How to convert Markdown to plain text
Strip the syntax out of Markdown to get clean, readable plain text — for emails, SMS, plain-text fields, and anywhere the raw symbols would show through.
Markdown is only pretty once it's rendered. In a plain-text context — a plain email, an SMS, a form field, a code comment — the raw **asterisks** and # hashes just show through as clutter. Markdown to Text removes the syntax and leaves clean, readable prose.
What it strips
The tool reads the Markdown and outputs the underlying text:
**bold**and*italic*→ the words, without the markers.# Heading→ the heading text, without the#.[link text](url)→ the link text (the URL can be dropped or kept inline).- Lists, blockquotes, and code fences → their content, de-marked.
What's left is exactly what a reader would see if the Markdown were rendered — but as plain characters.
Where you need it
- Plain-text emails and newsletters that don't render Markdown.
- SMS and chat systems that show raw text.
- Form fields, alt text, and meta descriptions that must be plain.
- Word counts of the actual prose — measuring content without syntax noise.
The reverse direction
Going the other way — making plain text safe inside Markdown so its punctuation isn't interpreted as formatting — is Text to Markdown.
Privacy
The conversion is local; nothing is uploaded, so it's fine for private messages and internal copy.
A common workflow
Write once in Markdown, then export the version each channel needs: rendered HTML for the web, a PDF for sharing, and plain text for email and chat. One source, many clean outputs.
Strip the symbols, keep the words.