and auto-linking of URLs.

Task Lists (GitHub Flavored Markdown)

- [x] Completed task
- [ ] Incomplete task
- [ ] Another task

Where Markdown is Used

GitHub — README files, issues, pull requests
Discord — bold, italic, code formatting in messages
Notion, Obsidian, Bear — note-taking apps
Jekyll, Hugo, Next.js — static site generators
Stack Overflow, Reddit — comment formatting