About Word2MD - Free Word to Markdown Converter
Simple, Fast, and Privacy-Focused Document Conversion
Word2MD.net is maintained as a practical tool for converting Word documents to Markdown. The basic DOCX converter runs in your browser, while the optional image and OCR workflow uses secure server-side processing.
Why We Built This Tool
Converting a standard Word document to Markdown should not require installing software. The basic converter is available without an account; optional OCR, image extraction, and higher-volume workflows use accounts, quotas, or paid credits.
How Word2MD Evolved
What started as a quick hack to convert our GitHub README files has grown into a tool used by developers, technical writers, and content creators worldwide. Here's how we got here:
Browser Converter
Built the browser converter with Mammoth.js and Turndown to turn DOCX content into Markdown without uploading the document.
Batch Workflow
Added drag-and-drop, conversion previews, error handling, and ZIP downloads for batches of DOCX files.
Optional OCR
Added an account-based server OCR workflow for documents and images that need visual text extraction.
Under the Hood
Word2MD uses separate processing paths for basic DOCX conversion and optional OCR:
Mammoth.js
An open-source library for extracting semantic content from modern .docx files. Some advanced Word layout features may not map exactly to Markdown.
Turndown
An open-source HTML-to-Markdown converter configured for ATX headings, fenced code blocks, lists, and GitHub-style tables.
Optional Server OCR
The separate image conversion tool uploads the selected file to our server and OCR provider for temporary processing.
Local Basic Conversion
The standard DOCX-to-Markdown converter runs locally in your browser. The interface identifies the advanced OCR workflow separately.
Who We Are
Word2MD is maintained by a small team of developers who actually use the tool for our own projects. We're not a big corporation - just people who needed a better Word-to-Markdown converter.
Privacy by Design
Basic DOCX conversion stays in your browser. Files are transmitted only when you explicitly choose the separate OCR workflow.
Clear Product Boundaries
Basic conversion is free without an account. OCR and higher-volume features clearly show their account and quota requirements.
User-Driven Development
Every feature we've added came from user feedback. GitHub issues turn into features, not just bug reports.
Looking Forward
We intend to keep basic DOCX-to-Markdown conversion free while funding server-dependent OCR and higher-volume workflows through paid plans and credits.