Question 1

Does this produce a real .docx file or just a renamed HTML file?

Accepted Answer

A real .docx. The tool builds the actual Office Open XML (OOXML) file structure — a zip archive containing document.xml, styles.xml, numbering.xml, and the required relationship files — and emits valid WordprocessingML for every element. The output opens natively in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice Writer, and Pages without conversion dialogs or formatting warnings. Many 'Markdown to Word' converters online just rename HTML to .doc; Word opens those but treats them as imported web content, which is why formatting breaks when you share or edit.

Question 2

What Markdown features are supported?

Accepted Answer

Headings (H1–H6, mapped to Word's Heading 1 through Heading 6 styles), paragraphs, bold, italic, bold-italic, strikethrough, inline code, code blocks (preserved as monospaced blocks with background shading), ordered and unordered lists with nesting up to 6 levels deep, tables with column alignment and header row styling, blockquotes, horizontal rules, and links. Images referenced by URL appear as inline placeholders — binary image fetching is blocked by browser CORS in most cases.

Question 3

Are the headings actually Word headings, or just bold text?

Accepted Answer

They're actual Word heading styles. The generated document.xml applies pStyle references (Heading1, Heading2, etc.) which pull from the styles.xml included in the .docx. This means: the document outline pane populates correctly, Table of Contents generation works, navigation via Word's heading panel works, and exported PDFs carry proper document structure tags for accessibility.

Question 4

Does my Markdown get uploaded to a server?

Accepted Answer

No. All conversion happens in your browser. Your text never leaves your device. JSZip runs the zip packaging client-side, the OOXML generation is pure JavaScript, and the download is generated via a Blob URL. This matters if you're converting confidential content like legal drafts, internal reports, or client materials — nothing is transmitted, logged, or retained.

Question 5

Why not just use Pandoc?

Accepted Answer

Pandoc is excellent for complex conversions but requires installation (brew install pandoc, or 150MB Windows installer), command-line fluency, and is overkill for the common case of 'I have some markdown and need to send it to someone who uses Word.' This tool handles the 90% case — clean standard Markdown to a good-looking Word document — in a browser tab with zero setup. For complex cases involving citations, cross-references, or custom filters, Pandoc remains the right tool.

Question 6

Can I customize the styling of the output?

Accepted Answer

You can toggle the document theme (Default, Compact, or Report) before export, which changes heading sizes, spacing, and font choices. For deeper customization, export first then modify styles in Word — the generated file uses standard Word style names (Heading 1, Normal, Quote, etc.), so changing a style once updates it everywhere. Word's Design tab and Style Sets apply cleanly to the output.

📖 Learn More