This page is a compact, printable Markdown cheat sheet that fits on one sheet of paper printed double-sided. Download the ready-made PDF, or copy the Markdown source below, paste it into MDTool's Markdown to PDF converter, choose a theme and paper size, and download your own copy. It covers CommonMark plus the GitHub Flavored Markdown extras you'll actually use.
The full reference is also on this page as a table, so you can scan it without downloading anything.
What syntax is on the printable Markdown cheat sheet?
Everything you need for READMEs, docs, notes and issue comments. Base syntax follows the CommonMark spec; items marked GFM come from the GitHub Flavored Markdown spec; items marked GitHub are GitHub-specific features from GitHub's writing docs.
| Element | Syntax | Where it works |
|---|---|---|
| Headings 1 to 6 | # H1 to ###### H6 | Everywhere |
| Bold | **bold** | Everywhere |
| Italic | *italic* or _italic_ | Everywhere |
| Bold and italic | ***both*** | Everywhere |
| Strikethrough | ~~deleted~~ | GFM |
| Inline code | `code` | Everywhere |
| Paragraph | Blank line between blocks | Everywhere |
| Line break | Two trailing spaces, or <br> | Everywhere |
| Escape a symbol | \*not italic\* | Everywhere |
| Hidden comment | <!-- not rendered --> | Everywhere |
| Bulleted list | - item | Everywhere |
| Numbered list | 1. item | Everywhere |
| Task list | - [ ] to do / - [x] done | GFM |
| Link | [text](https://example.com "title") | Everywhere |
| Reference link | [text][id] + [id]: https://example.com | Everywhere |
| Autolink | <https://example.com> | Everywhere |
| Heading link | [Jump](#heading-text) | GitHub and most renderers |
| Image |  | Everywhere |
| Blockquote | > quote | Everywhere |
| Horizontal rule | --- | Everywhere |
| Fenced code block | ```python … ``` | Everywhere |
| Table | | A | B | + |---|---| | GFM |
| Table alignment | :--- left, :---: center, ---: right | GFM |
| Footnote | Text[^1] + [^1]: The note | GitHub, not every renderer |
| Alert | > [!NOTE], also TIP, IMPORTANT, WARNING, CAUTION | GitHub |
| Diagram | ```mermaid fence | GitHub, MDTool |
"Everywhere" means any CommonMark-compliant renderer. Footnotes and alerts are the ones that most often fail outside GitHub, so test them in your target tool before you rely on them.
How do you print your own Markdown cheat sheet as a PDF?
The cheat sheet is plain Markdown, which means you can turn it into a PDF with any converter. With MDTool it takes about a minute:
- Copy the full source from the block below. It's the same file as markdown-cheat-sheet.md.
- Open the Markdown to PDF converter and paste it into the editor.
- Pick a theme. GitHub looks like a rendered README, Academic suits a printed handout, Minimal saves ink, and Dark works for an on-screen reference.
- Choose A4 or Letter to match your printer paper.
- Click Download PDF.
The conversion runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded, and there's no signup or watermark. Because the PDF is real text rather than a screenshot, you can search it and copy syntax out of it.
You can edit the source before converting. Delete rows you already know, add your team's conventions, or append a second page with a page break. MDTool starts a new page at a line containing only <!-- pagebreak -->, \pagebreak or \newpage.
Where is the cheat sheet source to copy?
Here's the complete cheat sheet. Copy everything inside the block:
# Markdown Cheat Sheet
Compact reference for CommonMark and GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM). Free from mdtool.dev.
## Text
| Element | Syntax |
|---|---|
| Headings 1 to 6 | `# H1` `## H2` ... `###### H6` |
| Bold | `**bold**` |
| Italic | `*italic*` or `_italic_` |
| Bold and italic | `***both***` |
| Strikethrough (GFM) | `~~deleted~~` |
| Inline code | `` `code` `` |
| Paragraph | Leave a blank line between blocks |
| Line break | End the line with two spaces, or use `<br>` |
| Escape a symbol | `\*not italic\*` |
| Hidden comment | `<!-- not rendered -->` |
## Lists, links and images
| Element | Syntax |
|---|---|
| Bulleted list | `- item` (indent to nest) |
| Numbered list | `1. item` |
| Task list (GFM) | `- [ ] to do` and `- [x] done` |
| Link | `[text](https://example.com "title")` |
| Reference link | `[text][id]` then `[id]: https://example.com` |
| Autolink | `<https://example.com>` |
| Heading link | `[Jump](#heading-text)` |
| Image | `` |
| Blockquote | `> quote` (use `>>` to nest) |
| Horizontal rule | `---` on its own line |
| Footnote (GitHub) | `Text[^1]` then `[^1]: The note` |
| Alert (GitHub) | `> [!NOTE]` also TIP, IMPORTANT, WARNING, CAUTION |
## Code blocks
Fence with three backticks and add a language for syntax highlighting:
````
```python
def hello():
print("Hello, Markdown")
```
````
Use a `mermaid` language tag to draw a diagram on GitHub and in MDTool.
## Tables (GFM)
```
| Left | Center | Right |
|:-------|:------:|------:|
| a | b | c |
```
Colons in the separator row set alignment. Escape a pipe inside a cell as `\|`.
The source uses four backticks around the code example so the inner three-backtick fence displays as text instead of being treated as the end of the block. Keep that when you edit it.
Why use a printable cheat sheet instead of a full reference?
A full reference such as the MDTool Markdown cheat sheet explains every element with rendered examples, which is what you want while learning. Once you know the basics, you only need reminders for the syntax you use rarely: reference links, table alignment, footnotes, alerts. One page next to your keyboard covers those faster than a browser tab.
| Format | Best for |
|---|---|
| Printed cheat sheet (this page) | Quick reminders at your desk, onboarding handouts |
| Full online cheat sheet | Learning, examples of rendered output |
| VS Code cheat sheet and shortcuts | Editor shortcuts alongside the syntax |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is there a free Markdown cheat sheet PDF?
Yes. Download the PDF at /downloads/markdown-cheat-sheet.pdf (two A4 pages, one sheet printed double-sided). It was made with MDTool from the same Markdown source shown on this page, so you can regenerate it in another theme or paper size.
Q: Will the cheat sheet fit on one page?
The ready-made PDF is two A4 pages in the GitHub theme: the syntax tables on page one, and the rest of the tables plus the code and table examples on page two. Print it double-sided and it fits on one sheet. For a strict single page, keep only the Text and Lists tables and delete the Code blocks and Tables sections before downloading.
Q: Does the cheat sheet cover GitHub Flavored Markdown?
Yes. Tables, task lists, strikethrough and autolinks come from the GFM spec, and the sheet also lists GitHub-only features such as alerts and footnotes, with a note on where they work.
Q: Can I edit the cheat sheet before printing?
Yes. It's plain Markdown. Paste it into the converter, change anything you like in the editor, and the live preview shows the result before you download.
Q: Why don't emoji appear in my PDF?
MDTool's PDF output doesn't include emoji glyphs, so they're left out of the file. The cheat sheet avoids emoji for that reason. Use words or symbols such as "[x]" instead.