Top 5 PDF to Markdown Converter for Effortless Formatting

Different formats, such as PPTX, DOCX, or PDF, to Markdown converter is an essential tool for content writers, developers, and documentation specialists. Having the right tools makes all the difference when converting any type of file format into Markdown. 

Numerous libraries and frameworks make this conversion process almost effortless and efficient. From command-line utilities to user-friendly web applications, these tools handle everything from Word documents to HTML pages. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best tools that will transform your workflow and save hours of manual formatting. 

1. Pandoc

Pandoc stands as the Swiss Army knife of document conversion tools due to its understanding of Markdown syntax extensions. This open-source command-line converter that allows conversion from dozens of markup file formats, including Word, HTML, LaTeX, PDF, to Markdown. 

It comes with a stand-alone command-line application and a Haskell library. Installing a new input or output format only requires installing a new module since the library has distinct modules for each type of input.

Key Features of Pandoc:

Pandoc understands a number of useful Markdown formats, but here are some of its standout features:

• It assists with over 40 input and output file types.
• It sustains the document format and structure.
• It not only handles textual data but also tables, footnotes, bibliographies, and mathematical equations.
• Pandoc templates and filters allow for customization.
• It is completely free and actively maintained.

Hands-On for Pandoc:

Pandoc can be installed on any of our systems and used to convert different file formats, and here’s the process for it:

1. Let’s start with installing Pandoc on our system:

# For Ubuntu

sudo apt-get install pandoc

# For macOS

brew install pandoc

# For Windows (using Chocolatey)

choco install pandoc

2. Run this command to convert HTML to Markdown:

Pandoc -f html -t markdown -o output.md input.html

3. To convert a Word document to Markdown:

Pandoc -f docx -t markdown -o output.md input.docx

4. To convert PDF into Markdown:

Pandoc -f pdf -t markdown -o output.md input.pdf

5. It can be used to read from the web using the following command:

Pandoc -f html -t markdown https://www.fsf.org

Use Cases of Pandoc:

• Excels when you need to convert complex documents, preserving their structure
• To transform Research papers between formats by Academic Writers
• For document projects in multiple formats by Technical Writers.

2. MarkItDown

MarkItDown is a lightweight Python utility developed by Microsoft. It offers a straightforward web service for quick conversions and an MCP server for integration with LLM applications, such as Claude desktop. You can simply paste HTML or upload documents, and it returns a clean Markdown with minimal fuss.

Key Features of MarkItDown:

Since its debut, the library has skyrocketed in popularity due to these features:

• It has high token efficiency, which can be helpful when dealing with large documents.
• Provides a user-friendly web(online) interface.
• It can process documents in batches.
• You can use the preview feature to check the quality of your conversions.
• It offers a free tier for basic usage and premium options. It can also easily convert PDFs to Markdown for free.

Hands-On for MarkItDown:

Using MarkItDown is an easily straightforward process, and here’s what you need:

1. Navigate to the MarkItDown web interface and paste your HTML or rich text into the input field, or simply upload the file.

2. Click “Convert to Markdown” and then download the file.

3. You can install MarkItDown using the following command:

pip install markitdown[all]

4. Alternatively, you can install it directly from the source as well:

git clone [email protected]:microsoft/markitdown.git

cd markitdown

pip install -e 'packages/markitdown[all]'

Use Cases of MarkItDown:

• For content writers who receive formatted content from writers or clients, they can quickly convert it into Markdown format.
• Transforming diverse company files into diversified Markdown format with no complexities.

Also Read: Converstion using Markitdown MCP

3. Unstructured.io

Unstructured.io provides powerful tools for extracting and transforming raw content from unstructured documents into a readable format. This open-source library excels at handling complex documents and converting them into structured formats, including Markdown.

Key Features of Unstructured.io:

The library is designed for local data processing and can be used for conversion directly using these features:

• It is a converter that allows PDFs to Markdown, images, emails, and various document types.
• It uses AI to understand document structure for the conversion process.
• It preserves tables, charts, and other complex elements.
• In comparison with other frameworks, it provides more accurate table and image extraction.

