Markdown cheat sheet

CommonMark basics plus the GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) extensions you use in READMEs, issues and docs.

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Markdown

Preview (GitHub Flavored)

Rendered with the marked library in GFM mode. Alerts like [!NOTE] show as quotes here; GitHub styles them as boxes.

Text

# H1
## H2
### H3

Headings: one to six #, followed by a space.

**bold**  *italic*  ***both***

Emphasis (underscores work too).

~~strikethrough~~

Strikethrough (GFM).

`inline code`

Inline code span.

> A quote
>
> continues here

Blockquote.

Line one  
Line two

Two trailing spaces (or a backslash) force a line break.

---

Horizontal rule.

- Apples
- Pears
  - Nested (2 spaces)

Unordered list (-, * or +).

1. First
2. Second
3. Third

Ordered list; numbers can all be 1.

- [x] Write docs
- [ ] Ship it

Task list (GFM).

[QuickRef](https://quickref.dev "Title")

Inline link with optional title.

[docs][1]

[1]: https://example.com/docs

Reference-style link.

![Alt text](/img/diagram.png)

Image: a link with a leading !.

<https://example.com>

Autolink.

```python
print("hello")
```

Fenced code block with language for syntax highlighting.

    indented four spaces

Indented code block.

| Name | Qty |
|:-----|----:|
| Pen  |   2 |
| Ink  |  10 |

Colons in the divider row align columns left/right/center.

> [!NOTE]
> Useful information.

Alerts: NOTE, TIP, IMPORTANT, WARNING, CAUTION.

<details>
<summary>Click to expand</summary>

Hidden content.
</details>

Collapsible section via HTML.

Footnote[^1].

[^1]: The note.

Footnotes.

@username  #123

Mentions and issue references.

What is GitHub Flavored Markdown?

GFM is GitHub’s superset of CommonMark. It adds tables, task lists, strikethrough, autolinks, footnotes and alert blocks.

How do I add a line break in Markdown?

End the line with two spaces or a backslash, or leave a blank line to start a new paragraph.

How do I escape Markdown characters?

Put a backslash before the character, for example \* to show a literal asterisk.