Are my files sent to a server?

No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser. We upload no file, store nothing and analyse nothing. Text recognition and its language data also come from markitdown.de, with no request to other servers.

What is Markdown and why do I need it for Claude?

Markdown is plain text with a few characters for structure: # for headings, - for lists, | for tables. Claude and ChatGPT answer in this format themselves. Give them Markdown instead of a PDF and it stays clear which paragraph belongs to which heading.

Do I save tokens with MarkItDown?

Compared with HTML, yes. In our export test on 17 Oct 2026 the same content took 179 tokens as Markdown and 382 as HTML. Compared with plain text the difference is small. The real benefit is the structure that survives.

Which file formats are supported?

PDF, DOCX, XLSX, XLS, PPTX, CSV, TSV, HTML, TXT and Markdown. Plus PNG, JPG and WebP, which MarkItDown reads with text recognition.

Is there a file size limit?

Yes, 25 MB per file. Your browser keeps each file fully in memory during conversion, hence the limit, and you can drop several files at once so MarkItDown works through them one after another.

Does it work with scanned PDFs?

Yes. MarkItDown detects pages without a text layer and reads them with text recognition (Tesseract) in German and English. A scanned two-page PDF was done after 2.6 seconds in our test. The sharper the scan, the fewer reading errors.

How well are tables and images handled?

Tables from Word, Excel and HTML become Markdown tables with a header row. From PDFs, table content comes out line by line as text, because PDF stores no table structure. MarkItDown reads text in images for image files and scanned PDF pages.

Is the tool really free?

Yes. You need no account and pay nothing. Because the conversion runs in your browser, we have no server costs per file.

Can I use MarkItDown commercially?

Yes. The Markdown is yours. Use it privately and commercially without restriction.

Does it work offline?

Not reliably. MarkItDown loads the components for a format the first time you use it, and the text recognition language data from markitdown.de each time. Keep an internet connection ready. Your files stay on your computer.

New: Markdown to Word and HTML

Documents as Markdown for Claude and ChatGPT

Drop a PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint or image file and your browser converts it. Tables and headings stay intact, your files stay on your computer.

100% in browserNo sign-upGDPR-compliantFree

Drop your file here

Drag or click, up to 25 MB per file, several files at once

Drop files here

or click to choose, up to 25 MB per file, several at once

PDF

Bilder

CSV/XLSX

DOCX

PPTX

HTML/MD

Markdown both ways

Turn documents into Markdown for Claude and ChatGPT, or turn Markdown into a PDF, Word or HTML file to share.

Convert to Markdown

PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images and HTML become Markdown with headings and tables. For Claude Projects, Custom GPTs and RAG systems.

PDFDOCXXLSXPPTXPNGHTML

Convert to Markdown

Convert from Markdown

Markdown becomes a PDF, Word, HTML, PowerPoint, Excel or LaTeX file. For reports, notes to share and documentation.

PDFDOCXHTMLPPTXXLSXTEX

Convert from Markdown

What Markdown does for Claude and ChatGPT

Structure stays readable

Headings, lists and tables are plain characters in the text: #, - and |. It stays clear which number belongs to which column.

Shorter than HTML

In our export test on 17 Oct 2026 the same content took 581 characters as Markdown and 1,168 as HTML. Counted with cl100k that is 179 versus 382 tokens.

The format of chat answers

Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini write their own answers in Markdown. You give the model text in the format it produces itself.

Editable in any editor

Markdown is plain text. Edit it in Notion, Obsidian or VS Code and see every change line by line in Git.

Markdown in three steps

Drop your file

Drag a PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, HTML or image file into the field. Up to 25 MB per file.

Convert in your browser

Your browser converts the file and it stays on your computer. A Word document with ten chapters took 0.4 seconds in our test.

Copy or download

Paste the Markdown into Claude, ChatGPT or Notion with one click, or save it as an .md file.

The same document as PDF and Markdown

PDF with layout

Markdown with structure

# Quartalsbericht Q4

## Umsatz
- Gesamt: **€ 4.2M** (+18%)
- DACH: € 2.1M
- EU:   € 1.4M

## Highlights
1. Neuer Kunde: Acme GmbH
2. Produkt-Launch v2.0
3. Team auf 24 FTE gewachsen

| KPI | Q3 | Q4 |
|---|---|---|
| ARR | 12M | 14M |
| NPS | 42 | 51 |

Headings, list and table survive as structure

What you get with MarkItDown

100% in browser

Your files stay on your computer. The page loads its components and text recognition from markitdown.de only.

0.6 seconds for 20 pages

That is how long a 20-page PDF took in our test on 18 Oct 2026. A scanned two-page PDF was done after 2.6 seconds.

Several files at once

Drop several files together. MarkItDown converts them one after another and shows each result separately.

Text recognition built in

Tesseract reads images and scanned PDF pages in German and English. We serve the language data ourselves.

GDPR-compliant

We store neither files nor history and set no tracking cookies. Close the tab and everything is gone.

Free

You pay nothing and need no account. The limit is 25 MB per file.

What you can use MarkItDown for

Claude Projects

Add manuals, proposals and contracts to your project as Markdown. Tables stay tables.

RAG and vector stores

Split the Markdown at its headings and every chunk carries its title as context into the vector store.

Custom GPTs and Gemini Gems

Upload the knowledge base as .md files. Headings organise the knowledge your GPT draws on.

Notion and Obsidian

Paste the Markdown into Notion or drop the .md file into your Obsidian vault. Lists and headings render right away.

PDF and Word compared with Markdown

Criterion	PDF and DOCX	Markdown
File format	Binary file, needs an application	Plain text
Structure for the model	Depends on the export	# heading, - list, \| table
Editing	With Word or Acrobat	In any text editor
Changes in Git	Whole file only	Visible line by line
Reading without software	Hardly possible	Readable as is

Questions about MarkItDown

Drop your first file

You pay nothing, need no account and your files stay on your computer.