# Markdown Converter

> Convert documents and files to Markdown using markitdown. Use when converting PDF, Word (.docx), PowerPoint (.pptx), Excel (.xlsx, .xls), HTML, CSV, JSON, XML, images (with EXIF/OCR), audio (with transcription), ZIP archives, YouTube URLs, or EPubs to Markdown format for LLM processing or text analysis.

- Skill: `davisbuilds/markdown-converter` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add davisbuilds/markdown-converter`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/davisbuilds/markdown-converter/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Web & Frontend
- Author: davisbuilds (https://skillmd.com/u/davisbuilds)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/davisbuilds/markdown-converter

---


# Markdown Converter

Convert files to Markdown using `uvx markitdown` — no installation required.

## Basic Usage

```bash
# Convert to stdout
uvx markitdown input.pdf

# Save to file
uvx markitdown input.pdf -o output.md
uvx markitdown input.docx > output.md

# From stdin
cat input.pdf | uvx markitdown
```

## Supported Formats

- **Documents**: PDF, Word (.docx), PowerPoint (.pptx), Excel (.xlsx, .xls)
- **Web/Data**: HTML, CSV, JSON, XML
- **Media**: Images (EXIF + OCR), Audio (EXIF + transcription)
- **Other**: ZIP (iterates contents), YouTube URLs, EPub

## Options

```bash
-o OUTPUT      # Output file
-x EXTENSION   # Hint file extension (for stdin)
-m MIME_TYPE   # Hint MIME type
-c CHARSET     # Hint charset (e.g., UTF-8)
-d             # Use Azure Document Intelligence
-e ENDPOINT    # Document Intelligence endpoint
--use-plugins  # Enable 3rd-party plugins
--list-plugins # Show installed plugins
```

## Examples

```bash
# Convert Word document
uvx markitdown report.docx -o report.md

# Convert Excel spreadsheet
uvx markitdown data.xlsx > data.md

# Convert PowerPoint presentation
uvx markitdown slides.pptx -o slides.md

# Convert with file type hint (for stdin)
cat document | uvx markitdown -x .pdf > output.md

# Use Azure Document Intelligence for better PDF extraction
uvx markitdown scan.pdf -d -e "https://your-resource.cognitiveservices.azure.com/"
```

## Notes

- Output preserves document structure: headings, tables, lists, links
- First run caches dependencies; subsequent runs are faster
- For complex PDFs with poor extraction, use `-d` with Azure Document Intelligence

## When To Use

- When converting PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, HTML, or other supported formats to Markdown
- When preparing documents for LLM processing or text analysis pipelines
- When extracting text content from images (OCR), audio (transcription), or ZIP archives
- When converting YouTube URLs or EPubs to readable Markdown

## Boundaries

- Not for Markdown-to-other-format conversion (e.g., Markdown to PDF)
- Not for editing or reformatting existing Markdown files
- Not for web scraping or crawling — operates on local files, stdin, or single URLs
- Skip Azure Document Intelligence (`-d`) unless standard PDF extraction is insufficient

## Output

- Markdown text preserving document structure: headings, tables, lists, and links
- Written to stdout by default, or to a file with `-o` flag
- One Markdown output per input file or URL

## Verification

- Output contains recognizable document structure (headings, tables) matching the source
- `uvx` is available in the environment (no pre-installation required)
- For Azure Document Intelligence, endpoint is reachable and credentials are valid
- Output file is non-empty when `-o` is used

## Sibling skills

- `fetchmd` — sister format-to-markdown tool. Use this skill for *file* inputs (PDF, .docx, .pptx, .xlsx, image OCR); use `fetchmd` for *web* inputs (URLs or HTML).