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1---
2.title = "Markdown Overview",
3.author = "Jakob Speer",
4.date = @date("2025-07-22"),
5.layout = "root.shtml",
6.draft = false,
7.description = "An overview over the supported Markdown features"
8---
9
10Learn how to apply basic formatting to your notes, using [Markdown](https://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/). For more advanced formatting syntax, refer to [Advanced formatting syntax](https://help.obsidian.md/advanced-syntax).
11
12## Paragraphs
13
14To create paragraphs in Markdown, use a **blank line** to separate blocks of text. Each block of text separated by a blank line is treated as a distinct paragraph.
15
16```md
17This is a paragraph.
18
19This is another paragraph.
20```
21
22This is a paragraph.
23
24This is another paragraph.
25
26A blank line between lines of text creates separate paragraphs. This is the default behavior in Markdown.
27
28Multiple blank spaces
29
30Multiple adjacent blank spaces within and between paragraphs collapse into a single space when displayed in [Reading view](https://help.obsidian.md/edit-and-read#Reading%20view) or on [Obsidian Publish](https://help.obsidian.md/publish) sites.
31
32```md
33Multiple adjacent spaces
34
35and multiple newlines between paragraphs.
36```
37
38> Multiple adjacent spaces
39>
40> and multiple newlines between paragraphs.
41
42If you want to prevent spaces from collapsing or add multiple blank spaces, you can use the ` ` (non-breaking space) or `<br>` (line break) HTML tags.
43
44### Line breaks
45
46By default in Obsidian, pressing `Enter` once will create a new line in your note, but this is treated as a *continuation* of the same paragraph in the rendered output, following typical Markdown behavior. To insert a line break *within* a paragraph without starting a new paragraph, you can either:
47
48- Add **two spaces** at the end of a line before pressing `Enter`, or
49- Use the shortcut `Shift + Enter` to directly insert a line break.
50
51Why don't multiple `Enter` presses create more line breaks in reading view?
52
53Obsidian includes a **Strict Line Breaks** setting, which makes Obsidian follow the standard Markdown specification for line breaks.
54
55To enable this feature:
56
571. Open **Settings**.
582. Go to the **Editor** tab.
593. Enable **Strict Line Breaks**.
60
61When **Strict Line Breaks** is enabled in Obsidian, line breaks have three distinct behaviors depending on how the lines are separated:
62
63**Single return with no spaces**: A single `Enter` with no trailing spaces will combine the two separate lines into a single line when rendered.
64
65```md
66line one
67line two
68```
69
70Renders as:
71
72line one line two
73
74**Single return with two or more trailing spaces**: If you add two or more spaces at the end of the first line before pressing `Enter`, the two lines remain part of the same paragraph, but are broken by a line break (HTML `<br>` element). We'll use two underscores to stand in for spaces in this example.
75
76```md
77line three__
78line four
79```
80
81Renders as:
82
83line three
84
85line four
86
87**Double return (with or without trailing spaces)**: Pressing `Enter` twice (or more) separates the lines into two distinct paragraphs (HTML `<p>` elements), regardless of whether you add spaces at the end of the first line.
88
89```md
90line five
91
92line six
93```
94
95Renders as:
96
97line five
98
99line six
100
101## Headings
102
103To create a heading, add up to six `#` symbols before your heading text. The number of `#` symbols determines the size of the heading.
104
105```md
106# This is a heading 1
107## This is a heading 2
108### This is a heading 3
109#### This is a heading 4
110##### This is a heading 5
111###### This is a heading 6
112```
113
114## This is a heading 1
115
116## This is a heading 2
117
118### This is a heading 3
119
120#### This is a heading 4
121
122##### This is a heading 5
123
124###### This is a heading 6
125
126## Bold, italics, highlights
127
128Text formatting can also be applied using [Editing shortcuts](https://help.obsidian.md/editing-shortcuts).
129
130| Style | Syntax | Example | Output |
131| --- | --- | --- | --- |
132| Bold | `** **` or `__ __` | `**Bold text**` | **Bold text** |
133| Italic | `* *` or `_ _` | `*Italic text*` | *Italic text* |
134| Strikethrough | `~~ ~~` | `~~Striked out text~~` | ~~Striked out text~~ |
135| Highlight | `== ==` | `==Highlighted text==` | ==Highlighted text== |
136| Bold and nested italic | `** **` and `_ _` | `**Bold text and _nested italic_ text**` | **Bold text and *nested italic* text** |
137| Bold and italic | `*** ***` or `___ ___` | `***Bold and italic text***` | ***Bold and italic text*** |
138
139Formatting can be forced to display in plain text by adding a backslash `\` in front of it.
