Markdown. On one page.
Every common Markdown syntax with how it looks, plus the extras only Obsidian has: wikilinks, embeds, callouts, highlights, comments and tags. Type below to try any of it.
Preview
Meeting notes
Discussed the launch with Dana. Decide by Friday.
- Draft the outline
- Send it round
Try it
Type here and the preview follows.
Write notes like this in Obsidian, with AI that edits them, using SystemSculpt
Text.
Headings
One to six # marks, then a space.
# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3Heading 1
Heading 2
Heading 3
Bold and italic
Underscores work too: __bold__, _italic_.
**Bold**, *italic* and ***both***.Bold, italic and both.
Strikethrough
~~Struck out~~Struck out
Paragraphs
Obsidian also shows a single line break as a new line.
A blank line starts
a new paragraph.
Like this one.A blank line starts a new paragraph.
Like this one.
Quote
> Notes are for thinking.
> A quote can span lines.Notes are for thinking. A quote can span lines.
Horizontal rule
Above
---
BelowAbove
Below
Escape a character
A backslash shows the next character as it is.
\*Not italic\* and 1\. not a list*Not italic* and 1. not a list
Lists.
Bulleted list
Indent two or four spaces, or a tab, to nest.
- Apples
- Pears
- Conference
- Comice- Apples
- Pears
- Conference
- Comice
Numbered list
1. Draft
2. Review
3. Publish- Draft
- Review
- Publish
Task list
In Obsidian, click a box to tick it.
- [x] Write the outline
- [ ] Send the draft- Write the outline
- Send the draft
Links and images.
Image
Alt text in the brackets, the address in the parentheses.
Code and tables.
Inline code
Run `npm install` first.Run npm install first.
Code block
Three backticks, then the language for highlighting.
```js
const note = "hello"
console.log(note)
```const note = "hello"
console.log(note)
Table
Colons in the second line align a column left, centre or right.
| Item | Qty | Price |
| :----- | :-: | ----: |
| Pens | 3 | $4.50 |
| Folder | 1 | $2.00 || Item | Qty | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Pens | 3 | $4.50 |
| Folder | 1 | $2.00 |
Building a bigger table? Paste a spreadsheet into the Markdown table generator.
Obsidian only.
Obsidian adds these to standard Markdown. They stay plain text in the .md file, and other apps show them as typed.
Wikilink
Links to the note named Project plan, wherever it is in the vault.
[[Project plan]]Project plan
Wikilink with other text
[[Project plan|the plan]]the plan
Link to a heading
[[Project plan#Goals]]Project plan > Goals
Link to a block
End a paragraph with ^goals-2026 to name it.
[[Project plan#^goals-2026]]Project plan > goals-2026
Embed a note
Shows the whole note in place. Add #Heading to embed one section.
![[Project plan]]Embed an image
Any image in the vault. |300 sets its width in pixels.
![[diagram.png|300]]Callout
> [!note] Meeting notes
> A callout holds a title and **any** Markdown.Meeting notes
A callout holds a title and any Markdown.
Callout types
With no title, the type is the title.
> [!tip]
> Or warning, info, todo, success, question, failure, danger, bug, example, quote, abstract.Tip
Or warning, info, todo, success, question, failure, danger, bug, example, quote, abstract.
Folded callout
A - starts it closed, a + open.
> [!faq]- Open me
> Hidden until the title is clicked.Open me
Hidden until the title is clicked.
Highlight
Read ==this part== twice.Read this part twice.
Comment
Only visible while editing.
Shown. %%Hidden in Reading view.%%Shown.
Tag
A / nests tags. Tags can sit anywhere in a note.
#project/active#project/active
Questions.
What is Markdown?
A way to format plain text with a few marks: # for a heading, ** for bold, - for a list. The file stays readable as text, and apps like Obsidian and GitHub show it formatted.
Does Obsidian use standard Markdown?
Yes. Obsidian reads CommonMark and GitHub Flavored Markdown (tables, task lists, strikethrough, footnotes) and adds wikilinks, embeds, callouts, highlights, comments and tags. Notes stay plain .md files.
How do I make a table in Markdown?
Write the header, then a line of dashes, with a pipe between columns, as in the table example above. Or build it in the Markdown table generator and copy the result.
How do I add a line break without a new paragraph?
End the line with two spaces or a backslash. Obsidian also shows a single line break as a new line unless Strict line breaks is turned on in its Editor settings.
Does it cost anything?
No. It’s free, with no account and no sign-up.
Other free tools: Markdown table generator, PDF to Markdown, Word to Markdown, HTML to Markdown, ChatGPT to Markdown.