Convert a Word .docx file into clean, readable Markdown for GitHub, static site generators, wikis or notes apps. Headings, bold and italic text, nested lists, tables, links, footnotes and code blocks are kept, and images are saved to an images folder in a ZIP or embedded inline.
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How to use the DOCX to Markdown Converter
Choose a .docx file or drop it on the box. A sample document is converted on load so you can see the output first.
Pick the options: how to handle images, heading style, bullet marker and table format. The result updates instantly.
Check the result in the Markdown tab, or switch to Preview to see it rendered.
Edit if needed directly in the Markdown box.
Copy or download the .md file, or the ZIP with the Markdown and an images folder.
How Word formatting maps to Markdown
In Word
In Markdown
Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3…
# Heading, ## Heading, ### Heading
Bold / Italic / Strikethrough
**bold** / *italic* / ~~struck~~
Bulleted list
- item, nested items indented under their parent
Numbered list
1. item, 2. item
Hyperlink
[link text](https://example.com)
Picture
Table
Pipe table with a | --- | line under the first row
Footnote
[^1] in the text and [^1]: note at the end
Quote style
> quoted text
Code style or monospaced font paragraph
Fenced code block between ``` lines
Line break (Shift+Enter)
Backslash at the end of the line
Tips for a clean conversion
Use real styles. Headings and lists convert best when the document uses Word's Heading styles and list buttons rather than manually enlarged text or typed hyphens.
Keep tables simple. Markdown tables have one header row and no merged cells. Merged cells are written as empty cells; choose HTML tables if you need column spans to survive.
Add alt text to pictures in Word (right-click › Edit Alt Text) so the Markdown images describe themselves for screen readers.
Accept or reject tracked changes before converting. Inserted text is kept and deleted text is dropped, matching the final view.
Keep the images folder next to the .md file. The image links are relative (images/…), so unzip the download as a whole.
Going the other way? Markdown to Word creates a .docx from Markdown, and HTML to Markdown converts web pages or rich text copied from Google Docs.
Frequently asked questions
Which Word features are converted?
Headings, paragraphs, bold, italic, strikethrough, superscript, subscript, monospaced text, bulleted and numbered lists (with nesting), tables, hyperlinks, images, footnotes and endnotes, quote-styled paragraphs and code-styled paragraphs. Page layout, fonts, colors, headers and footers, comments and text boxes have no Markdown equivalent and are left out.
How are headings detected?
Paragraphs that use Word's built-in Heading 1 to Heading 6 styles, or custom styles with an outline level, become Markdown headings of the same level. The Title style becomes a level-1 heading unless you turn that option off. Text that is only made big and bold by hand is not a heading in Word's structure, so apply heading styles first for the best result.
What happens to images?
By default images are written as  and the files are put in an images folder inside the ZIP download, which keeps the Markdown small. You can embed them as base64 data URIs in a single file instead, or leave them out. Alt text from Word's Alt Text field is used when present.
Can it convert old .doc files?
No. Only .docx (Word 2007 and later) is supported, because the old .doc format is a different binary format. Open a .doc file in Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice and save it as .docx first.
Which Markdown flavor is produced?
The output is CommonMark with GitHub Flavored Markdown extensions: pipe tables, ~~strikethrough~~ and [^1] footnotes. It works on GitHub and GitLab and in most static site generators and note apps; superscript, subscript and underline use small HTML tags because Markdown has no syntax for them.
Is my document uploaded?
No. The .docx file is unzipped and converted by JavaScript in your browser, so confidential documents stay on your device. Only the open-source ZIP and preview libraries are downloaded from a public CDN.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.