140
141\*\*This line will not be bold\*\*
142
143```markdown
144\*\*This line will not be bold\*\*
145```
146
147\* *This line will be italic and show the asterisks* \*
148
149```markdown
150This line will be italic and show the asterisks
151```
152
153## Internal links
154
155Obsidian supports two formats for [internal links](https://help.obsidian.md/links) between notes:
156
157- Wikilink: `[[Three laws of motion]]`
158- Markdown: `[Three laws of motion](Three%20laws%20of%20motion.md)`
159
160## External links
161
162If you want to link to an external URL, you can create an inline link by surrounding the link text in brackets (`[ ]`), and then the URL in parentheses (`( )`).
163
164```md
165[Obsidian Help](https://help.obsidian.md)
166```
167
168[Obsidian Help](https://help.obsidian.md/)
169
170You can also create external links to files in other vaults, by linking to an [Obsidian URI](https://help.obsidian.md/Extending+Obsidian/Obsidian+URI).
171
172```md
173[Note](obsidian://open?vault=MainVault&file=Note.md)
174```
175
176### Escape blank spaces in links
177
178If your URL contains blank spaces, you must escape them by replacing them with `%20`.
179
180```md
181[My Note](obsidian://open?vault=MainVault&file=My%20Note.md)
182```
183
184You can also escape the URL by wrapping it with angled brackets (`< >`).
185
186```md
187[My Note](<obsidian://open?vault=MainVault&file=My Note.md>)
188```
189
190## External images
191
192You can add images with external URLs, by adding a `!` symbol before an [external link](https://help.obsidian.md/syntax#External%20links).
193
194```md
195
196```
197
198
199
200You can change the image dimensions, by adding `|640x480` to the link destination, where 640 is the width and 480 is the height.
201
202```md
203
204```
205
206If you only specify the width, the image scales according to its original aspect ratio. For example:
207
208```md
209
210```
211
212> # [Tip]($block.collapsible(false))
213> If you want to add an image from inside your vault, you can also [embed an image in a note](https://help.obsidian.md/embeds#Embed%20an%20image%20in%20a%20note).
214
215> # [Warning]($block.attrs('warning'))
216> This is now a block note.
217> Lorem ipsum.
218> ```md
219> > Human beings face ever more complex and urgent problems, and their effectiveness in dealing with these problems is a matter that is critical to the stability and continued progress of society.
220>
221> \- Doug Engelbart, 1961
222> ```
223> With a code block and a list
224> - item 1
225> - item 2
226
227## Quotes
228
229You can quote text by adding a `>` symbols before the text.
230
231```md
232> Human beings face ever more complex and urgent problems, and their effectiveness in dealing with these problems is a matter that is critical to the stability and continued progress of society.
233
234\- Doug Engelbart, 1961
235```
236
237> Human beings face ever more complex and urgent problems, and their effectiveness in dealing with these problems is a matter that is critical to the stability and continued progress of society.
238
239\- Doug Engelbart, 1961
240
241Tip
242
243You can turn your quote into a [callout](https://help.obsidian.md/callouts) by adding `[!info]` as the first line in a quote.
244
245## Lists
246
247You can create an unordered list by adding a `-`, `*`, or `+` before the text.
248
249```md
250- First list item
251- Second list item
252- Third list item
253```
254
255- First list item
256- Second list item
257- Third list item
258
259To create an ordered list, start each line with a number followed by a `.` or `)` symbol.
260
261```md
2621. First list item
2632. Second list item
2643. Third list item
265```
266
2671. First list item
2682. Second list item
2693. Third list item
270
271```md
2721) First list item
2732) Second list item
2743) Third list item
275```
276
2771. First list item
2782. Second list item
2793. Third list item
280
281You can use `shift + enter` to insert a [line break](https://help.obsidian.md/syntax#Line%20breaks) within an ordered list without altering the numbering.
282
283```md
2841. First list item
285
2862. Second list item
2873. Third list item
288
2894. Fourth list item
2905. Fifth list item
2916. Sixth list item
292```
293
294### Task lists
295
296To create a task list, start each list item with a hyphen and space followed by `[ ]`.
297
298```md
299- [x] This is a completed task.
300- [ ] This is an incomplete task.
301```
302
303- This is a completed task.
304- This is an incomplete task.
305
306You can toggle a task in Reading view by selecting the checkbox.
307
308Tip
309
310You can use any character inside the brackets to mark it as complete.
311
312```md
313- [x] Milk
314- [?] Eggs
315- [-] Eggs
316```
317- Milk
318- Eggs
319- Eggs
320
321### Nesting lists
322
323You can nest any type of list—ordered, unordered, or task lists—under any other type of list.
