GitHub Repo · Documents & PDFs

MarkItDown

Convert PDFs, Office files and more into AI-ready Markdown.

What MarkItDown does

MarkItDown from Microsoft converts PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images and other files into Markdown, which is a clean format for feeding documents to AI models.

Best for

Preparing documents for AI
Developers building knowledge bases
Bulk conversion

How small businesses use MarkItDown

Convert a folder of manuals for a chatbot
Extract text from spreadsheets
Clean up documents for AI analysis

Quick facts
Type	GitHub Repo
Category	Documents & PDFs
Pricing	Free and open source
Repository	github.com/microsoft/markitdown
License	MIT
Setup level	Developer
Main tradeoff	It runs from code or the command line, with no app interface.
GitHub stars	191k (as of 2026-10-21)
Added	Oct 16, 2026
Last reviewed	Oct 16, 2026

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MarkItDown: common questions

Who should use MarkItDown?

MarkItDown suits preparing documents for AI, developers building knowledge bases and bulk conversion.

When should you choose something else instead of MarkItDown?

MarkItDown runs from code or the command line, with no app interface. If that matters for your business, compare other options such as Stirling-PDF, Paperless-ngx and Documenso.

Is MarkItDown free?

MarkItDown pricing: Free and open source. Pricing changes often, so confirm current plans on the official repository or website before you buy.

Can a small business self-host MarkItDown?

Yes. MarkItDown is open source on GitHub, and its setup level is developer. You will need a computer or server to run it and someone to keep it updated and backed up, or you can use a hosted option if one is offered.