PNG to Markdown Converter: Free, Private, No Upload
Convert PNG files to Markdown in your browser. Smaller output file, batch up to 20 files at once, no upload, no account, no watermark. Your files never leave your device.
- PNG to Markdown
- Batch up to 20 files
- No upload, no account
- Metadata stripped
- 1Add up to 20 images
- 2Pick from 18 formats
- 3Download or copy the code
Processed on your device. Your images are never uploaded, and metadata is stripped. How we keep it private
How do I convert PNG to Markdown for free?
Drop your PNG files into the tool above, choose Markdown as output, and download the result. Everything runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded and there is no limit or watermark. It works on Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS and Android — anywhere you have a modern browser.
- Price
- Free, no credits and no daily cap
- Account required
- No
- File uploaded to server
- No, processed locally in your browser
- Batch limit
- Up to 20 files at once
- Input format
- PNG
- Output format
- Markdown
- Best for
- Markdown workflows, smaller files, faster sharing
- Works on
- Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, iOS and Android browsers
- Privacy
- No upload, no tracking, metadata stripped
- Output quality
- Adjustable 1-100, defaults to 90
How to convert PNG to Markdown
- 1
Drop your PNG files
Drag up to 20 PNG files onto the page or click to choose them. Everything runs in your browser.
- 2
Markdown is preselected
Output is already set to Markdown. Adjust quality, resize or batch if you want.
- 3
Download
Save each Markdown, or download all of them together as a ZIP.
PNG to Markdown: what changes and when it makes sense
PNG is a Portable Network Graphics format. It is best known for exact pixel reproduction, crisp text and edges, and full alpha transparency. The main drawbacks are large files for photographs and no lossy mode for trading quality against size.
Markdown is not an image format. It is a Markdown image reference that wraps the image data as text. Its main appeal is keeping a document and its image together in a single .md file. The main drawbacks are unreliable rendering across platforms and very long lines that make the file hard to edit.
PNG vs Markdown at a glance
| Property | PNG | Markdown |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Raster image | Text encoding of an image |
| Compression | Lossless (DEFLATE), with an optional 8-bit palette mode | The image bytes are written out as Base64 text, which adds about 33 percent to the size |
| Transparency | Full alpha channel with soft edges | Same as the embedded image |
| Animation | No | Same as the embedded image |
| Colour depth | 8 or 16 bits per channel, or 8-bit indexed colour | Same as the embedded image |
| Support | Opens in every browser and image editor | Depends on the Markdown renderer, because some block data URIs in images |
| History | Created in 1995 as a free, patent-unencumbered replacement for GIF after Unisys began charging royalties for LZW compression. Became a W3C Recommendation in 2003. The signature bytes are 89 50 4E 47 0D 0A 1A 0A — "PNG" with newlines designed to catch file corruption. | Markdown image syntax  has been standard since 2004. Data URI support depends on the renderer — GitHub sanitises them, VS Code preview shows them, Obsidian shows them. |
What actually changes in this conversion
- Markdown is an encoding of the image data, not a new compression scheme. The text is about a third larger than the binary file, so what you gain is portability rather than a smaller size.
- Transparency follows the image data being encoded. Markdown itself is only a text wrapper.
- EXIF, GPS and camera data are stripped on every conversion. That is good for privacy, but you lose capture dates.
About PNG: history and technical details
Created in 1995 as a free, patent-unencumbered replacement for GIF after Unisys began charging royalties for LZW compression. Became a W3C Recommendation in 2003. The signature bytes are 89 50 4E 47 0D 0A 1A 0A — "PNG" with newlines designed to catch file corruption.
Technical: Uses DEFLATE (LZ77 + Huffman) compression. Two main modes: 8/16-bit truecolour with alpha, and 8-bit indexed with up to 256 colours. Filters per scanline (None, Sub, Up, Average, Paeth) before DEFLATE for better ratios.
Real-world size: A 1920x1080 screenshot is 200-600 KB as PNG. As JPG at quality 85 it is 100-300 KB but with blurry text. A 12-MP photo is 18-25 MB as PNG, 2-4 MB as JPG. PNG wins on text, JPG wins on photos.
