--- title: "Text to Markdown Converter: Format Plain Text and TXT Files | Keep" description: "Convert plain text or a TXT file to clean Markdown online. Detect headings, lists, and links, then preview, copy, or download the result privately." canonical: "https://keep.md/tools/text-to-markdown" language: "en" --- # Text to Markdown converter Turn plain text and .txt files into clean Markdown. Detect clear headings, lists, and links without sending your writing to a server. ## How to use this tool Paste plain text or choose a .txt file, convert it, check the detected Markdown structure, then copy the result or download a .md file. ## Keep anything useful as Markdown. Save notes, links, pages, files, and other useful material as clean Markdown. Read it later, search it, or use it with an AI agent. [Start for free](https://app.keep.md/signup) [Read the docs](https://keep.md/docs) ## How to convert plain text to Markdown 1. Paste text into the box or choose a `.txt` file. 2. Select **Convert to Markdown**. 3. Check the Markdown source and rendered preview. 4. Copy the result or download the `.md` file. ## Plain text is valid Markdown, but structure still matters A plain text file can already open as Markdown. The problem is that its structure is often only visible to a person. A line may look like a heading because it is uppercase. A list may use bullet characters that Markdown does not understand. A web address may not become a link. This converter turns those clear patterns into Markdown syntax. It uses an H1 for the first detected title, H2 headings for later sections, hyphens for bullet lists, standard markers for numbered lists, and angle brackets for bare links and email addresses. ## Fixed rules keep the result predictable The conversion is deterministic. The same input gives the same output every time. It does not use AI to rewrite sentences or make creative formatting choices. Existing Markdown stays in place, and ordinary sentences keep their words and order. Plain text cannot store bold, italic, linked labels, or table cells. Paste the original formatted copy into the [rich text to Markdown converter](https://keep.md/tools/rich-text-to-markdown) when that formatting is still available. Use the [Markdown table generator](https://keep.md/tools/markdown-table-generator) for copied rows and columns. ## Convert TXT files without an upload You can open a `.txt` or `.text` file up to 1 MB. Pasted input can contain up to 100,000 characters. The browser reads and converts it locally, so notes and internal project text do not leave the page. The finished Markdown works in Git, Obsidian, documentation systems, and context files for AI agents. The [token counter](https://keep.md/tools/token-counter) shows how much context the result will use. ## Frequently asked questions Paste plain text or choose a .txt file, then select Convert to Markdown. The tool detects clear headings, common bullet characters, numbered lists, and bare links. Check the source or rendered preview before you copy or download the result. It detects underlined headings, short isolated title-case or uppercase headings, bullets that use common symbols, numbered items that use a closing bracket, web addresses, and email addresses. Existing Markdown syntax stays in the document. No. The conversion uses fixed rules, so the same text always gives the same Markdown. It does not send your writing to an AI service or guess which words should be bold. Yes. Choose a .txt or .text file up to 1 MB. The converter reads it in your browser and downloads the result as a .md file. Existing headings, lists, links, code spans, and other common Markdown stay intact. The tool normalises line endings and adds structure only where a plain-text pattern is clear. Use the Markdown table generator for rows and columns. It handles tab-separated text, CSV, spreadsheet cells, HTML tables, and existing Markdown tables. Plain text has no stored bold, italic, heading, or link formatting, so this tool detects structure from the words and line layout. The rich text converter reads formatting that is still present when you paste from Word, Google Docs, or a webpage. Yes. File reading, conversion, preview, copy, and download run in your browser. Your text is not uploaded, you do not need an account, and there is no daily limit. ## Related tools [ ### Rich text to Markdown converter Paste formatted text from Word, Google Docs, or a webpage and keep headings, links, lists, tables, and emphasis as clean Markdown. ](https://keep.md/tools/rich-text-to-markdown)[ ### Markdown table generator Build and edit a Markdown table, or paste CSV, spreadsheet cells, HTML, or Markdown. Set alignment, then copy or download the result. ](https://keep.md/tools/markdown-table-generator)[ ### Token counter Count the LLM tokens in text you paste or in any webpage. Pick a model to see how much of its context window you fill, and compare the raw HTML cost of a page to the Markdown version. ](https://keep.md/tools/token-counter)[ ### AI text cleaner Strip emdashes, curly quotes, invisible Unicode, and Markdown formatting from ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini output. ](https://keep.md/tools/ai-text-cleaner)