Free Online Markdown Converter — Convert Any File to Markdown

Craft Markdown converts 12 formats to a clean .md file: PDF, Word (DOCX), Excel (XLSX, XLS, ODS), HTML, CSV, JSON, XML, TXT, RTF, and existing Markdown. All conversions are free, instant, and unlimited. Each format has its own page, linked above, with details on what gets converted.

Drop the file anywhere on this page. It converts in your browser, and you download the result as a .md file. There is no upload step and nothing to install.

Yes, 100% free forever. No signup, no credit card, no premium tier, no usage caps, no hidden fees. Convert as many files as you want, in any supported format, without any restrictions. We'll never charge you.

Absolutely. All conversion happens locally in your browser using client-side JavaScript. Your files are never uploaded to any server — we have zero access to your documents. This isn't just a privacy policy, it's how the tool is architecturally built. No data can be collected because no data leaves your device.

It depends on the source format. Word and HTML files keep their headings, lists, links, images, bold or italic text, and tables as pipe tables (Word images are saved as files in a ZIP). CSV and Excel become markdown tables, and JSON and XML are wrapped in fenced code blocks. RTF keeps paragraphs, bold and italic. PDFs are reconstructed from positioned text: headings by font size, lists, bold runs and simple tables come through, complex tables arrive as text, and scanned PDFs are not read. The PDF to Markdown converter page explains what to expect.

Yes. Drag and drop multiple files onto the converter and each one is processed independently. For automated batch conversion of hundreds of files, command-line tools like Pandoc may be more efficient, but for most users our multi-file drop is fast and easy.

Pandoc is an excellent command-line tool for power users, but it requires installation, terminal knowledge, and configuration. Craft Markdown runs in your browser — no installation, no command line, no setup. Both process files locally for privacy. Think of Craft Markdown as Pandoc's power with browser simplicity. For a detailed comparison, see our Craft Markdown vs Pandoc guide.

Unlike cloud-based converters that upload your files to their servers, Craft Markdown processes everything in your browser. Your files never leave your device. It also requires no signup and produces AI-optimized markdown output designed for LLM and RAG workflows.

Yes. Craft Markdown produces clean, token-efficient markdown with the heading hierarchy of Word and HTML files preserved and no formatting noise. This output is ideal for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, RAG systems, LLM training data, and vector database ingestion. Clean markdown produces better embeddings and more accurate retrieval than raw PDF, HTML, or Word content.

Yes. Open or paste Markdown on Markdown to PDF, Markdown to Word, Markdown to HTML or Markdown to plain text and download the file, or copy it as rich text for Google Docs on Markdown to Google Docs. It all runs in your browser.

Yes. Craft Markdown is fully responsive and works on phones, tablets, and desktops. Any device with a modern web browser can convert files to markdown.

For manual and small-batch conversions, Craft Markdown is ideal — just drag and drop. For programmatic access and CI/CD integration, Pandoc or MarkItDown (Microsoft's Python tool) offer command-line and API options; see our MarkItDown online alternative for how the two compare. We're considering API access for Craft Markdown in the future.