LaTeX to Markdown
Paste LaTeX or upload a .tex file and this LaTeX to Markdown converter rewrites it as you type: sections become headings, equations stay as math, tables become pipe tables, and footnotes and citations carry over. It works for whole papers and short fragments.
Markdown
# Introduction
The Gaussian integral appears in probability [@feller1968] and physics.[^1]
$$
\int_{-\infty}^{\infty} e^{-x^2}\,dx = \sqrt{\pi}
$$
## Proofs
- **Polar coordinates**, see [eq:gauss].
- *Feynman's trick*.
| Method | Steps |
| --- | ---: |
| Polar | 3 |
| Series | 5 |
[^1]: See also <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaussian_integral>.
Have the paper only as a PDF or a scan? Convert it to LaTeX first.
Convert a PDFHow to convert LaTeX to Markdown
Paste or upload the LaTeX
Paste a whole document or just a few paragraphs, or upload a .tex file. For a full document, the preamble is skipped but the \title and \author are read, so the Markdown starts with a title line. The LaTeX to Markdown conversion runs in your browser as you type. Comments are removed, and verbatim blocks are protected first, so code inside them is never altered.
Pick citation and math styles
Citations can be written Pandoc style, [@key], which Pandoc, Quarto and Zettlr understand, or as plain [key] text. Display math can be $$ blocks, which Obsidian, Jupyter and most editors render, or ```math blocks for GitHub.
Copy or download the .md
Copy the result or download it as a .md file. Any command the LaTeX to Markdown converter did not recognise is listed under the output, so you know where to look instead of finding gaps later.
What converts, and how
Headings, text and notes
Sections and subsections become # headings, one level below the title when there is one, and \chapter takes the top level in books. \emph and \textbf become *italic* and **bold**, \href becomes a link, accents such as \'e become é, and footnotes become [^1] notes listed at the end. Quotes written with `` and '' turn into curly quotes, and --- becomes an em dash.
Math stays math
Inline $…$ and \(…\) are kept as $…$. equation, \[…\] and $$ become $$ blocks; align, gather and eqnarray become aligned or gathered inside them, since Markdown renderers do not number equations. \label, \nonumber and \tag are removed.
Lists, tables, figures and code
itemize, enumerate and description become Markdown lists, nested correctly. tabular, tabularx and longtable become pipe tables with column alignment; merged cells keep their text in the first cell. Figures become images with the caption as alt text, and verbatim, lstlisting and minted become fenced code with the language. Theorem, lemma, definition and proof environments become bold run-in labels such as **Theorem (Gauss).**, with ∎ after a proof.
Limits and tips
What cannot carry over
Markdown has no macros, page layout or numbered cross-references, so custom commands keep only their text, \ref shows the label name, and TikZ pictures are dropped. Convert diagrams to images separately and replace the labels with links where it matters. A bibliography from a .bib file is not inlined; the References heading marks where Pandoc or your site generator should place it.
Papers from arXiv or Overleaf
Download the source from arXiv or Overleaf and open the main .tex file. Files pulled in with \input or \include are not followed, so convert each one and join the results. A LaTeX to Markdown pass then gives a clean draft for a blog post, notes or documentation.
Going back to LaTeX
The reverse direction is just as quick. Headings, lists, math, tables and citations written here convert back without loss, which makes Markdown a comfortable place to edit text before a final LaTeX pass. Run a LaTeX to Markdown pass, edit, and convert back when the journal template is ready.
Markdown to LaTeXOfficial references: CommonMark · Pandoc manual
LaTeX and Markdown questions
- How to convert LaTeX to Markdown?
- Paste the .tex source into this LaTeX to Markdown converter, choose the citation and math styles, and copy the result. On the command line, Pandoc does the same with pandoc paper.tex -o paper.md.
- Does LaTeX support Markdown?
- Not natively. The markdown package lets LaTeX read Markdown inside a document, but it needs shell escape. Converting the Markdown to LaTeX first is usually simpler.
- Can I convert a LaTeX table to a Markdown table?
- Yes. Paste just the tabular environment and you get a pipe table with each column's alignment. Merged cells and rules have no Markdown equivalent, so they are flattened. A caption from the surrounding table environment is kept as an italic line above it.
- How do I convert LaTeX to Markdown with Pandoc?
- Run pandoc input.tex -t gfm -o output.md, or -t markdown for Pandoc's own flavour with citations. Pandoc follows \input files, which this page does not.
- How do I convert LaTeX to Markdown in Python?
- Use pypandoc: pypandoc.convert_file('paper.tex', 'gfm', outputfile='paper.md'). It needs Pandoc installed; pypandoc can download it for you.
- Is there a free LaTeX to Markdown converter online?
- Yes, this one. It is free, needs no sign-up and keeps your file in the browser, and the LaTeX to Markdown result appears as you type.
- Will the converted Markdown render on GitHub?
- Yes. GitHub renders the headings, tables, footnotes and $…$ math. Choose ```math blocks for display equations if a $ block does not render as you expect. Footnotes appear at the bottom of the rendered file with links back to the text.
- Can I use the converted Markdown in Obsidian?
- Yes. Obsidian renders $…$ and $$…$$ math, footnotes and tables. Keep the $$ display style for it.
- Can I convert an arXiv paper to Markdown?
- Yes. On the paper's arXiv page choose TeX Source, unpack it, and paste the main .tex file here. Figures stay as links to their image files. For long papers, convert the main file first, then each \input file, and paste the results in order.
- How do I export an Overleaf project to Markdown?
- Download the project as a zip from the Overleaf menu, open main.tex, and run it through the LaTeX to Markdown converter. Repeat for chapters kept in separate files.
- Is LaTeX the same as Markdown?
- No. LaTeX is a full typesetting system with macros and precise layout; Markdown is a light syntax for formatted text. Markdown tools borrow LaTeX's math notation, which is why equations convert so cleanly.
- What happens to LaTeX commands the converter does not know?
- Their arguments are kept as text and the command names are listed under the output, so nothing disappears without notice. Layout commands such as \vspace, \centering and \noindent are removed quietly, because they mean nothing in Markdown.
- How are equations and align environments converted?
- They stay as LaTeX math inside $$ blocks. align becomes aligned and gather becomes gathered, which MathJax and KaTeX render without numbering. Inline math stays inline, so a sentence that wraps around a formula reads the same as in the PDF.
- What happens to citations, labels and cross-references?
- \cite becomes [@key], page notes included, so Pandoc can build the bibliography. \label is removed, and \ref shows the label in brackets for you to replace with a link.
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