FormatDrop doesn't convert MD to HTML yet. The methods below use free tools that do. FormatDrop's own converters cover common image, audio, video and PDF formats, all in your browser.
Free tools for Markdown to HTML
- 1
Pandoc (command line)
pandoc input.md -s -o output.html makes a complete page with a title and basic CSS. Leave out -s for just the HTML fragment. Use -f gfm for GitHub-style tables and task lists.
- 2
marked (Node.js)
npx marked -i input.md -o output.html converts with GitHub-flavoured Markdown on by default. It writes the HTML body only, so wrap it in your own page template.
- 3
VS Code
Install the 'Markdown All in One' extension, open the .md file, then run 'Markdown All in One: Print current document to HTML' from the Command Palette.
Why convert MD to HTML?
Markdown writes; HTML displays. Converting between them is the universal pipeline behind static sites, blog engines, and documentation platforms.
Frequently asked questions
Best command-line tool for Markdown to HTML?
Pandoc: `pandoc input.md -o output.html`. For standalone full HTML pages: `pandoc input.md -s -o output.html`. For GitHub Flavored Markdown: `pandoc -f gfm input.md -o output.html`.
JavaScript Markdown to HTML?
marked.js: `import { marked } from 'marked'; const html = marked.parse(mdContent);`. markdown-it (more extensible): `const md = require('markdown-it')(); const html = md.render(mdContent);`. Both produce clean HTML and are widely used in production sites.
Will the HTML have inline styles or CSS classes?
Standard converters output semantic HTML with no inline styles. To style the result, add a stylesheet (your own or Bootstrap, Tailwind, etc.) that targets the elements (h1, p, ul, code) directly. Pandoc with `--standalone` adds basic styling automatically.
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