How to convert Markdown to PDF on iPhone
Markdown goes to PDF the way it goes anywhere: it is turned into HTML first, and the HTML is rendered. Knowing that explains both what comes out looking right and what quietly does not.
Markdown is not a document format
A .md file is a plain text file with conventions. # Title means a heading because a renderer agreed to treat it as one. Nothing in the file is bold; there are asterisks around a word, and something downstream decides what that means.
So every Markdown-to-PDF conversion is really two steps: Markdown to HTML, then HTML rendered to a page. Convexy does exactly that, using WebKit — the engine behind Safari — for the second step. This is worth understanding because it tells you where the fidelity comes from and where the limits are.
What survives
- Headings —
#,##and###, rendered as real heading levels at real sizes. - Bold and italic —
**bold**and*italic*. - Bullet lists — lines starting with
-. - Numbered lists — lines starting with
1.,2.and so on. - Links —
[text](https://example.com), kept as clickable links in the PDF. - Inline code — text in
`backticks`, set in a monospaced face. - Fenced code blocks — lines between
```fences, kept as a preformatted block with the whitespace intact.
That covers the large majority of what people actually write in Markdown: notes, READMEs, meeting minutes, drafts, documentation.
What does not survive, precisely
Markdown has no single standard, and Convexy implements a deliberate subset. Rather than let you guess which half you are in, here is the list of what is not interpreted — these will appear in the PDF as the literal characters you typed:
- Tables. Pipe tables are not rendered as tables. This is the one people miss most.
- Images.
does not embed a picture. The image is not pulled into the PDF. - Blockquotes. A leading
>is not styled as a quote. - Headings below level 3.
####and deeper are not recognised — they will print as literal hashes. - Bullets written with
*or+. Only-starts a bullet. Use hyphens. - Nested (indented) lists. Sub-items are not nested; indentation is not read as depth.
- Horizontal rules, strikethrough, task lists, footnotes and other extensions.
- Raw HTML inside the Markdown is escaped and shown as text, not rendered as markup — deliberately, so a stray angle bracket cannot silently break the document.
None of this is hidden behind a paywall or a setting. It is the honest shape of the renderer.
The output is a single page. Convexy renders one page at the size you choose; content that runs past the bottom of it is not carried onto a second page. A one-page note, a summary, a recipe, a set of minutes — fine. A long README or a chapter is not: convert it in sections and combine them with the PDF Merge tool, which is free forever.
If you want the HTML instead
The intermediate step is available as a destination in its own right. Converting Markdown to HTML gives you a complete, standalone .html file you can open in any browser, restyle, or hand to someone else — and it has no one-page limit, because a web page has no pages. If the PDF's page constraint is a problem and the recipient can open a browser, HTML is often the better answer.
Markdown can also become TXT (the words with the syntax cleaned away, not just the raw file) or RTF (an editable rich-text document for Word or Pages).
Everything happens on the device — the Markdown is rendered by frameworks already on your iPhone, with no upload and no server involved. Notes and drafts stay yours. The app works with the network off.
How to do it
-
Bring the Markdown file in
Tap Browse files in Convexy and pick the .md file, or share it into the app from Files, an editor, or a notes app.
-
Choose PDF
The app offers only what Markdown can become: HTML, PDF, TXT and RTF. Tap PDF.
-
Set the page size
In Options, choose Letter, A4 or Legal. This is the size the document is laid out into as well as the size of the finished PDF.
-
Convert
Tap Convert, then open the preview. Check that your headings and lists rendered, and that the content fits on the page.
-
Save or share
Save the PDF to Files or send it on. Use the free PDF Merge tool to combine several converted sections into one longer document.
Common questions
Do Markdown tables convert?
No. Pipe tables are not rendered as tables — they appear in the PDF as the literal pipe characters you typed. Tables are the most common thing people expect and do not get, so it is worth saying clearly. If the table is the point of the document, this conversion is not the right tool for it.
Do images in my Markdown appear in the PDF?
No. An image in Markdown is a reference to a file somewhere else, and Convexy converts the single file you handed it. The picture is not embedded in the output.
Why do my #### headings print as literal hashes?
Because only heading levels one to three are recognised. A line starting with four or more hashes is treated as ordinary text and printed as written. Restructure to use #, ## and ### and it will render.
My bullet list did not become a list. Why?
Almost certainly because you wrote the bullets with asterisks or plus signs. Only a leading hyphen and a space starts a bullet. Nested, indented sub-items are also not supported — they are flattened rather than nested.
Will a long Markdown document become a multi-page PDF?
No. The output is a single page at the size you picked, and content past the bottom of that page is not carried onto a second. Convert in sections and merge them with the free PDF Merge tool, or convert to HTML instead, which has no page limit at all.
Which flavour of Markdown does it support?
A deliberate subset: headings one to three, bold, italic, inline code, fenced code blocks, hyphen bullets, numbered lists and links. Tables, images, blockquotes, nested lists, horizontal rules, strikethrough, task lists and raw HTML are not interpreted. That is the whole list — there is no hidden setting that enables more.