Popular tools: Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, Figma, Sketch, Snipping Tool, macOS Screenshot, ImageMagick, pngquant, oxipng.
Alternatives: WebP lossless (20-30% smaller), AVIF (better for photos), JPG (photos only), SVG (vector graphics).
About Markdown: what you get
Markdown image syntax  has been standard since 2004. Data URI support depends on the renderer — GitHub sanitises them, VS Code preview shows them, Obsidian shows them.
Technical: . The line becomes extremely long and hard to edit. Some parsers cap line length or data URI size.
Real-world size: A 5 KB icon embedded in a README.md becomes a single ~7 KB line. GitHub renders it as broken. VS Code and Obsidian render it fine. Blog platforms vary.
Popular tools: VS Code, Obsidian, Typora, Marktext, GitHub (blocks), GitLab (blocks).
Alternatives: Relative path to image file, Hosted image URL, Markdown with reference links.
Browser and software compatibility
PNG: Opens in every browser and image editor. Markdown: Depends on the Markdown renderer, because some block data URIs in images.
Markdown with an embedded image is not rendered everywhere. GitHub sanitises them.
Why people move away from PNG
- A PNG of a photograph is commonly several times larger than the same image as JPG or WebP, which hurts page weight.
- Screenshots and photos exported as PNG are among the heaviest assets on many sites.
- Some upload forms and print services reject PNG or downscale it aggressively.
Why people choose Markdown
- Markdown with an embedded image keeps a document self-contained in a single .md file.
- It is useful for note-taking tools and offline documents where linked files tend to go missing.
Common mistakes with PNG
- Using PNG for photographs — files are 5-10x larger than JPG with no visible benefit
- Saving screenshots as JPG by mistake — text becomes blurry and unreadable
- Forgetting PNG transparency — white backgrounds appear where there should be alpha
Best practices for keeping quality
- PNG sources often contain transparency. Decide before converting what should replace it: white, black or a brand colour.
- Some renderers, GitHub among them, do not display data URI images in Markdown. Check your target before relying on it.
- For documentation, a relative path to an image file is usually more portable and easier to maintain.
- Resize before converting if the image will be shown small. A 4000 pixel photo displayed at 800 pixels wastes bytes in any format.
- Check the result at 100 percent zoom, especially around text, edges and gradients, before you replace any originals.
- Keep your original files. Conversions to a lossy format cannot be undone.
- When you convert a set of images, use the same quality setting for the whole batch. The converter handles up to 20 files at once.
PNG to Markdown questions
Quick answers about privacy, quality, supported formats, file limits and how Markdown works.
Why convert PNG to Markdown?
Markdown files are typically smaller than PNG, which makes them faster to share, send and load. The trade-off is a small amount of image detail at low quality settings.
Will converting PNG to Markdown lose quality?
At 90% quality, most people cannot tell the difference. Use 85-95% for photos and you are fine.
Does Markdown keep transparency?
Markdown is only a text wrapper around the image data, so transparency depends on the image format inside it.
Are my files uploaded?
Never. Everything runs in your browser. Your files never leave your device. Open DevTools Network tab while processing — you will see no upload request.
Can I convert many files at once?
Yes, up to 20 files at once. Download them individually or all together as a ZIP.
Does the converter strip metadata?
Yes. Browsers do not pass EXIF data through a canvas, so GPS, camera model and dates are removed on every conversion. That is good for privacy.
Is it free?
Yes. No credits, no daily cap, no account, no watermark. The practical limit is your device memory.
Does GitHub support data URI images in Markdown?
No. GitHub strips data URIs for security. Use a relative image path or a hosted URL instead. GitLab has similar restrictions.
Your files never leave your device
No upload, no account, no tracking. Everything happens in your browser using the Canvas API and WebAssembly. You can confirm this in your browser's DevTools Network tab while the tool runs — no request carries your file. See why ToolDeck is different.