# Google Docs is getting more Markdown support

Google is including Markdown help to Google Docs on the internet, letting you format your doc utilizing textual content shortcuts fairly than keyboard ones. In a weblog put up saying the characteristic, Google says it’s doing this by way of its autocorrect characteristic, so it’s going to robotically format the textual content for you after you kind it in Markdown format. For instance, should you kind “# Google Docs is getting extra Markdown help” it’ll robotically get transformed to a stage one heading.

Google says that Docs already supported just a few Markdown autocorrections for bulleted and numbered lists, and checkboxes. It’s including a lot wider help, although — now you can use Markdown so as to add headings, daring and italicize textual content (or do each), strikethrough (although it’s carried out utilizing a – on both facet of your content material, fairly than the standard ~), and hyperlinks. That’s a removed from full implementation of Markdown, however no less than it covers most of what I personally use the language for.

To activate the characteristic, go to Instruments > Preferences, and test the “Mechanically detect Markdown” field. For those who don’t see it, it might not be rolled out in your account but — Google says it might take “longer than 15 days” for the characteristic to point out up for everybody (personally, I needed to strive three completely different Google accounts earlier than I discovered one which had it).

For those who’re used to writing in Markdown in different functions, Google Docs’ implementation might be going to take some getting used to (even ignoring the seemingly non-standard strikethrough syntax and absent choices). Reasonably than displaying you your marks in plain textual content, it makes use of them to robotically apply formatting after which eliminates them. That’s completely different from how most different textual content editors show Markdown by default — often, you’ll nonetheless be capable of see the marks, with the editor additionally including some kind of formatting to offer you an concept of the way it’ll look if you publish.

Whether or not you want this strategy or not might be a private desire. Google’s implementation in all probability gained’t enchantment very a lot to the individuals who use Markdown to get full management of their textual content (with out having to trouble with HTML’s annoying closing tags). However for anybody who simply desires the flexibility to make use of Markdown as a shortcut to formatting, and doesn’t care about fussing round with plaintext, Google’s approach could possibly be comparatively approachable — as an alternative of choosing textual content and urgent Command / Management + L to insert a hyperlink, you’ll be able to simply kind just a few brackets and parentheses.

(It’s additionally in all probability price noting that this implementation is way friendlier for if you share a doc with a coworker who doesn’t know what Markdown is.)

Google says the characteristic is off by default — in all probability a sensible choice, because it’s straightforward to think about lots of people getting confused if typing a pound sign up entrance of one thing robotically switched it to be a header — and that it’s coming to “Google Workspace prospects, in addition to legacy G Suite Fundamental and Enterprise buyer,” alongside private accounts. Now should you’ll excuse me, I feel it’s time to begin a marketing campaign to get Google so as to add a Vim mode to Docs, because it’s stepping into the behavior of including enjoyable nerdy options.