What happens when you convert DOCX to MD
- The Word document is read by mammoth.js, which keeps headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, links and bold or italic text.
- Page layout, fonts, colours, headers and footers are not carried over, because MD has no place for them.
How to convert DOCX to MD online
- Press "Choose DOCX files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. You can add files of any size your device can hold in memory.
- There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
- Press "Convert to MD". A small document library loads the first time; documents then convert in a second or two.
- Save each MD with its download button. Close the tab and every trace of the files is gone from memory.
Why convert DOCX to MD?
DOCX files usually come from letters, reports, CVs and most documents shared at work. People convert them to MD because Markdown is readable as it is and fits wikis, documentation sites and note apps such as Obsidian.
In short, DOCX is good at what it was made for, and MD is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. DOCX opens in Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice Writer, while MD shows as plain text in browsers; editors such as Obsidian, Typora and VS Code render it.
How to convert DOCX to MD on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your DOCX files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each MD is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the DOCX files from Finder onto the drop zone and the MD files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose DOCX files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted MD appears in Files, in the Downloads folder.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose DOCX files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The MD is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for DOCX to MD
There are no settings: the DOCX is read and written as Markdown text.
The output is UTF-8, so accented letters and other alphabets are kept exactly.
DOCX vs MD: the differences
| DOCX | MD | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Word document | Markdown |
| Type | document | document |
| Created by | Microsoft | John Gruber |
| First released | 2007 | 2004 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| What it holds | formatted text, images, tables and styles in a ZIP of XML files | plain text with simple symbols for headings, lists, links and emphasis |
| In a browser | opens in Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice Writer | shows as plain text in browsers; editors such as Obsidian, Typora and VS Code render it |
| Common uses | letters, reports, CVs and most documents shared at work | documentation, README files, notes and blogging tools |
| MIME type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document | text/markdown |
About DOCX and MD files
What is a DOCX file?
DOCX has been Word's default format since 2007. Like XLSX it is a ZIP archive of XML files, which is how its text can be read without Word.
What is an MD file?
Markdown marks formatting with plain characters: # for headings, * for lists and emphasis. It reads naturally as text and converts cleanly to HTML, which is why developers and note apps use it.
DOCX to MD not working? Common problems
- The result is empty. For PDFs, this means the pages are images without a text layer; use OCR through JPG to TXT instead.
- Some formatting is missing. Plain text and simple HTML have no place for page layout, fonts or colours; only structure and words are kept.
- Characters show as boxes in the PDF. The embedded font does not cover that script, such as Chinese or Hindi.
Convert DOCX to MD from the command line
Pandoc converts between document formats on the command line:
pandoc input.docx -o output.mdThe converter on this page does the same job in your browser, without installing anything.
DOCX to MD converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting DOCX to MD?
The text and its structure are kept; the page layout of the DOCX is not.
Why is the MD a different size from the DOCX?
Plain text and simple HTML contain only words and tags, so the result is usually much smaller than the original.
Are my DOCX files uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs inside this browser tab using open-source document libraries (mammoth.js, PDF.js and pdf-lib), so your files stay on your device. You can disconnect from the internet after the page and converter engine have loaded and it still works.
Can I convert several DOCX files to MD at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open an MD file?
MD shows as plain text in browsers; editors such as Obsidian, Typora and VS Code render it. MD is common for documentation, README files, notes and blogging tools.
Is this DOCX to MD converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many files you convert. The site is paid for by advertising, and because conversions run on your device there is no server cost per file.
Can I convert DOCX to MD on my phone?
Yes. The converter works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. Converted files are saved to the Downloads folder.