Markdown Formatting Tips

• • 7 min read • Updated: January 31, 2026 • Beginner
markdown formatting writing documentation
Notes / Writing
Advanced Markdown formatting tricks including tables, footnotes, task lists, and GitHub Flavored Markdown extensions

Basic Formatting

Text Emphasis

*italic* or _italic_
**bold** or __bold__
***bold italic*** or ___bold italic___
~~strikethrough~~
italic bold bold italic strikethrough

Headings

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
#### Heading 4
##### Heading 5
###### Heading 6

Links & Images

[Link text](https://example.com)
[Link with title](https://example.com "Title")
<https://example.com>
[Reference link][ref]

[ref]: https://example.com

Images

![Alt text](/path/to/image.jpg)
![Alt text](/path/to/image.jpg "Title")

<!-- With link -->
[![Alt text](/path/to/image.jpg)](https://example.com)

<!-- Reference style -->
![Alt text][img-ref]

[img-ref]: /path/to/image.jpg "Title"

Image Sizing (HTML)

<img src="/path/to/image.jpg" alt="Alt text" width="300">

<!-- Centered image -->
<p align="center">
  <img src="/path/to/image.jpg" alt="Alt text" width="500">
</p>

Lists

Unordered Lists

- Item 1
- Item 2
  - Nested item
  - Another nested
- Item 3

* Alternative bullet
+ Also works

Ordered Lists

1. First item
2. Second item
   1. Nested numbered
   2. Another nested
3. Third item

<!-- Numbers don't need to be sequential -->
1. First
1. Second (renders as 2)
1. Third (renders as 3)

Task Lists

- [x] Completed task
- [ ] Incomplete task
- [ ] Another task
  - [x] Nested completed
  - [ ] Nested incomplete
  • Completed task
  • Incomplete task
  • Another task

Definition Lists

Term 1
: Definition for term 1

Term 2
: Definition for term 2
: Additional definition

Code

Inline Code

Use `code` for inline code.
Use `` `backticks` `` inside code.

Use code for inline code.

Code Blocks

```python
def hello():
    print("Hello, World!")
```

```javascript
const greeting = () => {
    console.log("Hello!");
};
```

Code with Line Numbers (Jekyll)

```python
def hello():
    print("Hello, World!")
```
{: .line-numbers}

Syntax Highlighting Languages

Common language identifiers:

  • python, py
  • javascript, js
  • typescript, ts
  • ruby, rb
  • bash, shell, sh
  • html, css, scss
  • json, yaml, yml
  • sql, markdown, md

Tables

Basic Table

| Header 1 | Header 2 | Header 3 |
|----------|----------|----------|
| Cell 1   | Cell 2   | Cell 3   |
| Cell 4   | Cell 5   | Cell 6   |
Header 1 Header 2 Header 3
Cell 1 Cell 2 Cell 3
Cell 4 Cell 5 Cell 6

Alignment

| Left     | Center   | Right    |
|:---------|:--------:|---------:|
| Left     | Center   | Right    |
| Aligned  | Aligned  | Aligned  |
Left Center Right
Left Center Right
Aligned Aligned Aligned

Complex Tables

| Feature | Basic | Pro | Enterprise |
|:--------|:-----:|:---:|:----------:|
| Users   | 1     | 10  | Unlimited  |
| Storage | 5GB   | 50GB| 500GB      |
| Support | Email | Chat| 24/7 Phone |
| Price   | Free  | $10 | $99        |

Blockquotes

Simple Quote

> This is a blockquote.
> It can span multiple lines.

This is a blockquote. It can span multiple lines.

Nested Quotes

> First level
>> Second level
>>> Third level

First level

Second level

Third level

Quote with Attribution

> The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
>
> — Alan Kay

Footnotes

Here is a sentence with a footnote.[^1]

Another sentence with a named footnote.[^note]

[^1]: This is the footnote content.
[^note]: This is a named footnote.

Here is a sentence with a footnote.1

Horizontal Rules

---
***
___

All three create a horizontal rule:

Special Characters

Escaping

\*not italic\*
\`not code\`
\# not a heading
\[not a link\]
*not italic* `not code`

HTML Entities

&copy; &reg; &trade;
&mdash; &ndash;
&larr; &rarr; &uarr; &darr;
&lt; &gt; &amp;

© ® ™ — – ← → ↑ ↓ < > &

Advanced Features

Abbreviations

HTML is great for web pages.

*[HTML]: Hyper Text Markup Language

Emoji

:smile: :rocket: :thumbsup:
:warning: :bulb: :memo:

:smile: :rocket: :thumbsup:

Keyboard Keys

Press <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> + <kbd>C</kbd> to copy.

Press Ctrl + C to copy.

Collapsible Sections

<details>
<summary>Click to expand</summary>

Hidden content here.
- Can include markdown
- And lists
- And code

</details>
Click to expand Hidden content here. - Can include markdown - And lists

Alerts/Callouts (GitHub)

> [!NOTE]
> Useful information.

> [!TIP]
> Helpful advice.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> Key information.

> [!WARNING]
> Potential issues.

> [!CAUTION]
> Serious concerns.

Jekyll-Specific

Liquid Variables

{{ page.title }}
{{ site.title }}
{{ content }}

Include Files

{% include note.html content="This is a note." %}

Kramdown Attributes

This paragraph has a class.
{: .custom-class}

[Link with attributes](url){: .btn .btn-primary target="_blank"}

![Image with class](/image.jpg){: .img-fluid .rounded}

Table of Contents

* TOC
{:toc}

Quick Reference

Element Syntax
Bold **text**
Italic *text*
Code `code`
Link [text](url)
Image ![alt](url)
Heading # H1 to ###### H6
List - item or 1. item
Quote > quote
HR ---
Task - [x] done
Table | H1 | H2 |

Resources

  1. This is the footnote content. ↩