Guide · Open source
How to use Markdown Here: write and render email in Markdown
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
Markdown Here is a browser extension for Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Thunderbird. It lets you write an email using Markdown symbols, then render it as formatted rich text before you send it. This guide shows you how to install it, convert a whole email or just a selection, and undo a conversion if you need to edit the Markdown again.
Markdown Hereadam-p/markdown-here · ★ 60.3k · MIT Install options & downloads Quick start
- 1Install the extension. Add Markdown Here from the Chrome Web Store, Mozilla Add-ons site, or Opera Add-ons store, then restart or reload.
- 2Enable rich formatting. In Gmail, click Rich formatting if visible. In Thunderbird, turn on HTML composition in Account Settings.
- 3Write in Markdown. Start a new email and type Markdown such as **bold** and fenced code blocks.
- 4Toggle to render. Right-click the compose box and choose Markdown Toggle, click the toolbar button, or press SHIFT+ALT+M.
- 5Check the result. Confirm the email shows rich formatted text before sending.
- 6Revert if needed. Right-click the rendered text and choose Markdown Toggle to return to Markdown.
Install Markdown Here in your browser or Thunderbird
For Chrome, install Markdown Here from the Chrome Web Store. For Firefox and Thunderbird, install it from the Mozilla Add-ons site, or go to the Tools > Add-ons menu and search for "Markdown Here". For Opera, use the Opera Add-ons store. Opera support is limited to versions 16 and higher, which are based on Chromium.
After installing, reload your webmail page or restart the browser (for Firefox and Thunderbird, restart the application). Mozilla can take up to a month to approve updates, so the store version may lag behind the newest release.
Turn on the rich editor so Markdown Here can work
Markdown Here converts the rich (HTML) editor, not plain-text compose. Before you write, check your mail client's setting.
In Gmail, click the "Rich formatting" link if it is visible. In Thunderbird, enable "Compose messages in HTML format" in Account Settings under the Composition & Addressing pane.
Write your email in Markdown and convert it
Start a new email, then write using Markdown symbols. Asterisks make bold text, and fenced code blocks can specify a language for syntax highlighting. The README gives this example of Markdown to type:
When you are ready, convert the message. You can right-click in the compose box and choose "Markdown Toggle", click the button on your toolbar, or press the hotkey, which is SHIFT+ALT+M by default. Your email should then display as rich formatted HTML.
- Right-click in the compose box and choose "Markdown Toggle".
- Click the Markdown Here button on your toolbar.
- Press SHIFT+ALT+M (the default hotkey).
**Hello** `world`.
```javascript
alert('Hello syntax highlighting.');
```Convert only part of an email
Sometimes only some of your message is Markdown. Select the text with the mouse or keyboard, right-click, and choose "Markdown Toggle". Only the selection is rendered.
To revert a converted block, place your cursor in it, right-click, and choose "Markdown Toggle" again. The README notes that converting part of a block wraps that block in a paragraph element and can break up the original line, so it advises against it in most cases.
- If nothing is selected, Markdown Here reverts any converted blocks it finds. If none are found, it converts the entire email.
- You can select and revert several converted blocks at once.
Revert rendered email back to Markdown
Rendered text can be changed back into Markdown. Right-click anywhere in the rendered Markdown and choose "Markdown Toggle", and the compose body returns to the Markdown you wrote.
Any edits you make to the rendered HTML are lost when you revert. In Gmail you can also use the browser's Undo command, but the README warns that this may remove the last few characters you typed.
Handle replies and set options
In Gmail, Thunderbird, and Google Groups, you can convert a reply normally, and the original message is left alone because existing blockquote blocks stay intact. In Hotmail and Yahoo, which do not place the original in a blockquote, select only your reply before converting.
The Options page, reached from your browser or Thunderbird extensions list, lets you change styling for rendered Markdown, the syntax highlighting theme, TeX math processing, and the hotkey. In Chrome and Firefox, option changes sync across your installations when browser sync is enabled.
What people use it for
- Sending an email with a code snippet that has syntax highlighting.
- Writing a reply in Gmail or Thunderbird with Markdown formatting, leaving the quoted original unchanged.
- Converting only one paragraph of a mixed email by selecting it first.
- Composing in HTML format in Thunderbird using Markdown symbols.
Frequently asked questions
Is Markdown Here free?
The source identifies Markdown Here as MIT licensed and open source, and it is distributed through the browser extension stores linked in the README. The README does not list any price.
Does Markdown Here work with Outlook or other webmail?
The README names Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, Google Groups, Thunderbird, Blogger, Evernote and WordPress in its notes. Compatibility for other services is documented on a separate wiki page that the README does not summarize, so check that page before relying on a service.
Do I need to install anything else first?
The source lists no prerequisites. You install the extension from the store for your browser or from the Mozilla Add-ons site for Thunderbird, then reload or restart.
Why doesn't my Markdown render?
Check that you are using the rich editor (Rich formatting in Gmail, HTML composition in Thunderbird) and reload the webmail page. The README points to a Troubleshooting wiki page for further help.
Can it highlight code?
Yes. Specify the language in a fenced code block, and the extension applies syntax highlighting. Themes can be changed on the Options page.
Can it render math formulas?
The README says it can render TeX math formulae, and TeX math processing can be enabled and customized in the Options page.
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Our verdict
Markdown Here suits people who already know Markdown and want to use it in webmail or Thunderbird, especially for emails containing code. If you only use plain-text email, do not know Markdown, or use a service not covered by the compatibility wiki, choose a different tool.
Install options & downloads