324
325To create a nested list, indent one or more list items. You can mix list types within a nested structure:
326
327```md
3281. First list item
329 1. Ordered nested list item
3302. Second list item
331 - Unordered nested list item
332```
333
3341. First list item
335 1. Ordered nested list item
3362. Second list item
337 - Unordered nested list item
338
339Similarly, you can create a nested task list by indenting one or more list items:
340
341```md
342- [ ] Task item 1
343 - [ ] Subtask 1
344- [ ] Task item 2
345 - [ ] Subtask 1
346```
347
348- Task item 1
349 - Subtask 1
350- Task item 2
351 - Subtask 1
352
353Use `Tab` or `Shift+Tab` to indent or unindent selected list items to easily organize them.
354
355## Horizontal rule
356
357You can use three or more stars `***`, hyphens `---`, or underscore `___` on its own line to add a horizontal bar. You can also separate symbols using spaces.
358
359---
360
361## Code
362
363You can format code both inline within a sentence, or in its own block.
364
365### Inline code
366
367You can format code within a sentence using single backticks.
368
369```md
370\`backticks\`
371```
372
373Text inside `backticks` on a line will be formatted like code.
374
375If you want to put backticks in an inline code block, surround it with double backticks like so: inline ``code with a backtick ` inside``.
376
377### Code blocks
378
379To format code as a block, enclose it with three backticks or three tildes.
380
381```md
382\`\`\`
383cd ~/Desktop
384\`\`\`
385```
386
387```md
388~~~
389cd ~/Desktop
390~~~
391```
392
393```md
394cd ~/Desktop
395```
396
397You can also create a code block by indenting the text using `Tab` or 4 blank spaces.
398
399```md
400cd ~/Desktop
401```
402
403You can add syntax highlighting to a code block, by adding a language code after the first set of backticks.
404
405```md
406\`\`\`js
407function fancyAlert(arg) {
408 if(arg) {
409 $.facebox({div:'#foo'})
410 }
411}
412\`\`\`
413```
414
415```js
416function fancyAlert(arg) {
417 if(arg) {
418 $.facebox({div:'#foo'})
419 }
420}
421```
422
423Obsidian uses Prism for syntax highlighting. For more information, refer to [Supported languages](https://prismjs.com/#supported-languages).
424
425Note
426
427[Source mode](https://help.obsidian.md/edit-and-read#Source%20mode) and [Live Preview](https://help.obsidian.md/edit-and-read#Live%20Preview) do not support PrismJS, and may render syntax highlighting differently.
428
429## Footnotes
430
431You can add footnotes[^1] to your notes using the following syntax:
432
433```md
434This is a simple footnote[^1].
435
436[^1]: This is the referenced text.
437[^2]: Add 2 spaces at the start of each new line.
438 This lets you write footnotes that span multiple lines.
439[^note]: Named footnotes still appear as numbers, but can make it easier to identify and link references.
440```
441
442You can also inline footnotes in a sentence. Note that the caret goes outside the brackets. [^This is an inline footnote.][^2]
443
444```md
445You can also use inline footnotes. [^This is an inline footnote.]
446```
447
448Note
449
450Inline footnotes only work in reading view, not in Live Preview.
451
452## Comments
453
454```md
455This is an %%inline%% comment.
456
457%%
458This is a block comment.
459
460Block comments can span multiple lines.
461%%
462```
463
464## Escaping Markdown Syntax
465
466In some cases, you may need to display special characters in Markdown, such as `*`, `_`, or `#`, without triggering their formatting. To display these characters literally, place a backslash (`\`) before them.
467
468Common characters to escape
469
470- Asterisk: `\*`
471- Underscore: `\_`
472- Hashtag: `\#`
473- Backtick: `` \` ``
474- Pipe (used in tables): `\|`
475- Tilde: `\~`
476
477```md
478\*This text will not be italicized\*.
479```
480
481\*This text will not be italicized\*.
482
483When working with numbered lists, you may need to escape the period after the number to prevent automatic list formatting. Place the backslash (`\`) before the period, **not** before the number.
484
485```md
4861\. This won't be a list item.
487```
488
4891\. This won't be a list item.
490
491## Learn more
492
493To learn more advanced formatting syntax, such as tables, diagrams, and math expressions, refer to [Advanced formatting syntax](https://help.obsidian.md/advanced-syntax).
494
495To learn more about how Obsidian parses Markdown, refer to [Obsidian Flavored Markdown](https://help.obsidian.md/obsidian-flavored-markdown).
496
497---
498
499[^1]: This is a footnote with math and code.
500
501 ```=mathtex
502 x+\sqrt{1-x^2}
503 ```
504
505 ```md
506 [^1]: This is a footnote.
507 ```
508
509[^2]: Not supported by supermd