Markdown Table Generator

How to use the markdown table generator

1. Paste your rows, with the header first.
2. Choose the column alignment.
3. Copy the table into your document.

About this tool

Paste rows and get a table whose source is readable, not just its render. Columns are padded to equal width, which makes no difference to the output but a great deal of difference to anyone editing the file afterwards — an unpadded Markdown table is genuinely hard to read.

Two things are handled that catch people out. A pipe character inside a cell would split it into two columns, so it is escaped. And rows with fewer cells than the header are padded rather than left short, since a ragged Markdown table renders with cells missing from the wrong end.

Alignment markers go in the separator row: a colon on the left, right or both. That is the only way to control alignment in Markdown, and it applies per column.

Input is parsed as CSV, so quoted values containing commas are handled correctly. Pasting directly from a spreadsheet usually gives tab-separated data, which is detected automatically.

Common uses

• Putting a spreadsheet extract into a README.
• Formatting a comparison table for documentation.
• Tidying a Markdown table someone else wrote.

Frequently asked questions

Can I paste straight from a spreadsheet?

Yes. Spreadsheets copy as tab-separated text, which is detected automatically alongside comma-separated input.

What happens to a pipe inside a cell?

It is escaped, because an unescaped pipe splits the cell into two columns and breaks the row.

How do I control alignment?

With colons in the separator row — left, right or both for centred. This adds them for every column at once.