How to Strip Markdown Symbols

Sometimes you need to move your notes to a system that does not support Markdown, or you simply want a clean, symbol free version of your text. Since Markdown is just plain text, removing the formatting is a straightforward process.

Cleaning Process

Removing Markdown formatting is the same as editing any text file.

Manual Removal

The most reliable way to remove formatting is to delete the symbols by hand.

• Remove symbols: Delete characters like *, #, [, ], (, and >.
• Fix line breaks: Markdown often relies on specific line spacing. Check that your paragraphs still flow naturally after removing tags.
• Check lists: If you used bullet points (- or *), you may want to replace them with plain dashes or just indentation to maintain a list like look.

Using Automation

If you have a large number of files, you do not need to do this work yourself.

• Find and Replace: Most text editors, such as Notepad or TextEdit, have a "Find and Replace" tool. You can search for specific Markdown characters and replace them with nothing (an empty space).
• Online Converters: Search for "Markdown to Plain Text converter" in your browser. These sites allow you to paste your Markdown content, and they output the text without the extra symbols.
• Pandoc: This is a professional tool for people who handle many files. It acts as a converter that can change Markdown into almost any other format, including clean plain text.

Things to Watch

When you strip Markdown, you lose the structural benefits of the original file.

• Links: If you remove the Markdown, you lose the link address. The text remains, but the "clickable" part vanishes. If you need to keep the web address, ensure you copy the URL before deleting the brackets.
• Images: Markdown images are just links to files. If you remove the syntax, the image will no longer appear; only the file name or alt text will remain.
• Structure: Without headings (the # symbols), your document might look like a single long wall of text. You might need to add line spaces or capitalization to separate your sections clearly.

By following these steps, you can turn your formatted notes into raw, standard text for use in any program.