Convert Markdown to TXT
Max file size 100mb.
Markdown vs TXT Format Comparison
| Aspect | Markdown (Source Format) | TXT (Target Format) |
|---|---|---|
| Format Overview |
Markdown
Lightweight Markup Language
Lightweight markup language created by John Gruber in 2004 for writing formatted text using a plain-text editor. Widely adopted on GitHub, Stack Overflow, Reddit, and many documentation platforms. Designed to be readable in its raw form. Widely Adopted Developer Favorite |
TXT
Plain Text File
The simplest and most universal text format containing only raw text characters with no formatting, markup, or metadata. TXT files are readable by any text editor on any operating system. The most basic and universally compatible document format in computing. Universal Format Maximum Compatibility |
| Technical Specifications |
Structure: Plain text with formatting symbols
Encoding: UTF-8 Format: Text-based markup MIME Type: text/markdown Extensions: .md, .markdown |
Structure: Raw text characters only
Encoding: UTF-8, ASCII, Latin-1, etc. Format: Unformatted plain text MIME Type: text/plain Extensions: .txt |
| Syntax Examples |
Markdown with formatting: # Welcome to My Project
This is **bold** and *italic* text.
## Features
- Fast conversion
- Free to use
- [Visit site](https://example.com)
```python
print("Hello!")
```
|
Plain text output (formatting stripped): Welcome to My Project
This is bold and italic text.
Features
- Fast conversion
- Free to use
- Visit site (https://example.com)
print("Hello!")
|
| Content Support |
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| Advantages |
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| Disadvantages |
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| Common Uses |
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| Best For |
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| Version History |
Introduced: 2004 (John Gruber)
Current Standard: CommonMark (2014+) Status: Actively maintained, widely adopted Evolution: GFM, CommonMark, MDX |
Introduced: Dawn of computing
Standard: De facto universal standard Status: Permanent, universally supported Evolution: Unicode encoding adoption |
| Software Support |
GitHub: Native support (GFM)
Editors: VS Code, Typora, Obsidian Parsers: marked, markdown-it, commonmark.js Converters: Pandoc, kramdown, remark |
Windows: Notepad, WordPad, any editor
macOS: TextEdit, vim, any editor Linux: nano, vim, gedit, any editor Other: Every computing device and OS |
Why Convert Markdown to TXT?
Converting Markdown to plain text TXT removes all formatting symbols and markup, leaving only the clean readable content. This is essential when you need to use Markdown content in systems that don't support any markup, such as email clients in plain-text mode, legacy systems, SMS/text messages, or when you simply need the raw content without any formatting artifacts.
While Markdown was designed by John Gruber to be readable even in its raw form, the formatting symbols (# for headings, ** for bold, * for italic, [] for links) can be distracting when you want pure content. Converting to TXT strips these markers while intelligently preserving the content structure through whitespace and indentation.
The conversion process handles all Markdown elements: headings become plain text lines, bold and italic markers are removed, links are converted to show both text and URL, code fences are stripped, and list markers are simplified. The result is a clean, universally readable plain text file that works anywhere.
Key Benefits of Converting Markdown to TXT:
- Universal Compatibility: TXT files work on every device and operating system
- Clean Content: Remove all Markdown formatting symbols and markup
- Email Ready: Use content in plain text email without formatting artifacts
- Text Processing: Feed clean text to NLP, search engines, and analysis tools
- Smallest File Size: Plain text is the most compact text representation
- Legacy Systems: Works with any system that accepts text input
- Copy/Paste Ready: Clean text ready for any destination
Practical Examples
Example 1: README Cleanup
Input Markdown file (README.md):
# My Awesome Project A **fast** and *reliable* tool for data processing. ## Installation ```bash pip install myproject ``` ## Links - [Documentation](https://docs.example.com) - [GitHub](https://github.com/example)
Output TXT file (README.txt):
My Awesome Project A fast and reliable tool for data processing. Installation pip install myproject Links - Documentation (https://docs.example.com) - GitHub (https://github.com/example)
Example 2: Blog Post to Email
Input Markdown file (post.md):
# Weekly Update > Important: Deadline is **Friday**. 1. Complete the ~~old~~ new design 2. Review *all* pull requests 3. Update `config.yml` settings
Output TXT file (post.txt):
Weekly Update Important: Deadline is Friday. 1. Complete the new design 2. Review all pull requests 3. Update config.yml settings
Example 3: Notes Extraction
Input Markdown file (notes.md):
## Meeting Notes - March 2026 ### Attendees - **Alice** (Project Lead) - **Bob** (Developer) ### Action Items - [ ] Finalize API spec - [x] Deploy staging server 
Output TXT file (notes.txt):
Meeting Notes - March 2026 Attendees - Alice (Project Lead) - Bob (Developer) Action Items - Finalize API spec - Deploy staging server [Image: architecture.png]
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What happens to Markdown formatting when converting to TXT?
A: All Markdown formatting symbols are removed. Bold markers (**), italic markers (*), heading hashes (#), code fences (```), and other syntax elements are stripped, leaving only the readable text content. The document structure is preserved through whitespace and line breaks.
Q: How are Markdown links handled in TXT?
A: Markdown links like [text](url) are converted to show both the link text and the URL in a readable format, typically as "text (url)". This preserves the important URL information while removing the Markdown syntax.
Q: Will images be preserved in the TXT output?
A: TXT files cannot contain images. Image references in Markdown are converted to text placeholders showing the alt text and filename, so you still know where images were in the original document.
Q: Is the text content identical after conversion?
A: Yes, all text content is fully preserved. Only the Markdown formatting symbols are removed. The actual words, sentences, and paragraphs remain identical. The document structure is maintained through line breaks and spacing.
Q: Can I convert TXT back to Markdown?
A: While you can use our TXT to Markdown converter, the reverse conversion cannot automatically restore the original formatting since the formatting information is lost when converting to plain text. You would need to manually add back Markdown syntax for headings, bold, links, etc.
Q: How are code blocks handled?
A: Code block content is preserved as-is, but the code fence markers (```) and language identifiers are removed. Inline code backticks are also stripped. The code content itself remains unchanged and properly formatted.
Q: What encoding does the TXT output use?
A: The output TXT file uses UTF-8 encoding by default, which supports all Unicode characters including international text, emojis, and special symbols. UTF-8 is compatible with virtually all modern text editors and systems.
Q: Why would I need plain text instead of Markdown?
A: Plain text is needed for systems that don't support markup (some email clients, SMS, legacy applications), for text processing and NLP tasks, for creating clean copy-paste content, for maximum file compatibility, and for archival purposes where you want content without any format dependencies.