MarkItDown for VS Code

Convert various file formats to Markdown directly within VS Code with one click. No more context switching - transform your documents, presentations, spreadsheets, images, and audio files into clean, readable Markdown without leaving your editor.

✨ Features

🚀 One-Click Conversion: Convert files directly from the Command Palette or File Explorer context menu
📄 Document Support: PDF, DOCX, PPTX, XLSX files
🌐 Web & Data: HTML, CSV, JSON, XML files
🖼️ Image OCR: Extract text from PNG, JPG, JPEG, GIF images
🎵 Audio Transcription: Convert MP3, WAV audio to text
📦 Archive Processing: Recursively convert supported files within ZIP archives
⚡ Progress Tracking: Real-time progress notifications for long conversions
🔧 Smart Output: Automatic collision detection with numbered suffixes
⚙️ Configurable: Customize auto-open and overwrite behaviors

🎬 Demo

MarkItDown Demo

Convert any supported file format to Markdown with a simple right-click

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace: Search for "MarkItDown" in the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X)
From Command Line: code --install-extension bioinfo.markitdown-vscode
From VSIX: Download the latest .vsix from releases

First Use

Ensure Python is installed (3.7+ required)
Right-click any supported file in the File Explorer
Select "Convert to Markdown"
Wait for first-time setup (installs dependencies automatically)
Enjoy your converted Markdown file!

📋 Supported File Formats

Category	Formats	Description
Documents	`.pdf`, `.docx`	PDF documents, Microsoft Word files
Presentations	`.pptx`	Microsoft PowerPoint presentations
Spreadsheets	`.xlsx`	Microsoft Excel spreadsheets
Web & Structured	`.html`, `.csv`, `.json`, `.xml`	Web pages, data files
Images	`.png`, `.jpg`, `.jpeg`, `.gif`	Images with OCR text extraction
Audio	`.mp3`, `.wav`	Audio files with speech transcription
Archives	`.zip`	ZIP files (recursively processes contents)

🎯 Usage

Command Palette

Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
Type "MarkItDown: Convert File to Markdown"
Select file(s) to convert

Right-click any supported file
Select "Convert to Markdown"
Conversion starts automatically

Batch Processing

Select multiple files in the file picker
Each file is converted individually
Progress shown for each conversion

⚙️ Configuration

Access settings via File > Preferences > Settings and search for "MarkItDown":

Setting	Default	Description
`markitdown.openFileOnSuccess`	`true`	Automatically open converted Markdown files
`markitdown.overwriteExisting`	`false`	Overwrite existing files vs. create numbered variants

🔧 Requirements

VS Code: Version 1.74.0 or higher
Python: Version 3.7 or higher (must be in PATH)
Internet Connection: Required for first-time dependency installation

Automatic Setup

The extension automatically:

✅ Detects Python installation
✅ Creates isolated virtual environment
✅ Installs markitdown with all dependencies
✅ Manages environment updates

🏗️ How It Works

MarkItDown uses a secure two-process architecture:

VS Code Extension (TypeScript): Handles UI, commands, and file management
Python Subprocess: Runs the powerful markitdown library in isolation
Virtual Environment: Keeps dependencies separate from your system Python

This design ensures:

🔒 Security: Isolated execution environment
🚀 Performance: Non-blocking operations with progress feedback
🛡️ Stability: Extension crashes don't affect VS Code
🔄 Reliability: Proven markitdown library for conversions

📊 Output Examples

JSON to Markdown

Input (data.json):

{
  "name": "Project Alpha",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "features": ["fast", "reliable", "secure"]
}

Output (data.md):

# JSON Document

**name**: Project Alpha  
**version**: 1.0.0  
**features**: 
- fast
- reliable  
- secure

PDF to Markdown

Converts PDF documents while preserving:

Text formatting and structure
Headers and sections
Lists and tables
Basic styling information

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Python not found"

Ensure Python 3.7+ is installed and in your PATH
Try running python --version in terminal
Install from python.org

"Conversion failed"

Check the Output panel (View > Output > MarkItDown)
Verify file isn't corrupted by opening in native application
Ensure file isn't password-protected or encrypted

"Permission denied"

Close the file in other applications
Check file permissions
Try copying file to a different location

Getting Help

Check the FAQ
Search existing issues
Create a new issue with:
- VS Code version
- Python version
- File type and size
- Error message from Output panel

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! See our Contributing Guide for details.

Development Setup

git clone https://github.com/BioInfo/vscode-markitdown.git
cd vscode-markitdown
npm install
npm run compile

Press F5 to launch the Extension Development Host for testing.

📝 Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for release history.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

Built on the excellent markitdown library by Microsoft
Inspired by the need for seamless document conversion workflows
Thanks to the VS Code extension development community

🔗 Links

Enjoy seamless document conversion with MarkItDown! 🚀

MarkItDown

bioinfo