How to open Markdown in Google Docs

Your AI gave you Markdown, but you want to keep working in Google Docs. You can import the file or use Paste from Markdown to turn the text into an editable document.

These steps are for Google Docs in a computer browser, signed in to your Google account. Importing puts a copy in Google’s cloud; it doesn’t change your original file.

If you have an MD file

On the Google Docs home page, select Open file picker (the folder icon).
Choose the Upload tab.
Browse for your .md file or drag it into the upload window.
Google Docs opens the file as an editable document. Check the formatting before you share it.

If you already have a document open, use File → Open → Upload instead.

If the file is already in Google Drive, right-click it and choose Open with → Google Docs.

If you copied text from your AI

Use Paste from Markdown when the copied text contains marks such as ## or **bold**. Ordinary paste can leave those marks in your document.

Chrome may require an extension for this step. In our test, Google Docs showed “Enable copy, cut, and paste?” and asked us to install a Chrome extension before using Paste from Markdown. Enabling Markdown in Preferences wasn’t enough. If you prefer to avoid that setup, ask your AI for an .md file and follow the file-import steps above.

Copy the Markdown text. If the AI wrapped the entire document in a code block, leave out the opening and closing lines marked with ```.
In Google Docs, choose Tools → Preferences, check Enable Markdown, then choose OK.
Click where you want the text in your document. Choose Edit → Paste from Markdown.

The dialog’s suggested keyboard shortcut (⌘V on our Mac) is ordinary paste, not Paste from Markdown. In our test, it left the Markdown symbols visible.

```markdown
# Weekend plan

Bring **comfortable shoes**.
```

Copy the heading and sentence. Leave out the first and last lines.

If you already pasted the text and see the Markdown symbols, undo that paste and use Paste from Markdown instead. Turning on the preference doesn’t reformat text you pasted earlier.

If an ordinary paste already gives you the formatting you want, you can keep it. AI apps differ in what their Copy button puts on the clipboard.

Check the result before you share it

Headings: look for them in the document outline, not just as larger text on the page.
Lists and bold text: check that list items are separate and emphasis is where you expect it.
Tables: make sure each value is in the right row and column.
Links and images: check that links point to the intended page and any important images are present.

If your document includes diagrams, equations or other complex formatting, compare those with the original too. Keep the Markdown file until you’re happy with the result.

Only need to read it?

You don’t have to put it in Google Docs. Open it in our reader for a formatted page, with no account or installation. Files opened directly stay in your browser.

Read without importing

New to the format? Here’s what an MD file is and how to open it.

Reference: Google’s Markdown instructions and its import and export announcement.