Google Docs to Markdown
Select your document, copy it, and paste below — you get Markdown with the headings, lists and tables intact. No Google sign-in, no Drive permission, and the document never leaves your browser.
Paste your document below — or drop a .docx you downloaded
or
Ctrl+A, copy, then paste here
Converted in this tab. The file is never uploaded.
Why the paste keeps its structure
Copying from Google Docs puts two versions on your clipboard: the plain
text, and an HTML version carrying the formatting. Paste into a plain text
editor and you get the first one, which is why headings arrive as ordinary
sentences. This page reads the second, so a Heading 2 becomes
## and a numbered list stays numbered.
Three routes, and when each is right
- Copy and paste (this page) — best for part of a document, for a doc you only have view access to, and for seeing the result before you commit to it.
- Download as Markdown — Google Docs can export
.mddirectly. Best for a whole document you own, and it needs no intermediate step at all. - Download as .docx, then convert — the most faithful for long documents with heavy structure. Drop the file above, or use Word to Markdown.
What does not come across
Comments and suggested edits are annotations layered over the text rather than part of it, so neither survives — resolve or accept anything that matters first. Page breaks, headers and footers have no Markdown equivalent. Images come across as references to their original Google URLs, which usually need a login to load, so download the ones you need and repoint them.
Going the other way
To get Markdown into a Google Doc, open it in the editor and choose Export → Copy as rich text. Paste that into the document and the headings arrive as real headings rather than as visible hashes. Google Docs also has a paste-as-Markdown setting that converts the syntax as you paste.
Common questions
- How do I convert a Google Doc to Markdown?
- Select the document with Ctrl+A, copy, and paste into the box below. The clipboard carries an HTML version of the selection, so headings, lists, tables, links and emphasis all convert rather than collapsing into plain text.
- Do I have to connect my Google account?
- No, and that is deliberate. Nothing here talks to Google — there is no OAuth screen, no Drive permission, and no third party gets a list of your documents. The conversion works from what you already copied.
- Google Docs can download as Markdown. Why use this?
- Use whichever fits. The built-in download is the better route for a whole document you own. This is faster for a section, works when you only have view access, and lets you see and fix the result before saving anything.
- Does it keep tables and nested lists?
- Yes. Tables become pipe tables and nested lists keep their indentation. Merged table cells are the one structural thing Markdown cannot represent, so those come out as separate cells.
- What about comments and suggested edits?
- Neither survives, because neither is part of the document text — they are annotations layered over it. Suggestions come across in whichever state the document is displaying, so accept or reject them first if it matters.
- Can I go the other way and get Markdown into Google Docs?
- Yes. Open the Markdown in the editor and use Export → Copy as rich text, then paste into the document: headings arrive as real headings rather than as hashes. Google Docs also has a paste-as-Markdown setting that converts the syntax on its own.