GroupDocs.Markdown 26.3.0

GroupDocs.Markdown for .NET

Convert documents to clean, structured Markdown with full control over output flavor, image handling, and formatting. Built for AI/LLM pipelines, static site generators, and document processing workflows.

Quick Start

using GroupDocs.Markdown;

// One-liner — convert any supported document to Markdown
string md = MarkdownConverter.ToMarkdown("report.docx");

// Save directly to file
MarkdownConverter.ToFile("report.docx", "report.md");

Features

• 20+ input formats — PDF, Word, Excel, EPUB, MOBI, TXT, CHM, and more
• Markdown flavor control — GitHub Flavored Markdown or strict CommonMark
• Flexible image handling — Base64 embed, save to disk, skip, rename, or replace
• Spreadsheet table control — Column/row truncation with ellipsis indicators
• YAML front matter — Auto-extract document metadata for Jekyll, Hugo, Docusaurus
• Heading level offset — Shift heading levels when embedding in larger documents
• Document inspection — Read page count, title, author without converting
• Async API — Truly async file I/O for web apps and serverless
• Custom DOM renderer — Full control over every aspect of the Markdown output
• Cross-platform — Windows, Linux, macOS

Examples

Convert PDF to Markdown

using GroupDocs.Markdown;

License.Set("GroupDocs.Markdown.lic");

string md = MarkdownConverter.ToMarkdown("business-plan.pdf");
File.WriteAllText("business-plan.md", md);

Password-Protected Documents

var loadOptions = new LoadOptions(FileFormat.Docx) { Password = "secret" };
string md = MarkdownConverter.ToMarkdown("confidential.docx", loadOptions);

Save Images to a Folder with Relative Paths

var options = new ConvertOptions
{
    ImageExportStrategy = new ExportImagesToFileSystemStrategy("output/images")
    {
        ImagesRelativePath = "images"  // Markdown references: ![alternate text is missing from this package README image](images/img-001.png)
    }
};
MarkdownConverter.ToFile("annual-report.docx", "output/report.md", options);

GitHub Flavored Markdown vs CommonMark

// GFM (default) — pipe tables, strikethrough
var gfm = new ConvertOptions { Flavor = MarkdownFlavor.GitHub };
string md = MarkdownConverter.ToMarkdown("data.xlsx", gfm);
// | Column A | Column B |
// | --- | --- |
// | value1 | value2 |

// CommonMark — tables rendered as code blocks
var cm = new ConvertOptions { Flavor = MarkdownFlavor.CommonMark };

YAML Front Matter for Static Site Generators

var options = new ConvertOptions { IncludeFrontMatter = true };
string md = MarkdownConverter.ToMarkdown("article.docx", options);
// ---
// title: "Q3 Report"
// author: "Jane Doe"
// format: Docx
// pages: 12
// ---
//
// # Q3 Report
// ...

Heading Level Offset

Shift all headings when embedding converted content inside a larger document:

var options = new ConvertOptions { HeadingLevelOffset = 2 };
string md = MarkdownConverter.ToMarkdown("chapter.docx", options);
// Source: # Title     → Output: ### Title
// Source: ## Section  → Output: #### Section

Spreadsheet Options

Control how Excel/CSV tables are rendered:

var options = new ConvertOptions
{
    MaxColumns = 8,              // Truncate wide tables
    MaxRows = 50,                // Limit rows per worksheet
    SheetSeparator = "\n---\n",  // Separator between sheets
    IncludeHiddenSheets = false  // Skip hidden worksheets
};
MarkdownConverter.ToFile("data.xlsx", "data.md", options);

Convert Specific Pages Only

var options = new ConvertOptions { PageNumbers = new[] { 1, 3, 5 } };
MarkdownConverter.ToFile("manual.pdf", "selected-pages.md", options);

Inspect Document Without Converting

DocumentInfo info = MarkdownConverter.GetInfo("report.docx");
Console.WriteLine($"Format: {info.FileFormat}");      // Docx
Console.WriteLine($"Pages: {info.PageCount}");         // 42
Console.WriteLine($"Title: {info.Title}");             // "Q3 Report"
Console.WriteLine($"Author: {info.Author}");           // "Jane Doe"
Console.WriteLine($"Encrypted: {info.IsEncrypted}");   // false

Custom Image Handling — Rename or Replace

public class WatermarkHandler : IImageSavingHandler
{
    public void Handle(CustomImageSavingArgs args)
    {
        // Replace every image with a watermark
        args.SetReplacementImage(File.OpenRead("watermark.png"));
    }
}

var options = new ConvertOptions
{
    ImageExportStrategy = new CustomImagesStrategy("images", new WatermarkHandler())
    {
        ImagesRelativePath = "images"
    }
};
MarkdownConverter.ToFile("confidential.docx", "redacted.md", options);

Async API

string md = await MarkdownConverter.ToMarkdownAsync("report.docx");
await MarkdownConverter.ToFileAsync("report.docx", "output.md");
DocumentInfo info = await MarkdownConverter.GetInfoAsync("report.docx");

Instance API with Full Control

using var converter = new MarkdownConverter("report.docx");

// Inspect first
DocumentInfo info = converter.GetDocumentInfo();
Console.WriteLine($"{info.PageCount} pages by {info.Author}");

// Then convert
ConvertResult result = converter.Convert(new ConvertOptions
{
    IncludeFrontMatter = true,
    HeadingLevelOffset = 1
});

Console.WriteLine(result.Content);

// Check for non-fatal warnings
foreach (string warning in result.Warnings)
    Console.WriteLine($"Warning: {warning}");

Error Handling

All methods throw on failure — standard .NET try/catch:

try
{
    string md = MarkdownConverter.ToMarkdown("file.docx");
}
catch (DocumentProtectedException)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Wrong or missing password.");
}
catch (InvalidFormatException)
{
    Console.WriteLine("File is corrupt or unsupported.");
}

Discover Supported Formats at Runtime

IReadOnlyList<FileFormat> formats = MarkdownConverter.GetSupportedFormats();
foreach (FileFormat format in formats)
    Console.WriteLine(format);  // Doc, Docx, Xlsx, Pdf, Epub, ...

Supported Input Formats

Requirements

• .NET Framework 4.6.2+ or .NET 6.0+ / .NET 8.0+ / .NET 10.0+
• Windows, Linux, or macOS

Useful Links

• Product Page
• Documentation
• API Reference
• Code Examples
• Blog

License

See https://about.groupdocs.com/legal/ for terms of use, copyright, EULA, and privacy policy.

Support

Free Support Forum | Paid Support Helpdesk