Yes — simple tables become GitHub-flavored Markdown pipe tables. Merged cells and nested tables are flattened, because Markdown has no way to express them.

What happens to footnotes, comments and tracked changes?

Footnotes are appended as numbered notes; comments and tracked changes are not included — accept all changes in Word first.

Can I convert an old .doc file?

Not directly; .doc is a binary format. Save it as .docx in Word or LibreOffice first, then convert.

Is my document uploaded?

No. Parsing and conversion happen entirely in your browser.

Document Converters

DOCX to Markdown

Name: DOCX to Markdown
Author: Miikka

Moving documentation, notes or a book draft out of Word? Get Markdown that keeps the structure — headings, lists, links, emphasis and simple tables — without Word’s formatting clutter.

By Miikka · CalcBrew · Updated Sep 16, 2026

Runs in your browser — files never leave your device.

Drop Word (DOCX) files here

or click to browse · paste from clipboard · up to 50 MB each

Select files

Options

Embedded images

Why convert Word (DOCX) to Markdown

Word stores formatting as styles; Markdown only wants structure. The converter reads the DOCX, maps Heading 1–6 to #, bullet and numbered lists to - and 1., bold and italic to ** and *, and tables to GitHub-flavored pipe tables, then drops everything else (fonts, colors, page layout) on purpose.

The conversion runs in your browser with the same open-source libraries used by static-site tools, so a 300-page manuscript converts in a couple of seconds and never leaves your device. Embedded images can be kept as inline data or dropped.

How to convert Word (DOCX) to Markdown

Drop one or more .docx files onto the page.
Choose whether to keep embedded images.
Click Convert and download the .md file (or a ZIP for several).

About the formats

Word (DOCX) · Microsoft Word document · .docx

The current Word format (since 2007): a ZIP of XML files that Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice and Pages can all open and edit.

DOCX layout depends on the fonts installed on the viewing computer, which is why the same file can paginate differently on another machine.
Converting to PDF freezes the layout so it looks the same everywhere.
DOCX is part of the Office Open XML standard (ISO 29500).

Markdown · Markdown text · .md

Lightweight text formatting used on GitHub, in note apps and documentation: # for headings, * for lists, links in brackets.

Markdown has several dialects; GitHub-Flavored Markdown adds tables, task lists and strikethrough.
Because the source is plain text, Markdown files diff and version well in Git.
Rendering Markdown to HTML is the first step of most Markdown to PDF conversions.

Related conversions

DOCX to HTMLOn-deviceWord to clean semantic HTML for the web.DOCX to TXTOn-devicePlain text out of a Word document.HTML to MarkdownOn-deviceHTML pages or snippets to clean Markdown.Markdown to HTMLOn-deviceGitHub-flavored Markdown rendered to HTML.

More in Document Converters · All converters

All Document Converters on CalcBrew

Frequently asked questions

Cite this calculator

APACalcBrew. (2026). DOCX to Markdown. https://calcbrew.com/docx-to-markdown

MLA“DOCX to Markdown.” CalcBrew, 2026, calcbrew.com/docx-to-markdown.

Link to https://calcbrew.com/docx-to-markdown. Results are estimates; cite the underlying formula or data source for academic work.