Hands-On for Unstructured.io:

To get started with Unstructured.io, follow these steps:

1. Install Unstructured.io using:

# Create a Python virtual environment

python -m venv unstructured-env

source unstructured-env/bin/activate  # On Windows: unstructured-env\Scripts\activate

# Install unstructured

pip install unstructured

# Install document-specific dependencies

pip install "unstructured[pdf,docx]"

2. You can integrate it with Python using the following commands:

from unstructured.partition.auto import partition

from unstructured.partition.md import partition_md

elements = partition(“document.pdf”)

Markdown = partition_md(elements)

with open(“output.md”, “w”) as f:

f.write(markdown)

Use Cases of Unstructured.io:

• Data Scientists and developers are working with document processing converter’s to transform various document formats into structured data or turn PDFs to Markdown.
• For converting PDFs that contain tables, forms, or other complex layouts.

4. Dillinger

Dillinger is a tool for converting PDFs into Markdown, designed with an in-browser Markdown editor that supports importing from various formats and offers two panes. This online tool offers a live preview on the right alongside your Markdown on the left, making it ideal for both editing and conversion.

Key Features of Dillinger:

It is a cloud-enabled Markdown editor with some standout features:

• It offers a live version of Markdown rendering.
• Files of any type can be imported from Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and GitHub.
• Not only can Markdown be exported to HTML, but it can also be exported to PDF and other formats.
• Convert PDF into Markdown for free.
• You can sync documents to cloud storage services.
• It has a completely free tier with no account or sign-up required.

Hands-On for Dillinger:

Convert your files by accessing Dillinger using the steps below:

1. Visit the Dillinger website.

2. Click “Import From” and select your source, or create a file directly on the platform.
3. You have the option to edit the resulting Markdown if needed.

4. Export in any file format or copy the final Markdown from the left preview.

Use Cases of Dillinger:

• Writers who need to transform and edit documents before publishing quickly or want to have the tools to convert PDF into Markdown, can make use of it.
• Collaborative teams that need to transform documents from sources into a consistent Markdown format.

5. Marker

Marker focuses is a converter that allows turning Google Docs or other documents to Markdown, PDF, JSON, and HTML, while preserving formatting and document structure accurately. It provides a browser extension that adds Markdown export functionality directly to Google Docs.

Key Features of Marker:

Marker converts files to Markdown quickly and accurately. Some of its best features:

• It offers direct integration into Google Docs.
• Preserves headings, lists, tables, inline math, links and code blocks.
• Has the ability to export to the clipboard in one click or download.
• Handles the extraction of images through various options (links or downloads) and saves them to a location.
• Convert PDF into Markdown for free.
• It’s open-source and free to use for everyone.
• Works effortlessly on GPU, CPU, or MPS.

Hands-On for Marker:

Marker is a pipeline of deep learning models, and here’s the way to access it:

1. Install the Marker as an extension in your browser, or you can install it on your system using the following command. However, you may need to install the CPU version of Torch first if you’re not using a Mac or the GPU version.

pip install marker-pdf

2. You can also try some basic versions of Marker using the Streamlit app. 

pip install streamlit

marker_gui

3. For the extension:

• Open your Google document.
• Click the Marker icon in your browser toolbar.
• Choose your preferred export options.
• Click “Export to Markdown”.

4. For the conversion using Python:

from marker.converters.pdf import PdfConverter

from marker.models import create_model_dict

from marker.output import text_from_rendered

converter = PdfConverter(

    artifact_dict=create_model_dict(),

)

rendered = converter("FILEPATH")

text, _, images = text_from_rendered(rendered)

Use Cases of Marker:

• Teams that collaborate in Google Docs but publish content to Markdown-based platforms or static site generators.
• Bridges the gap between collaborative editing and technical publishing workflows.

Conclusion

It doesn’t have to be difficult to convert files in different formats to Markdown. The frameworks discussed in this article offer solutions to nearly any conversion requirement, regardless of whether you’re working with emails, HTML files, Word documents, or other formats. By selecting the ideal tool for your conversion process, you can streamline your entire workflow and focus on creating a top-notch Markdown file format, rather than dealing with formatting issues.

Frequently Asked Questions

Gen AI Intern at Analytics Vidhya 
Department of Computer Science, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India 

I am currently working as a Gen AI Intern at Analytics Vidhya, where I contribute to innovative AI-driven solutions that empower businesses to leverage data effectively. As a final-year Computer Science student at Vellore Institute of Technology, I bring a solid foundation in software development, data analytics, and machine learning to my role. 

Feel free to connect with me at [email protected]