# HTML to Markdown

> Convert HTML to clean, readable Markdown instantly.

**Category:** Dev
**Keywords:** html, markdown, convert, md, converter, text, format
**URL:** https://complete.tools/html-to-markdown

## How it works

The tool processes inputs by first parsing the HTML using a structured algorithm that identifies and categorizes HTML elements. It employs a tree structure to represent the document, mapping each node (e.g., headings, paragraphs, lists) to its Markdown counterpart. For instance, an <h1> node is replaced with a '#' symbol, while <p> tags become plain text. The algorithm iterates through the DOM (Document Object Model) of the HTML, converting each element according to predefined rules, and assembles the output as a single Markdown string. This structured approach ensures that the conversion maintains the intended formatting and hierarchy of the original HTML content.

## Who should use this

Web developers converting HTML documentation to Markdown for easier content management. Technical writers preparing guides or manuals in Markdown format. Content creators migrating blog posts from HTML to Markdown for better readability. Educators creating course materials in Markdown for version control and collaborative editing.

## Worked examples

Example 1: Converting a simple HTML document. Input: <h1>Title</h1><p>This is a paragraph.</p> will be transformed to '# Title

This is a paragraph.'. Here, the <h1> becomes a Markdown header, and the <p> is rendered as plain text. Example 2: Handling lists. Input: <ul><li>Item 1</li><li>Item 2</li></ul> results in '- Item 1
- Item 2'. The unordered list in HTML is converted to a Markdown list by prefixing each item with a '-'. Example 3: Converting links. Input: <a href="http://example.com">Example</a> will yield '[Example](http://example.com)'. This demonstrates how hyperlinks are formatted in Markdown, making them easily readable while preserving functionality.

## Limitations

The tool has specific limitations, including the inability to handle complex nested HTML structures effectively, which may lead to inaccurate Markdown representations in deeply nested scenarios. It may also struggle with non-standard HTML attributes or custom tags that do not have clear Markdown equivalents. Additionally, it assumes a standard HTML structure and may not properly convert malformed HTML. Lastly, it does not support advanced CSS styles or JavaScript functionalities embedded within HTML, which could affect the overall presentation in Markdown.

## FAQs

**Q:** How does the tool handle inline HTML elements like <strong> or <em>? 


**A:** Inline elements such as <strong> are converted to **bold** in Markdown, while <em> becomes *italic*. This ensures that text formatting is preserved during conversion.


**Q:** Can the tool convert HTML tables to Markdown? 


**A:** Yes, the tool can convert HTML tables into Markdown format, translating rows and columns into a structured table format using pipes (|) and dashes (-) for separation.


**Q:** What happens to unsupported HTML elements? 


**A:** Unsupported HTML elements are ignored in the conversion process, resulting in a loss of that specific content unless handled by custom rules.


**Q:** Is the tool capable of converting HTML comments? 


**A:** No, HTML comments are not included in the output Markdown as they are not relevant to the content presentation.

---

*Generated from [complete.tools/html-to-markdown](https://complete.tools/html-to-markdown)*