Markdown support and copy-paste behavior

Supported Markdown syntax

Evernote supports a selection of Markdown syntax elements, allowing you to format notes quickly and efficiently. Below are the supported Markdown elements.

Headings

# Heading 1

## Heading 2

### Heading 3

Bulleted lists

- Item 1

- Item 2

- Item 3

Numbered lists

1. First item

2. Second item

3. Third item

Links and images

[Link to Google](<https://www.google.com>)

![Alt Text](https://example.com/image.jpg)

Blockquotes

> This is a blockquote.

Bold and italic text

**bold**

*italic*

Copy-pasting text into Evernote

When copying and pasting text from external sources, such as ChatGPT, different formatting rules apply based on the type of text and the paste method used.

Paste as formatted content: Ctrl/Command + V
Paste as plain, unformatted text: Ctrl/Command + Shift + V

Copying HTML-formatted text

If the copied text includes formatting (e.g., headings, bold, lists), pasting with Ctrl/Cmd + V retains the formatting as it appears in the source.
Using Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + V removes all formatting and pastes it as raw text.

Copying plain text with Markdown syntax

If the copied text has Markdown syntax and no formatting, pasting it with Ctrl/Cmd + V will convert it into the corresponding rich text formatting
If the copied text has Markdown syntax and includes any formatting, such as a different color, pasting it with Ctrl/Command + Shift + V will make Evernote recognize it as HTML-formatted text, and the Markdown will not be parsed.
Using Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + V will still paste the copied text, triggering and applying Markdown formatting.

Other cases

Some platforms may not fully support Markdown but still structure text in HTML. For example, a number sign (#) may not create a heading, but a dash (-) may still create a list.

If you copy such text and paste it with Ctrl/Cmd + V, Evernote will preserve the HTML structure rather than applying Markdown formatting.
If forced to paste as plain text (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + V), Markdown characters (like #), will be treated as Markdown and converted accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are headings not formatted as Markdown?

Currently, Evernote does not automatically convert Markdown-style content inside HTML tags. For example, pasting <p>## Heading</p> using Ctrl/Cmd + V will not transform it into <h2>Heading</h2>. Instead, it will remain a paragraph with ## Heading inside it.

To trigger Markdown conversion, you should paste as plain text using Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + V. This will insert the text as ## Heading, allowing Evernote to recognize and convert it into an actual heading (<h2>).

If you're pasting a large chunk of text that includes both Markdown syntax and formatting, we recommend dividing your paste operations by section:

Use Cmd+V for sections where you want to keep formatting (Markdown won’t be processed).
Use Cmd+Shift+V for sections where you want Markdown conversion (but formatting will be lost).

This way, you can balance Markdown conversion with formatting preservation based on each section's needs.

Updated April 03, 2025 06:39