What gets converted
The button puts two versions on your clipboard: formatted HTML for apps that accept rich text, and plain text for apps that don't. The formatting is written as inline styles, because pasted text loses any stylesheet.
| Markdown | What you paste |
|---|---|
# to ###### headings |
Headings. Google Docs and Word apply their own Heading 1 to 6 styles. |
**bold**, *italic*, ~~strike~~ |
Bold, italic and strikethrough |
| Links | Clickable links |
| Bulleted and numbered lists, nested | Lists with the same nesting |
Task lists - [x] |
List items starting with a ☒ or ☐ character |
| Pipe tables | Tables with cell borders, a shaded bold header row and your column alignment |
| Fenced code blocks | Monospace text on a grey background, line breaks kept. No syntax colors. |
Inline code |
Monospace text on a grey background |
| Blockquotes | Grey text with a bar on the left, where the app supports borders |
| Images | Copied as image references. Whether they appear depends on the app you paste into. |
| Raw HTML | Sanitized: scripts, forms and event handlers are removed |
Each app decides how much pasted formatting it keeps. Borders, backgrounds and fonts are the parts most often simplified.
Doesn't Google Docs read Markdown already?
Partly, yes. Since 2024 Google Docs has a Paste from Markdown command. Turn it on under Tools > Preferences > Enable Markdown, then right-click in a document and choose Paste from Markdown. It converts headings, emphasis, links and lists, and handles well-formed tables. If you only ever paste into Google Docs and have the setting on, it works well.
This page is still useful when:
- You want to see the result before pasting. The preview shows exactly what you'll get.
- You are pasting somewhere else. Gmail, Word, Outlook and Notion don't have Google's command. Rich text works in all of them.
- The Markdown setting is off, or you're using a computer where you can't change it.
- You want code blocks to look like code. This copy gives them a monospace font and a grey background, so they stand out from the paragraphs around them.
Prefer a file?
The Download .docx button next to Copy saves a Word document instead. Upload it to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs. The Markdown to Word page explains what goes into the file.
Google Docs can also import an .md file directly: choose File > Open > Upload, or upload the file to Drive, right-click it and choose Open with > Google Docs. That converts the whole file in one go, without a preview.
Common problems and fixes
The pasted text still shows asterisks and pound signs
You pasted the Markdown source rather than the rich text. Click Copy as rich text (not Copy Markdown in another tool) and paste with a normal Ctrl+V or Cmd+V. In Google Docs, Paste without formatting (Ctrl+Shift+V) throws the formatting away, so avoid it here.
Headings look different from the preview
That's expected. Headings are copied without fonts or sizes so Google Docs and Word can apply their own Heading 1 to 6 styles. The result matches the rest of your document and works with the document outline and table of contents.
Code blocks or table borders look plain
Each app decides how much pasted styling it keeps. Google Docs and Word keep most of it; Gmail, Notion and some web editors simplify borders, backgrounds and fonts. The text and structure always come through.
Pasting a ChatGPT answer into Google Docs
If a pasted ChatGPT or Claude answer shows ** and ### instead of formatting, it was copied as Markdown. Paste it into the left panel here, click Copy as rich text, and paste into your doc. You get real headings and lists instead of symbols, and the text is never sent anywhere.
Copy doesn't work in my browser
Some browsers limit what a page can put on the clipboard. The tool falls back to selecting a hidden copy of the document and copying it. If that is blocked too, select the preview on the right, press Ctrl+C or Cmd+C, and paste.