What is the markdown syntax for bold and italic?

Wrap text in two asterisks for bold (**bold**) and one asterisk for italic (*italic*). Three asterisks on each side give bold and italic together.

How do I make a table in markdown?

Use pipes to separate columns and a row of dashes under the header, for example | Name | Role | followed by | --- | --- |. Then add one row per line.

How do I make a heading in markdown?

Start the line with one to six # characters followed by a space. One # is the top-level heading, two is the next level, and so on.

How do I show a markdown symbol literally?

Put a backslash before it, for example \* or \#. The backslash tells the renderer to display the character instead of treating it as formatting.

Are tables and task lists part of standard markdown?

They come from the GitHub Flavored Markdown extension rather than the original markdown. Most modern editors support them, but a very basic renderer may show them as plain text.

Does atiea have markdown keyboard shortcuts?

Yes. Cmd+B makes text bold, Cmd+I italic, Cmd+K inserts a link, Cmd+N creates a new note and Cmd+F opens find.

Markdown Cheat Sheet for Mac: Every Syntax You Need

Quick answer

Markdown formats text with plain characters: # for headings, ** for bold, - for lists, [text](url) for links, ``` for code blocks, and | for tables. This cheat sheet covers all of it in one place.

Markdown is a plain-text way to add structure to writing. This page covers the syntax you will use most, in the order you are likely to need it, with copy-pasteable examples and the mistakes that trip people up. Most of it is standard across markdown apps. A few items (tables, task lists, strikethrough) come from the GitHub Flavored Markdown extension, which most modern editors support but not every tool does.

Text formatting

Wrap text in asterisks for emphasis. Two asterisks make bold, one makes italic, and three make both.

You type	Result
`bold`	bold
`italic`	italic
`*bold and italic*`	*bold and italic*
`~~strikethrough~~`	~~strikethrough~~
`inline code`	`inline code`

Underscores work for italic and bold too (_italic_, __bold__), but asterisks are safer in the middle of a word. In atiea, Cmd+B wraps the selection in bold markers and Cmd+I wraps it in italic markers.

Headings

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
#### Heading 4

Use one # per level and always put a space after the last one. #Heading without the space is not a heading in standard markdown. Leave a blank line before and after a heading so every renderer treats it consistently. Keep to one level-1 heading per note and nest the rest in order, which also makes exported documents easier to navigate.

Paragraphs and line breaks

A blank line starts a new paragraph. A single newline inside a paragraph is usually treated as a space, so two lines typed one after the other can merge into one line when rendered. To force a line break without starting a new paragraph, end the line with two spaces or a backslash:

First line with a hard break\
Second line

Behavior varies slightly between apps, so if a break disappears, add a blank line instead.

Lists

- Bullet item
- Another item
  - Nested item (indent two spaces)

1. First
2. Second
3. Third

Bullets can use -, * or +. Pick one and stay with it. Nest an item by indenting it under its parent; two to four spaces works in most editors, and consistency matters more than the number. Numbered lists renumber themselves when rendered, so 1. on every line also works.

A common mistake is forgetting the blank line before a list that follows a paragraph. Some renderers will then fold the list into the paragraph text.

Task lists

- [ ] Not done
- [x] Done

The space inside the empty brackets is required. More in Markdown task lists and checklists.

Links and images

[Link text](https://example.com)
[Link with a title](https://example.com "Hover text")
<https://example.com>
![Alt text](image.png)

A link is square brackets for the text followed by parentheses for the address. An image is the same with a leading !. Always write meaningful alt text; it is what screen readers announce and what shows if the image fails to load. If the address contains spaces, replace them with %20 or wrap the address in angle brackets. In atiea, Cmd+K inserts a link.

Quotes and dividers

> A blockquote
> that spans two lines

---

Start each quoted line with >. A line of three or more dashes, asterisks or underscores makes a horizontal rule. Put a blank line above ---, otherwise some renderers read the text above it as a heading.

Code blocks

Use three backticks on their own lines. Adding a language name after the opening fence enables syntax coloring in apps that support it.

```swift
let greeting = "Hello"
print(greeting)
```

You can also indent every line by four spaces to make a code block, but fences are clearer. To show a literal backtick inside inline code, wrap it with double backticks.

Tables

| Name | Role   |
| ---- | ------ |
| Ada  | Writer |

Colons in the separator row set alignment. Full guide: Markdown tables explained.

Escaping characters

Put a backslash before a character to show it literally instead of having it treated as syntax:

\*not italic\*
\# not a heading
1\. not a list

This is the fix whenever markdown formats something you meant as plain text, such as a line that starts with a number and a period.

Notes-app extras

Many notes apps add conventions on top of standard markdown. [[Wiki links]] link one note to another, and the linked note shows a backlink in return (explained here). Inline #tags organize notes without folders. These are not part of the markdown specification, so a plain renderer will show them as literal text. atiea supports both, along with live syntax highlighting.

Shortcuts in atiea

Action	Shortcut
Bold	`Cmd`+`B`
Italic	`Cmd`+`I`
Link	`Cmd`+`K`
New note	`Cmd`+`N`
Find	`Cmd`+`F`

Troubleshooting common problems

My heading shows the # symbols. You are missing the space after the hashes, or the line is indented four or more spaces.
My list collapsed into a paragraph. Add a blank line before the first item.
My table does not render. Check that the separator row exists and has the same number of columns as the header.
Underscores in a name turned text italic. Escape them with a backslash or put the name in backticks.
A line break vanished. End the line with a backslash or add a blank line.

When not to rely on markdown alone

Markdown is built for text. It has no standard way to set colors, fonts, page layouts, merged table cells or precise image sizing. If a document needs that kind of control, write the content in markdown and finish it in a word processor after export. See how to convert markdown to PDF or Word on Mac.

Quick reference: which syntax for which job

Goal	Use
Structure a long note	Headings (`##`) and short paragraphs
Track to-dos	Task lists (`- [ ]`)
Compare short, regular data	A table
Quote a source	Blockquote (`>`) plus a link to it
Share code or commands	Fenced code block
Connect ideas across notes	`[[Wiki links]]` in a notes app

Where to go next

Practice is the quickest way to learn this. Open a note in the atiea markdown editor, type each example above and watch the highlighting respond. If you are new to the file format itself, read what an MD file is, and for a workflow built on this syntax see how to take notes in markdown. The glossary defines terms such as backlink if you meet them along the way.