Dillinger is an online Markdown editor. Like StackEdit, it loads right in your web browser, so there’s no need to download and install an application on your computer. Dillinger has two panes: the editor on the left, and the live preview on the right. The split panes make it easy to see what Markdown-formatted text looks like.
Dillinger provides excellent Markdown support. Unfortunately, the export options are not customizable and the file saving features are a bit flaky. And since Dillinger loads in your web browser, it’s entirely dependent on a consistent internet connection. If your internet connection goes down or your web browser crashes, you could lose your work. For those reasons, Dillinger is best used for experimentation and quick note taking.
The application uses the markdown-it Markdown processor.
Dillinger Markdown Support
Dillinger provides support for the following Markdown elements.
| Element | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Headings | Yes | |
| Paragraphs | Yes | |
| Line Breaks | Partial | The Markdown syntax (trailing whitespace) is not supported, but you can press the Return key once to achieve the same result. |
| Bold | Yes | |
| Italic | Yes | |
| Blockquotes | Yes | |
| Ordered Lists | Yes | |
| Unordered Lists | Yes | |
| Code | Yes | |
| Horizontal Rules | Yes | |
| Links | Yes | |
| Images | Yes | There’s no ability to upload images — you’ll need to store the images on another server. |
| Tables | Yes | |
| Fenced Code Blocks | Yes | |
| Syntax Highlighting | Yes | |
| Footnotes | Yes | |
| Heading IDs | Partial | Automatically generated. There’s no way to set custom heading IDs. |
| Definition Lists | Yes | |
| Strikethrough | Yes | |
| Task Lists | Yes | You don’t have to use dashes. Just use brackets (e.g., [ ]).
|
| Emoji (copy and paste) | Yes | |
| Emoji (shortcodes) | No | |
| Highlight | Yes | |
| Subscript | Yes | |
| Superscript | Yes | |
| Automatic URL Linking | Yes | |
| Disabling Automatic URL Linking | Yes | |
| HTML | No |
Support for Additional Syntax Elements
As an added bonus, Dillinger provides support for several obscure elements.
| Element | Markdown | Rendered Output |
|---|---|---|
| Abbreviation | *[HTML]: Hyper Text Markup LanguageThe HTML specification is maintained by the W3C. |
The HTML specification is maintained by the W3C. |
| Insert | ++This text has been inserted++ |
This text has been inserted |
See Also
Take your Markdown skills to the next level.
Learn Markdown in 60 pages. Designed for both novices and experts, The Markdown Guide book is a comprehensive reference that has everything you need to get started and master Markdown syntax.
Get the BookWant to learn more Markdown?
Don't stop now! 🚀 Star the GitHub repository and then enter your email address below to receive new Markdown tutorials via email. No spam!