Word to Markdown
Convert Word .docx files to Markdown with headings, lists, tables, footnotes, images and equations as LaTeX. Free, and your files stay on your device.
Runs in your browser — nothing is uploadedTurn Word documents into clean Markdown, with equations as LaTeX
Add one .docx file or up to twenty and get GitHub-flavoured Markdown back: headings from Word's heading styles, bold, italic and strikethrough, links, nested numbered and bulleted lists, tables, block quotes, code, footnotes and images. Equations made with Insert > Equation become LaTeX that GitHub, Obsidian, Jupyter and Pandoc display.
Conversion runs in your browser with the files read on your device, which suits contracts, theses and internal documentation. Images can go into a folder next to the Markdown, inside the .md file, or be left out.
What Word to Markdown gives you
Equations to LaTeX
Fractions, roots, sums and integrals with limits, matrices, cases, accents and aligned equation arrays are rebuilt as readable LaTeX, between $ signs or \( \) as you prefer.
Lists and tables kept
Word numbering becomes Markdown lists with the right nesting and numbers, and tables become pipe tables, with merged cells kept as empty cells so the columns still line up.
Images and footnotes
Pictures are saved in an images folder and linked from the Markdown, and footnotes become [^1] references with their text at the end.
Batch conversion
Convert up to twenty files at once and download each one, or all of them as a single ZIP with a folder per document.
Tracked changes resolved
Insertions are kept and deletions removed, so the Markdown matches the document as it reads with every change accepted.
How to use Word to Markdown
Add the .docx files
Drag them in or choose them; old .doc files need saving as .docx first.
Choose the options
Pick how images are stored, which maths delimiters to use and whether to add front matter.
Copy or download
Check the Markdown and the preview, then copy it or download the .md or ZIP.
Other names for this tool
People also look for this as Word to Markdown converter, DOCX to MD, DOCX to Markdown converter, Microsoft Word to Markdown, Word table to Markdown, Word to Markdown with images and Word equations to LaTeX. It is the same tool on this page.
Looking for the opposite job? Markdown to Word.
Limitations
- Old .doc files (Word 97-2003) must be saved as .docx first. Up to 20 files of 50 MB each at a time.
- Text boxes, columns and page layout are flattened into plain reading order. Equations made with the old MathType add-in are kept as their picture.
Questions about Word to Markdown
Are my Word files uploaded?
No. Each .docx is opened and converted by your browser, so contracts, theses and internal documents stay on your device.
What happens to equations made in Word?
They are converted to LaTeX, between $ signs for an equation in a line of text and $$ for one on its own line, so GitHub, Obsidian and Jupyter can show them.
What happens to the formatting Markdown cannot express?
Fonts, colours, sizes, columns and page layout are dropped, because Markdown has no way to store them, and underlining is dropped too. The structure stays: headings, lists, tables, emphasis, links, code and quotes all carry over.
How are Word equations converted?
Each Office Math equation is read element by element and written as LaTeX: \frac for fractions, \sum and \int with their limits, pmatrix for matrices in brackets, cases for piecewise functions and aligned for equation arrays. Inline equations use single delimiters and displayed ones double.
Can it convert old .doc files?
Not directly. The .doc format from Word 97-2003 is a different, binary format. Open the file in Word or LibreOffice and save it as .docx, then add that file here.
Where do the images go?
With the folder option, the download is a ZIP holding the .md file and an images folder, and the Markdown links to images/image1.png and so on. The inside option writes each picture into the .md as a data URL, and the third option leaves images out.
Are headings found without Word's heading styles?
Headings come from Word's heading styles, the Title style and outline levels. Text that only looks like a heading, bold and large but in the Normal style, stays a bold paragraph, because nothing in the file marks it as a heading.
Does it handle text boxes and comments?
Text inside text boxes is kept, at the point where the box sits in the document. Comments, headers and footers are left out, since they are notes about the document rather than part of its running text.
Can I convert a Google Docs, LibreOffice or Pages document?
Yes, once it is saved as .docx: Google Docs has File, Download, Microsoft Word, and LibreOffice Writer and Apple Pages can both export .docx. Equations come through when the program that saved the file writes them as Word equations.
How do I convert a Word table to Markdown?
Add the .docx and each table becomes a pipe table, with the first row as the header and the column alignment taken from Word. Merged cells are kept as empty cells so the columns still line up, paragraphs in one cell are joined with <br>, and a table inside a cell is flattened into it.