Markdown Them
Convert various document files into Markdown (.md) seamlessly inside Visual Studio Code.
- Supported formats:
.docx, .pdf, .html, .xlsx, .pptx, .odt, .odp, .ods, .rtf.
- Concurrent batch processing: Convert dozens of files at once with optimized performance.
- Preview mode: Instantly view converted markdown for your active document.
Usage
1. Convert Multiple Files (Batch)
- In the Explorer side bar, select one or more files.
- Right-click and choose Convert to Markdown.
- Files will be converted concurrently (up to the defined limit). You'll see notifications as each file completes.
2. Convert Active File
- While viewing a document, press
Ctrl+M Ctrl+D (or Cmd+M Cmd+D on Mac).
- A markdown preview will open in a new pane beside your current editor.
3. Change Concurrency Limit
- Use the command palette (
Ctrl+Shift+P) and search for Markdown Them: Set Max Concurrent Conversions.
- Or, go to File > Preferences > Settings and search for
Markdown Them.
[!NOTE]
Currently, .pptx and other office formats (.odt, .odp, .ods, .rtf) extract text and tables only; images are ignored to keep output files lightweight & easier to read.
Configuration
| Setting |
Type |
Default |
Range |
Description |
markdown-them.maxConcurrentConversions |
integer |
6 |
1 – 16 |
Maximum number of files converted simultaneously during a batch "Convert to Markdown" operation. |
You can change this in three ways:
1. Command Palette — Run Markdown Them: Set Max Concurrent Conversions (Ctrl+Shift+P) to get an interactive input box pre-filled with the current value.
2. Settings UI — Open Settings (Ctrl+,) and search for Markdown Them.
3. settings.json — Add the key directly:
{
// Convert up to 4 files at the same time
"markdown-them.maxConcurrentConversions": 4
}
Safely Powered By
I care about security & licensing for commercial use, so I picked the most popular packages with permissive licenses (MIT or BSD-2-Clause).
Special thanks to the open-source authors and contributors whose incredible libraries power this extension:
mammoth: Robust conversion of .docx documents.@opendocsg/pdf2md: Reliable text extraction from .pdf files.exceljs: Safe parsing of .xlsx files into structured markdown tables.turndown: Converting .html files (or mammoth's HTML output) cleanly to Markdown.officeparser: A fallback text extractor for .pptx, .odt, .odp, .ods, and .rtf files.
Credits & Links
VS Code Marketplace
| Open VSX
| GitHub Repository
| Changelog
| Contribution Guidelines
License
MIT
