Markdeep is a free and simple tool that turns any Markdown file into a self-contained HTML file that can be viewed in a web browser. There’s nothing to install and there’s no service to register for — you simply add one line of code to the bottom of your Markdown file. This is a great option if you need to quickly view a Markdown file in a web browser or share a Markdown file with someone who needs to view the rendered output.

Using Markdeep is a three-part process:

  1. Add the following tag for Markdeep on a single line at the bottom of a Markdown file.

    <!-- Markdeep: --><style class="fallback">body{visibility:hidden;white-space:pre;font-family:monospace}</style><script src="markdeep.min.js" charset="utf-8"></script><script src="https://casual-effects.com/markdeep/latest/markdeep.min.js" charset="utf-8"></script><script>window.alreadyProcessedMarkdeep||(document.body.style.visibility="visible")</script>

  2. Rename the Markdown file to add the .md.html extension (i.e., myfile.md.html).
  3. Open the file in a web browser to see the rendered output.

This tool has a lot of features beyond what’s described here. For example, you can choose from a variety of templates to customize the look of your page. Markdeep also supports diagrams, LaTeX typesetting for equations, and much more. Check out the excellent documentation for the full details.

Markdeep Markdown Support

Markdeep provides support for the following Markdown elements.

Element Support Notes
Headings Yes
Paragraphs Yes
Line Breaks No
Bold Partial Asterisks in the middle of a word (i.e., in**middle**here) are rendered literally.
Italic Partial Asterisks in the middle of a word (i.e., in*middle*here) are rendered literally.
Blockquotes Yes
Ordered Lists Yes
Unordered Lists Yes
Code Yes
Horizontal Rules Yes
Links Yes
Images Yes
Tables Yes
Fenced Code Blocks Yes
Syntax Highlighting Yes
Footnotes Yes
Heading IDs No
Definition Lists Yes
Strikethrough Yes
Task Lists Yes
Emoji (copy and paste) Unknown
Emoji (shortcodes) Unknown
Highlight No
Subscript No
Superscript No
Automatic URL Linking Yes
Disabling Automatic URL Linking Yes
HTML Yes