Markdown Here
A browser extension that turns Markdown you type in email into formatted HTML before you send.
- Stars
- 60.3k
- Forks
- 11k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- JavaScript
- Last update
- 1.2 years ago
- Type
- App
No commits in over a year — check for forks or alternatives before adopting.
What it is
Markdown Here is a browser extension for Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Thunderbird. You write an email using simple Markdown symbols, such as asterisks for bold, then click a toggle to render it as rich formatted text before sending. It can also highlight code in fenced code blocks, and the README says it can render TeX math formulas. It exists so people don't have to write in a Markdown editor elsewhere and copy the preview into their email.
- Write an email with bold text, lists, and links using Markdown symbols, then toggle it into formatted HTML
- Paste a code snippet into an email inside a fenced code block and have it syntax-highlighted
- Convert only one section of an email by selecting it and clicking Markdown Toggle
- Revert rendered text back to Markdown to edit it, using the same toggle
Great for
- People who write emails with code snippets and want syntax highlighting
- Developers who already know Markdown and want to use it in webmail
- Thunderbird users who compose messages in HTML format
- Anyone who wants to convert only part of an email by selecting text
Not ideal for
- People who only use plain-text email, since the extension works on the rich editor (the README says to enable rich formatting in Gmail and HTML composition in Thunderbird)
- People who don't know Markdown and have no interest in learning it
- Users of email clients or webmail services not listed in the README, since compatibility is documented on a separate wiki page the README does not summarize
How to get it
- 1
Use it in the browser (or self-host)
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/adam-p/markdown-here.git - 2
Run it
- Install Markdown Here from the Chrome Web Store, Mozilla Add-ons site, or Opera Add-ons store, using the links in the README
- Restart the browser, or reload your webmail page, as the README instructs
- Open a new email in a supported service and make sure you are using the rich editor
- Type a Markdown example such as **Hello**, then right-click and choose Markdown Toggle or press SHIFT+ALT+M
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use fenced code blocks with a language name to get syntax highlighting
- Select part of an email before toggling to convert only that section
- Open the Options page to change styling, the syntax highlighting theme, TeX math processing, or the hotkey
- In Chrome and Firefox, options sync across your other installs if browser sync is enabled
- Check the Markdown Here Cheatsheet on the project wiki for the full list of supported syntax
Downloads
Strengths
- Lets you write email in Markdown and see the rendered result before sending
- Supports syntax highlighting for code in fenced code blocks
- Open source under the MIT license with a large public following on GitHub
Trade-offs
- Changes you make to the rendered HTML are lost when you revert to Markdown, according to the README
- Firefox and Thunderbird store updates can take up to a month to be approved by Mozilla, so features may lag behind the repository
- Works only in the rich-text compose editor of supported services
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.