Markdown Editor:
Live GitHub preview
Write Markdown with instant preview. GitHub Flavored Markdown perfect tables, code blocks, and task lists. Export to HTML or Markdown. Auto-saves locally. No signup.
Start typing to see the preview.
How it works
Write your Markdown
Type or paste Markdown into the left pane. Use the toolbar for quick formatting, or write raw syntax. Your work auto-saves every 2 seconds.
Preview live
The right pane updates instantly with a GitHub-flavored preview. Syntax-highlighted code blocks, tables, and task lists render exactly as they will on GitHub.
Export and publish
Download as raw .md for Git, styled .html for publishing, or copy the HTML snippet to paste into a CMS. Open existing files via drag-and-drop.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Best Answer Hub Markdown Editor?
The Best Answer Hub Markdown Editor is a free browser-based split-pane editor that lets you write Markdown on the left and see a live preview on the right. It supports GitHub Flavored Markdown including tables, task lists, fenced code blocks, strikethrough, and autolinks. You can export your work as a .md file or as styled .html. Everything runs locally in your browser — your text is never sent to any server.
Is the Markdown Editor free to use?
Yes, the Markdown Editor is completely free with no usage limits, no signup, and no watermarks. You can write and export as many documents as you want. Unlike Typora, which costs $15 for the desktop app, or HackMD, which gates collaboration behind a paid plan, this tool gives you full editing and export capabilities at zero cost.
How do I use the Markdown Editor?
Type or paste your Markdown into the left pane. The right pane updates instantly as you type. Use the toolbar buttons to insert common formatting like bold, italic, headings, links, images, code blocks, and tables. Your work is auto-saved to your browser's localStorage every few seconds. When you are finished, click Download Markdown to save your .md file, or Download HTML to get a styled page you can publish anywhere.
What is Markdown and why do developers use it?
Markdown is a lightweight markup language created by John Gruber in 2004. It lets you format text using plain-text syntax like **bold**, *italic*, and # headings. Developers love it because it is readable in raw form, works in every text editor, and converts cleanly to HTML. It is the standard format for README files on GitHub, documentation on GitLab, posts on Reddit and Stack Overflow, and notes in Notion and Obsidian.
Does this editor support GitHub Flavored Markdown?
Yes. The editor uses the marked.js parser with GitHub Flavored Markdown enabled. This means tables, task lists, fenced code blocks with syntax highlighting, strikethrough, and autolinks all render correctly. The preview pane also uses github-markdown-css to match GitHub's visual style as closely as possible, so you can preview your README before pushing it to a repository.
Can I use this editor offline?
Yes. After you load the page once, the Markdown Editor works without an internet connection. All parsing, previewing, and exporting happens locally using JavaScript. The only time you need a connection is for the initial page load, which downloads the marked.js and highlight.js libraries. Once cached, the tool works entirely offline.
Is my text sent to a server?
No. Your text never leaves your browser. The editor uses client-side JavaScript to parse Markdown and render HTML. There are no network requests when you type, preview, or export. You can verify this by opening the Network tab in your browser's Developer Tools — you will see zero outgoing requests after the initial page load. This makes the editor safe for drafting sensitive documentation, private notes, or proprietary README files.
How do I export my Markdown document?
Click the Download Markdown button to save your raw .md file, which you can open in any text editor or commit to Git. Click the Download HTML button to get a self-contained HTML file with GitHub-like styling and syntax highlighting that you can open in a browser, attach to an email, or host as a static page. You can also click Copy HTML to grab just the HTML body for pasting into a CMS or blog platform.
What syntax highlighting languages are supported?
The editor uses highlight.js with its common language pack, which includes JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Java, C, C++, Go, Rust, Ruby, PHP, Bash, SQL, HTML, XML, CSS, SCSS, JSON, YAML, Markdown, and plain text. If you use a fenced code block with a language tag like ```python, the editor will apply the correct color scheme. If the language is not recognized, it falls back to automatic detection or plain text.
Can I preview how my README will look on GitHub?
Yes, that is one of the primary use cases for this editor. The preview pane uses github-markdown-css, which replicates GitHub's typography, spacing, heading sizes, link colors, table borders, and code block styling. While no third-party preview can be pixel-perfect due to GitHub's internal theming engine, this tool gets you about 95 percent of the way there. It is the fastest way to catch formatting mistakes before you commit your README.
How do I insert a table of contents?
Click the TOC button in the toolbar. The editor scans your current document for headings, generates a nested list of anchor links, and inserts it at your cursor position. If you add or remove headings later, just delete the old TOC and click the button again to regenerate it. The TOC uses standard Markdown link syntax like [Heading](#heading), which works on GitHub, GitLab, and most static site generators.
Does the editor auto-save my work?
Yes. Your document is saved to your browser's localStorage every 2 seconds while you type. If you close the tab or refresh the page, your text will be restored automatically when you return. Auto-save is completely local — nothing is uploaded to a cloud server. If you want to start fresh, click the Clear button. Note that localStorage is cleared if you clear your browser data or use incognito mode.
Can I open an existing Markdown file?
Yes. Click the Open File button or drag and drop a .md or .txt file directly onto the editor pane. The file contents will replace the current document. There is a 1 MB file size limit to prevent browser performance issues. If you accidentally overwrite your content, you can use your browser's Undo shortcut or close the tab without saving — but localStorage updates every 2 seconds, so act quickly.
What are the best Markdown editors in 2026?
For desktop, Typora remains popular for its distraction-free WYSIWYG experience at $15. Obsidian is excellent for knowledge management with a free personal tier. For browser-based editing, Dillinger and StackEdit are the most established alternatives, but both push cloud sync and account creation. Best Answer Hub's Markdown Editor differentiates itself by being lighter, faster, fully offline-capable, and requiring zero accounts. It is ideal for quick drafts, README previews, and documentation work where privacy matters.
Explore more developer tools
Also try JSON Formatter, Base64, JWT Decoder, Regex Tester, Hash Generator, URL Encoder, and Diff Checker.